To Pebble or Not To Pebble?

The presentation from Anders Gustafson was the first time I didn’t completely roll my eyes at something that was anti-Pebble.  I am born and raised Alaskan, love to hunt and fish and enjoy pretty much everything that is Alaska! I believe most people who hunt and fish in this state understand how important and necessary conservation is, but as someone who also loves my 4-wheeler and snowmachine, I have become very jaded and tired of people and groups that try to “close” down parts of our very large state due to their sometimes over the top environmental concerns.  Due to this, I’ve leaned more towards being pro-Pebble, but yet have still been on the fence a bit since I was not totally convinced about whether the economic pros outweighed the negative environmental impact.  Every time I see an anti-pebble commercial they have seemed so over the top and fake, like they’re more interested in playing on people’s emotions instead of the facts.  I don’t respect that, although pro-Pebble commercials have not been much better!  I don’t trust over the top advertising and I don’t like having to sift through scare tactics about what will supposedly become a completely destroyed environment.  I want facts, not fanatics! Even in talking to people who are anti-Pebble they seem to never have the facts either just that same old “Oh all of the fish and wildlife will be destroyed” response.  I appreciated finally getting what seemed to be real facts about not only what kind of dollar amounts Bristol Bay Fishery brings in but also getting to view actual maps of what areas could potentially be affected.  It was interesting to listen to someone who has actually been there and who could explain the watershed flow and where the spawning areas are.  Yes, I realize he has a bias because of his guiding but I felt he had beneficial information.  At this time I am beginning to lean a little more against Pebble, especially since the economics of it all don’t seem like they could outweigh the economics of the fishery, combined with the possibility of damaging it. 

 

Amanda Finch