Hunters and anglers working together to preserve fish and game habitats and hunting and fishing opportunities on our public lands in Alaska.

Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska

April 15 , 2009 Newsletter and Auction Update

First, a friendly reminder…File your taxes by midnight if you’ve not done so already! With that unpleasantness out of the way, let’s proceed with the news and auction update.

SAA Travel
I’m headed to the East Coast on Friday. The SAA will be exhibiting at the Virginia Fly Fishing Festival in Waynesboro on Saturday and Sunday. Can’t wait to meet the great folks that put on this show and recruit some new folks from Virginia! Then I’ll be in our nation’s capitol for a week, meeting with conservation allies and participating in the Jim Range National Casting Call on Monday, April 27.

Secretary of Interior visits Alaska
Dillingham Alaska is a very popular place these days! On the heels of last week’s visit by Anglo American’s Chairman, Dillingham played hosts to another high-profile delegation. Ken Salazar, the Secretary of Interior, visited Dillingham in Bristol Bay on Monday, April 13. He was accompanied by Alaska’s junior U.S. Senator Mark Begich. They heard from residents of the Bristol Bay region on a number of issues, including management of the federal BLM lands which we are working to protect. The Secretary concluded his visit to Alaska with meetings in Anchorage on Tuesday, April 14. See some video clips from the Dillingham visit here. We’ll be keeping the pressure on Secretary Salazar to produce a management plan for the 2 million acres of BLM lands in Bristol Bay that place the highest values on the habitats that support the region’s world-class fish and wildlife resources.

Alaskans in London to confront Anglo American, Pebble Mine Investors
This week, Bristol Bay conservation leaders are in England to attend the annual general meeting of Anglo-American shareholders. The delegation met with Anglo’s Chairman and President on Tuesday, April 14. The London premiere of the Red Gold documentary film was well-attended by UK press, fly-fishing celebrities, and jewelry retailers. Six London-based retail jewelers announced their pledge to not sell any product with gold from the proposed Pebble Mine. They have been getting lots of media coverage for this trip. See all the details at the new www.AK2UK.com Web site! Also, be sure to check out the statements made by Anglo’s Chairman at the annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, April 15 in response to the controversy over the Pebble project. We’ve definitely got their attention. I’d like to personally acknowledge the participation of many of our U.K. sportfishing allies planning and implementation of this trip. This truly proves that Bristol Bay is a global sporting resource worth fighting for.

Pebble Mine article in NPCA magazine
The spring 2009 issue of the National Parks Conservation Association magazine has a fine article about the potential impact on Lake Clark National Park and Preserve by the proposed Pebble Mine. Read the article here.

Hot Off the Press: Behind the Scenes Look at Bristol Bay Sport Fish Guiding
So you think guiding fly fishers in Bristol Bay is a dream job? Well, sometimes it’s the greatest job in the world, and sometimes, well, not so much. At least that’s what you’ll probably come away thinking after reading The Alaska Chronicles, a new book from Departure Publishing by Miles Nolte. Miles guided two and a half seasons in Bristol Bay, making online posts to document his experience. The story was too good not to put out in book form. Read the great advance reviews that the book has received and order your copy online today at the link above. We will also be offering a signed copy of the book on the Bristol Bay auction, accompanied by sketches and other art from one of our favorite artists and a big supporter – Bob White. Watch for this listing in the next few weeks.

Bristol Bay Movie Nights – Let’s Fill Up a Calendar with Screenings!
We’ve now got a planning guide to set up a Bristol Bay movie night in your area. Show Red Gold and Equilibrium to spread the word about Pebble Mine and the fight for Bristol Bay! E-mail scott@sportsmansalliance4ak.org to get more information on how to host an event.

Bristol Bay Online Fundraising Auction Update – WE TOPPED LAST YEAR!
The second annual fundraising auction for Bristol Bay has just a few weeks to go. Gross proceeds have topped $52,000. We have officially topped the 2008 auction results! Thank you to the blogs, Web sites and magazines who are helping spread the word. The greater the number of people visiting the auction, the better the odds that we can raise some serious money to help fight for Bristol Bay.

This auction is possible due to the very generous contributions of so many companies, lodges and artists. Please support them and support the campaign for Bristol Bay’s future by bidding on an item or two. There’s a great selection, and you should be able to find something you need or want. All starting bids are set below 65% of retail value so you could get a good buy and help a great cause at the same time.

The inventory for the auction is basically set up on a rolling basis, with new items being added every few days. All listings run for 7 days, so there are always items nearing the end of their run.

To see active listings, click here.

Completed listings:

Items up for bid right now:

Items to be listed in next 7 days:

NOTE: Due to SAA travel schedule the next two weeks, shipment of auction items may be slightly delayed. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Available Auction Trips – First come, First served
These trips didn’t sell during their 7-day run on the auction, but they’re still available if you are interested. First come-first served – and there are inquiries percolating on several of these, so if you’re interested, e-mail scott@sportsmansalliance4ak.org and we’ll see if there’s a way to send you north this summer! We’ve already lined up trips for people to No See Um Lodge, Miramichi Black Rapids Lodge, and Alaska’s Rainbow Point Lodge.

NOTES: All are for “any open dates” in the 2009 season unless noted differently. All are priced at $500 over normal rate for 1 angler, except the trip for 4 people is $1,000 over the normal rate for 2 anglers. You’re probably never going to get a better price on a dream trip like these.

We Want to Draw Moose Hunt Winner by June 15! Need to Move Chances!
SAA has been gathering momentum in the hunting community for support of Bristol Bay. One way we’re raising awareness and some funds is through our special moose hunt promotion. For a $50 donation, donors will receive an entry in a drawing for a 10-day moose hunt in Alaska in September. Entries are capped at 500 total, and limited to no more than 4 per donor. Those are outstanding odds on a drawing for a package worth nearly $12,000. We will draw the winner as soon as 500 entries are achieved or no later than June 15. As if the moose hunt weren’t a good enough prize, the package also includes a Kimber rifle, Leupold scope, and hunting clothing system from Sitka Gear. Currently there are only 140 entries, so we’ve got a good number to fill. Thank you very much to those of you that have donated to this promotion. SAA has done a few recent radio interviews to highlight the moose hunt and there will be an ad running in a big hunting magazine coming soon. Please consider making a donation and tell anyone you know that hunts about this terrific promotion package to help Bristol Bay.

Limited Edition Sockeye Salmon T-shirts
SORRY, SOLD OUT

Summer’s coming up fast. Show your support for Bristol Bay with a limited-edition “No Pebble Mine” James Prosek sockeye salmon t-shirts! Full details can be found here.

Discounts available for volume:
            * $25 donation = 1 shirt
            * $40 donation = 2 shirts
            * $50 donation = 3 shirts
Right now, the following sizes/quantities are available:
            * Women’s Small, Qty. 5
            * Women’s Medium, Qty. 4
            * Men’s Medium, Qty. 22
            * Men’s Large, Qty. 30 (FYI – I’m 5’10” and 200 lbs. and L works for me)
            * Men’s X-Large, Qty. 5

Get one for yourself, your significant other, and the kids (after all, they’re ultimately the ones that’ll enjoy Bristol Bay in future years!). If your club hosts an event for kids, contact me and we can work a deal on a larger order. Get the next generation hooked on fishing and conservation!

Other Opportunities to Support the Cause

That’ll do it for this edition of the SAA E-News and Auction Update. Throughout the course of the auction, weekly updates will continue to be issued on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

Thanks for all you do for Alaska conservation!

Scott Hed
Director – Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska

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