The SATELite FESTIVAL is designed to support the habitat that supports us. Working with communities nationally to support communities locally, to support our way of life, and to protect our ecosystem, so that we may to continue to enjoy everything that makes our adventures possible. The SATELite festival is a fundraiser with a national reach, offering monetary assistance to organizations that seek to protect and preserve our environment.
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IN 2010 SATELite SEEKS TO SECURE A HEALTHY COMMUNITY AND ECOSYSTEM FOR BRISTOL BAY.
Currently in the research and development phase, a proposed mine threatens a very fragile habitat. It is called the Pebble Mine. Pebble is one of the largest open pit mines to ever be proposed in North America. It is one of the largest open pit mines to ever be proposed in such sensitive fish breeding habitat. The fish are a fraction of the eco-system in Bristol Bay - a fraction that if damaged, is potentially irreparable and will set off a chain of detrimental affects on the surrounding eco-system, starting with the fishing industry. The fishing industry supports native Alaskans who have been living off the land for generations, it supports the wild Alaskan salmon market for consumption in the United States and abroad, it supports the Alaskan predators - bears and the protected bald eagles among others, and the list goes on. According to the EPA - mining is one of the most toxic polluting industries in the world. It is also one of the most lucrative industries in the world. SATELite Foundation is focused on doing what is best for the community, and the habitat. If there is a way to secure co-existence between Pebble and Bristol Bay for a full circle relationship we want to be a part of that. Currently there are some serious environmental concerns that need to be addressed - we are partnering with Earthworks to make sure that they are thoroughly considered. And not just for Pebble, but for every concurrent mining operation in the US and abroad. * * * to formulate your own opinion read on * * * |
for more details... |
Protecting Alaska's Bristol Bay from The Proposed Pebble Mine
About Bristol Bay The Bristol Bay region in southwest Alaska is a pristine wilderness stretching from the rugged, snow-capped peaks of the Alaska Range across tundra and wetlands laced with rivers that flow into the bay, providing the best wild salmon habitat anywhere on Earth.
Tens of millions of salmon return to spawn in the bay’s drainages each year making it the richest commercial wild salmon fishery in the world. In addition to sockeye, the most abundant, there are stunning runs of King salmon plus trophy rainbow trout and the full array of Arctic wildlife from caribou and ptarmigan to moose, wolves and grizzlies, which local residents suggest outnumber them 2 to 1.
More than anything else, Bristol Bay is about salmon, on which everything - communities, jobs, and the health of the entire ecosystem from grizzlies on down the food chain - depend. Salmon support thriving commercial and sport fishing industries as well as traditional subsistence ways of life.
Yet plans for large-scale mineral development, such as the Pebble gold and copper mine in the headwaters of the bay¹s best wild salmon rivers, could change this place forever.
Tens of millions of salmon return to spawn in the bay’s drainages each year making it the richest commercial wild salmon fishery in the world. In addition to sockeye, the most abundant, there are stunning runs of King salmon plus trophy rainbow trout and the full array of Arctic wildlife from caribou and ptarmigan to moose, wolves and grizzlies, which local residents suggest outnumber them 2 to 1.
More than anything else, Bristol Bay is about salmon, on which everything - communities, jobs, and the health of the entire ecosystem from grizzlies on down the food chain - depend. Salmon support thriving commercial and sport fishing industries as well as traditional subsistence ways of life.
Yet plans for large-scale mineral development, such as the Pebble gold and copper mine in the headwaters of the bay¹s best wild salmon rivers, could change this place forever.
For more on how our fundraising supports the cause: EARTHWORKS
Photo credits due to Ben Knight at Felt Soul Media