The folks over at Recycled Fish are doing something pretty cool for the holidays. Each day for the next month you have a chance to bid and win a ‘tackle box’ full of goodies from numerous sponsors, including Onos Sunglasses and Fishhound. Each auction benefits a different non-profit, and each auction runs for 3 days. In fact, today’s auction benefits Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska.

Tonight at 8pm ET, 6pm MT the Recycled Fish Holiday Tackle Box Auction benefiting the cause goes live! When you win this auction, Bristol Bay wins too!

Here’s your chance to get a good holiday gift early while also supporting great organizations!

Check out the auctions by clicking here

When you go to a store or restaurant and order wild salmon, it’s most likely coming from this region in southwest Alaska. For me, living in Colorado, I release every trout I catch, then on the way home, buy a big slab of wild Alaskan salmon to grill up for the family (yes, the dogs like it as much as we do). I catch heat from my wife because every restaurant we visit that says it has ‘salmon’, I always ask if it’s wild Alaskan.

There are so many reasons to disagree with this proposed mining project that I can’t begin to start writing about them. The fact is, this takes place in a region that where millions of salmon return every year to spawn. What happens when the earthen dams that will be developed to hold back toxic waste fail, or are left behind once all gold and copper are extracted? Remember folks, there’s a lot of earthquakes in this area. It’s a down right scary situation. We’ve seen from other similar processes that the track record is not the best. Pebble says that everything can co-exist, but give me one example where it has be environmentally safe with no exceptions.

I call on everyone reading this to simply look at the research and make your own opinion – I think that you will agree with the local people of Bristol Bay and oppose it. Maybe some of you won’t, and that’s ok, but I don’t live there, and most of you don’t either, so why not listen to what the locals want and don’t want. Education is key – everyone should at least pay attention to this process and feel free to state your opinion. We’re Americans, and we’re given that right.

Here are a few links to keep up with the news and process of the proposed Pebble Mine:

Save Bristol Bay

Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska

Renewable Resources Coalition

Also, some social media outlets:

Save Bristol Bay on Facebook

1 Million Strong on Facebook

Save Bristol Bay on Twitter

No Pebble Mine on Twitter

Thanks to everyone who opposes or questions this mine and what it could do to the region. If you’re interested, leave a comment below. I have a limited amount stickers available if anyone would like a few to show your support.

Red Gold | trailer from felt soul media on Vimeo.

I’ll be heading up the Sportsman’s Alliance for Alaska and TU Alaska’s booth at the International Sportsmen’s Expo this Thursday through Sunday – January 6th – 9th. Come by and say hello if you happen to be at the convention center. I’ll mostly be there Thursday and Friday evening, as well as most of Saturday and Sunday.

Here’s the latest news:

• December 26, 2010 – The Anchorage Daily News ran an in-depth story about Alaska’s booming coal exports and the proposals for two large coal projects in Southcentral Alaska.
• December 20, 2010 – The Wall Street Transcript published an excerpt from an interview with Northern Dynasty’s CEO and President. In the interview, Ron Thiessen states that “we think that ultimately Northern Dynasty will be taken over.” He also reiterates the company’s position that if they cannot develop the Pebble prospect without damaging Bristol Bay, they won’t advance the project.  Who’s willing to bet on that?
• December 20, 2010 – The Anchorage Daily News ran an opinion editorial from Rick Halford, former Alaska state Senate president as well as a licensed guide and bush pilot, about the long-term liability the proposed Pebble Mine would become to Alaska if it were ever approved and built.
• December 17, 2010 – A profile of and interview with SAA Director Scott Hed was featured on the IdeaMensch web site, whose motto is “Passionate People Bringing Ideas to Life.
• December 17, 2010 – The co-chair of the Alaska chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers penned a very good opinion editorial in the Anchorage Daily News about a lesser-known threat facing salmon streams in Alaska – a proposal to allow a coal mining operation to destroy a salmon stream by strip mining for coal.  The Chuitna River watershed, across Cook Inlet west of Anchorage, is the area facing this threat.
• December 10, 2010 – The Alaska Journal of Commerce provides more information regarding the trial in Alaska Superior Court alleging that the Pebble Partnership’s exploratory activities violated Alaska’s constitution.
• December 10, 2010 – The December 2010 issue of National Geographic magazine has a 25-page feature about Bristol Bay and the controversy over the proposed Pebble Mine project.  It’s an incredible article with stunning photography.  You can read the story online, but you ought to pick up a copy at your newsstand to show people too.  Also, on the page facing the issue’s table of contents, Tiffany & Co. ran this fantastic full page ad.
• December 10, 2010 – Opponents of the proposed Pebble Mine have objected to the use of the phrase “legal terrorism” used by the Pebble Partnership’s CEO John Shively as he described the opposition to the project.  Read the article in the Anchorage Daily News. You can also view the ad which ran in the Anchorage Daily News and Bristol Bay Times, asking for a public apology for this unfortunate choice of words.
• December 7, 2010 – The state trial over the legality of the exploratory work done by the Pebble Partnership began yesterday in Anchorage. Read the account in the Anchorage Daily News.
• December 2, 2010 – The Pebble Partnership has contracted with the Keystone Center to host a series of “public dialogues” regarding the proposed Pebble Mine.  Read this opinion piece from the Anchorage Daily News that challenges the Keystone process, and says the obvious question is not even part of the process: should a mine like Pebble even be build in Bristol Bay?

SAA is also running a photo contest on Flickr – “Where’s your No Pebble sticker?” There’s already been several submissions and the @NoPebbleMine Twitter site will send you one if you don’t have one already. They’re looking for the most creative ways you’ve used your sticker, whether it is on your car, your boat, a random sign, or, as you’ll see on the page, on your butt! Join and submit your photo on SAA’s Flickr site here.