Last August, I spent a week paddling the Chilikadrotna and Mulchatna rivers in Alaska with writer Dan Duane on assignment for Men's Journal. This was an amazing trip as it took me to one of the few remaining wild places, joined by a great group of people. Of all the exotic locales my career has taken me, it's truly special that a place like this can be found within our 50 states — a place where the balance of nature exists as it was intended. As well, it opened my eyes to the what could be one of the largest ecological disasters the planet has ever known.
This area is the proposed site of Pebble Mine, a gold and copper mine whose existence would bring about unimaginable devastation to Alaska's landscape and wildlife. In the center of it all lies the world's largest sustainable salmon fishery. Countless people and animals depend upon these fish for their livelihood. If plans for the mine are allowed to move forward, this resource would be reduced to an open pit mine so large, it could be seen from outer space and spill polluted water, destroying the river systems for hundreds of miles. Biologists and ecologists are scrambling to save one of the the few remaining functional ecosystems.
Click here to see more images from the trip.
Please pick up a copy of the March 2009 issue of Men's Journal for the complete story.
