{"id":21404,"date":"2023-06-13T21:02:03","date_gmt":"2023-06-13T21:02:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildsalmoncenter.org\/?p=21404"},"modified":"2023-06-13T21:02:03","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T21:02:03","slug":"summer-of-action-for-the-west-su","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildsalmoncenter.org\/2023\/06\/13\/summer-of-action-for-the-west-su\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer of Action for the West Su"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wild Salmon Center and our partners are rallying to defend an iconic salmon stronghold from a road Alaskans don\u2019t want.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the vast, roadless, West Susitna region, bears, moose, sheep, and goats roam free, and wild fish teem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Susitna and its tributaries support Alaska\u2019s fourth-largest Chinook run, as well as coho, sockeye, chum, and pink salmon, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, and Arctic grayling. In Cook Inlet\u2014where the Susitna mainstem meets saltwater\u2014belugas feed on hooligan that run in the millions strong, nourished by a pristine watershed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The West Su, specifically, is a wild wonderland accessible to humans only by boat, foot, bike, skis, mushing, or snow machine<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlaskans love the West Su, and in the past, they\u2019ve said hard nos to big projects that put the Susitna watershed at risk<\/a>,\u201d says Wild Salmon Center Alaska Program Director Emily Anderson. \u201cThis summer, we\u2019re getting the word out about the next big proposal that threatens this special place<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cAlaskans have said hard nos to big projects that put the Susitna watershed at risk. This summer, we\u2019re getting the word out about the next big proposal that threatens this special place.\u201d<\/p>\nWSC Alaska Program Director Emily Anderson<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
The Susitna and its tributaries support Alaska\u2019s fourth-largest Chinook run, as well as coho, sockeye, chum, and pink salmon, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, and Arctic grayling. (PC: Brandon Cole.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

That proposal is the West Susitna Industrial Access Road. This state-funded 100-mile road\u2014which would cut a swath into the heart of this wild place\u2014has already used $8 million in public funds to file paperwork for initial permitting. It\u2019s yet another project from the troubled Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority<\/a> (AIDEA), a state-owned corporation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If actually built, this road would cost Alaskans at least $450 million, cutting through 182 waterways and at least 83 free-flowing salmon streams in the proces<\/strong>s\u2014all to give a handful of foreign mining companies a free road to (maybe) break ground on their speculative claims.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
A map created by WSC GIS Spatial Analyst Jon Hart to show the impacts to Alaska\u2019s West Susitna watershed from a 100-mile industrial access road\u2014a publicly-funded project for private mining companies that would put at least 82 salmon-bearing streams at risk. More at westsuwild.org<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cYou may have seen this movie before: salmon and wildlife put at risk for the benefit of undercapitalized foreign mining companies<\/a>,\u201d Anderson says. \u201cThis time, Alaskans would also be on the hook for hundreds of millions of public dollars that we certainly can\u2019t afford to waste on subsidized destruction. We need to stop this bad idea now, while we still can.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cAlaskans would be on the hook for hundreds of millions of public dollars that we certainly can\u2019t afford to waste on subsidized destruction.\u201d<\/p>\nWSC Alaska Program Director Emily Anderson<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Alaska’s West Susitna region is a state treasure. Across this vast, roadless area, bears, moose, sheep, and goats roam free, and wild fish teem. (PC: Brandon Cole.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Now, Anderson and our partners in the Defend the West Su coalition<\/a> are taking this message on the road<\/strong>. All summer long, we’ll engaging Alaskans at big-ticket events including the Mermaid Festival, Midnight Sun Festival, Bear Paw Festival, Wild Salmon Day, and Salmonfest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the legislative session now closed, these events are key opportunities to let people know that they\u2019ll soon have a critical opportunity to speak up in defense of the West Su. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As early as this fall, Anderson says it’s possible that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may begin the permitting process and provide an opportunity for the public to participate<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
This summer, Wild Salmon Center and our Defend the West Su coalition partners will be reaching out to Alaskans at festivals including Salmonfest (pictured) to let them know about the 100-mile state-sponsored industrial road that threatens a wild West Su. (PC: WSC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

If and when this process opens to public comment, Anderson hopes more hard nos will roll in from the hundreds of small businesses, lodges, anglers, hunters, Tribes, and others from Alaska and around the Nation who care about wild places and protecting this iconic Alaskan treasure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve already seen strong opposition to this project from Alaskans in the region,\u201d Anderson says. \u201cNow we need our campaign to reach an even broader audience. Long story short, this road is one hundred percent the wrong path for Alaska.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about our campaign at westsuwild.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWe need our campaign to reach an even broader audience. Long story short, this road is one hundred percent the wrong path for Alaska.\u201d<\/p>\nWSC Alaska Program Director Emily Anderson<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
As early as fall 2023, people who care about a wild West Su may have a critical opportunity to speak up in its defense. (PC: Brandon Cole.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>

Hero Image<\/h3>\"\"<\/div>

Hero Image (Home Page Section)<\/h3>\"\"<\/div><\/div>