Eating a fresh sockeye salmon, I am reminded of the long-held Alaskan tradition of gathering food. Alaskans are thankful for fish, meat and berries. Animals are beings of moral, social and spiritual value unto themselves, and deserve healthy habitat.
Do we really want to trade food for the Susitna Dam when the same energy needs can be met with conservation and other sources of alternative power?
The Parnell-Treadwell administration, with its agenda for economic growth, sees the proposed dam as a convenient way to fit the bill. The truth is, damming the Susitna River will come with even a greater cost. Fish and mammals will suffer. Dams ruin salmon runs, and the activity of building and operating a megadam and creating a large reservoir will compromise the vital calving grounds of the Nelchina/Delta caribou herds.
I say leave rich salmon runs and habitat of the caribou alone. This is our food and their home.
— Linda Rutledge
Copper Center