A group of 20 retired Alaska state and federal biologists and managers has submitted a letter urging the Walker administration to choose salmon over coal at the Chuitna River in Upper Cook Inlet. The public can weigh in on the decision through Thursday.
At issue are competing claims made in 2009 for rights to the water at Chuitna tributaries. On the one side are those who want to reserve the water to protect traditional salmon runs; on the other is Delaware-based PacRim, which aims to remove the water, dig down to bedrock and extract the underlying coal.
Based on PacRim data, the first phase of the strip mine would remove 20 square miles of salmon habitat and discharge 7 million gallons a day of mine waste into the Chuitna River. The company plans to mine 12 million tons of low grade coal each year for 25 years for export to Asia.
In the letter to Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Mark Myers the professionals said: "We are greatly concerned with the growing imbalance between resource development and resource conservation in Alaska regarding reservation decisions," adding, "Now, we are faced with one of the most important salmon habitat decisions Alaska has ever faced, and the reservation of water in the Chuitna watershed represents a historic precedent for salmon habitat management across the state."
DNR Water Resources chief Dave Schade agreed that the water rights decision is precedent-setting, and that it comes down to "saying yes to one applicant, and no to the other."
The public comment period ends Thursday at 5 p.m. Unless there is an appeal by either party, a decision could be made 30 days after. Contact Kimberly.sager@alaska.gov.
For the first time since 1980, the popular Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program is being revised, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is asking for input. Americans can suggest what healthy foods should be offered to moms and their babies -- and Alaskans are pushing for more fish, notably salmon.
"They want to hear from mothers; heck, they probably want to hear from kids too. They want to hear from the people who are actually eating the product, and raising their families on it," said Bruce Schactler, global food aid director for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.
"We are looking for pregnant women to comment, and mothers who have 2- to 3-year-olds, 4- to 5-year-olds, and mothers of infants who want to start making salmon baby food in their own kitchen," Schactler said, explaining that the WIC items fall under designated "baskets" according to kids' ages.
Right now, canned salmon is only included in mothers' prenatal packages.
"We want them to add salmon to all the WIC baskets," he said. "They are reviewing that whole thing right now and taking comments in it."
Studies around the world show that omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon and other fish support brain and eye development, and digestive health in babies and children. The Institute of Medicine is reviewing all WIC comments and recommendations.
Laine Welch is a Kodiak-based fisheries journalist. Contact her at msfish@alaskan.com.