To Americans, and even to westerners, the enormity of "wild" Alaska is truly unfathomable. It is like talking about Bill Gates' money or the distance between the closest star and planet Earth; the vastness transcends our human understanding. I have spent 5 summers in Alaska – flying, guiding, filming, fishing, loving, and living. And every year, when I return to the Great Land, my jaw drops, and my fish bum brain short-circuits, preventing any worldly comprehension. Amidst it all, the subtlest miracles are occurring. Millions of salmon are running to their spawning grounds, balls of smolt are fleeing to the sea, and a pure and intact ecosystem comes to life right in front of our eyes with the dawn of summer. The mystery overcomes me, a rush surges through my spine, and the only things tangible are the goose bumps. That is the infinity moment that we all seek as human beings – a truly scarce resource in this day in age.
Speak up to the EPA sportsmen and women. We need your comments before the May 31st deadline. Bristol Bay's salmon economy and culture are too valuable to risk large scale mining in the area. It takes 1-minute to send a comment.
This may be our last chance to save the best we have left.
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Pause. Take 5. Breathe. Decompress. Watch for 60 seconds. It is worth it.
Pause 4 is the essence of what our brand "Fly Out" represents - Flying into the unknown for adventure and freedom uncomprehensible in this fast paced world. We recognized the plane is this short film, so we had to post. Check out Talkeetna Air Taxi and their Fly Out adventures.
What defines us? We ask ourselves this everyday. As fly fisherman, we know what defines us, our passion for the sport. It's a selfish sport, and with occupations that all too often interfere with our obsession, it's a way for us to escape the real world. Transitions is a story of exactly this. We were all at different stages in our lives, and with changes in location and occupation, we set all obstacles aside to try and prolong the inevitable and just fish. We had no idea that mother nature's attempts to derail our itinerary would become so extreme. Through sheer persistence and an obsession with fly fishing that could, in some cases, be considered an illness, we became the choosers of our own destiny. 2012 would be the best summer of Alaskan fishing we had ever experienced, and now we've chosen to share it with you. Enjoy!
The Clean Water Act grants the EPA authority to protect these salmon and the 14,000 jobs that depend on them, by disallowing the Pebble Mine to go forward. You can help give voice to Bristol Bay, Alaska by submitting a comment in SUPPORT of the US EPA's Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment. Give them and President Obama the courage they need to stand up for Bristol Bay. You will be heard. Public comments open through May 31, 2013. Go here: ow.ly/kAsdF.
The odds are very high that the last time you ate sockeye salmon, it came from the pristine waters of Bristol Bay. Fully half of all the sockeye at market in the world today come from here, where the runs of fish are as strong as they have been since The Beginning. Approximately 80% of Bristol Bay residents, as well as national commercial and sport fishing industries, oppose development of the proposed Pebble Mine because of catastrophic risks it poses to their rich salmon-based economy, culture, and spirit.
