Click here to view the embedded video.

So while I mentioned it in an earlier post, it’s worth revisiting in its own post: Now’s the time to invest 30 seconds of your day into kicking the butt of a few mining executives, who have frankly gone the Nestle route (lies, misinformation, outright arrogance, and more lies) to selling this hummer of a project to the public.

Trout Unlimited has set up a very simple, very fast response page.

I’m writing a personal note and pasting it into the response space, but if you’re in a hurry, simply fill in your information and click the “Send Now” button, and you’re out in under 30 seconds.

Fighting bad corporate projects mostly offers a good excuse not to get out of bed in the morning, but – take it from someone who witnessed Nestle’s banishment from McCloud close-up – it can be done.

Mostly, it requires ongoing vigilance and a willingness to stick your head in a vise now and then.

Today, all we’re asking for is 30 seconds (45 if you type slow) – a small price to pay for not slapping yourself on the forehead twenty years from now, wondering why you didn’t do more to stop the project which turned one of the few truly healthy salmon habitats into a stinking, toxic cesspool.

A half-minute is all we ask.

See you in a pristine Bristol Bay, Tom Chandler.

Basically, you buy gear, and the money goes to Sticking it to The Man (assuming The Man is Dynasty Mining, who could use a little sticking it to).

Wanna Deal? Click the image.

On the block is a lot of choice gear, trips, art – you name it. Yes, even a lot of big dollar trips, which – should any of my moneyed readers get the urge – would seve nicely as a birthday present for the Underground (the giving just never stops here at the Underground).

See you at the auction, Tom Chandler.

After all, if Jon Stewart proves anything, it’s that politics are far more palatable when viewed as comedy as opposed to tragedy.

First, the surprise nomination of Alaska’s Governor Sarah Palin (hilarious YouTube alert) for the Republican VP spot could vault the Measure 4 issue into the national political spotlight; she’s been accused of violating state guidelines for taking sides on the Measure 4 fight.

Then there are the other elements of great drama: the shadowy, behind-the-scenes rich guys with an unclear agenda; the government regulatory agency parroting industry talking points (and getting blasted for it by another government agency); and some muttering among proponents that the whole thing was a waste of time.

Simple? Clear? Not for a second.

Meet the New Boss (Nominated)

Alaska’s governor has gone from political nobody to media superstar in a matter of days – a reality sure to focus a little light on her actions surrounding Ballot Measure 4.

Palin – who’s been touted as a “reformer” and anti-corruption candidate – doesn’t fare quite so well in this KTUU-TV Web site report:

Gov. Sarah Palin spoke out against it [ed: Measure 4] earlier this week, drawing sharp criticism from a group that supports Ballot Measure 4.

It is against the law for the governor to officially advocate for or against a ballot measure; however, Palin took what she calls “personal privelege” to discuss one of this year’s most contentious initiatives, which voters will decide Tuesday.

“Let me take my governor’s hat off just for a minute here and tell you, personally, Prop 4 — I vote no on that. I have all the confidence in the world that (the Department of Environmental Conservation) and our (Department of Natural Resources) have great, very stringent regulations and policies already in place,” Palin said. “We’re going to make sure that mines operate only safely, soundly.”

The State of Confusion Department

Then there’s the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), who foisted a misleading Web site on the public (apparently it even used graphics from the mining company’s presentation) which was promptly ordered offline by that zany crew of legal nitpickers at the State Department of Public Offices:

The state’s website on Ballot Measure 4, the so-called Clean Water initiative has been ordered to be shut down at least until Friday at 2 p.m.

After hours of testimony and deliberations Thursday, commissioners say the website was not fair and neutral in certain areas and that unless both sides can come up with a new website in which they agree is balanced, the website may be offline forever.

Measure 4 supporter Bruce Switzer said the intent of Measure 4 opponents was always to confuse, not inform:

We didn’t think it [ed: Palin's comments] was appropriate coming out this late, but similarly the DNR came out with the web page at the very end of the day that was essentially identical to the mining presentations that have been made around the state for the last few months. So it wasn’t surprising.

Exit polls indicate many voters grew confused by the contradictory advertising and simply threw up their hands (which pretty much describes the Modern American political process).

Then There Are The Other Guys

If all that wasn’t fodder enough for a cheesy political thriller movie (I’m thinking straight to DVD, and I want a percentage of the gross, not the net), then there’s source of much of the pro-initiative funding – a bazillionaire/Bristol Bay lodge owner and a shadowy Washington DC lobbying group.

Pebble foes, including Anchorage millionaire
Bob Gillam and the Americans for Job Security — a secretive,
Republican-oriented group in Virginia that doesn’t identify its members
– contributed nearly $3 million to back Measure 4.

Gillam
disclosed giving $570,000. The Americans for Job Security disclosed
giving $1.2 million to the “Yes” campaign, but it also funded “issue”
ads in the form of mailers and radio spots. The cost of those ads was
not disclosed.

Some proponents can’t quite seem to get over the source of the funding. Others have suggested the whole Measure 4 thing was a waste of time and resources.

As always, we turn to the Undergrounders for Universal Truth and Clarity. Of course, such things aren’t possible in today’s political environment, so rather than waste our time, we’ll ask the only question left to us:

Where did everybody go fishing over Labor Day?

UPDATE: Murdock of Flyfishmagazine.com reports from the front lines.

sarah palin, measure 4, pebble mine, americans for job security,

Measure 4 was aimed squarely at preventing the Pending Pebble Mind Disaster by enforcing water quality standards for fisheries.

Mine proponents (most of whom were handsomely paid for their efforts) confused the issue to the point that most voters had no idea what the measure was really about.

“This will close all existing mines” was a common – and wholly misleading – refrain, and a long list of other misdirections were similarly broadcast.

This is hardly the end of it; the Pending Pebble Mine Disaster still has a lot of hoops to jump through, and while this ballot measure may have failed, we can still keep the pressure on.

See you at a political knife fight, Tom Chandler.

pebble mine, measure 4, bristol bay, bullshit

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The Pebble Partnership’s hoping to reassure us sporting types that no way their giant open-pit mine – and all the toxic tailings associated with it – are going to harm wildlife in the area because, you know, they say so right in the ad.

Wow. If only they’d been this clear earlier, I’m sure the salmon themselves would have welcomed them with open arms.

My favorite line? “Pebble is just an exploratory project today. But already we’re setting new standards for environmental care.”

I’d like to point out that setting “new standards for environmental care” isn’t particularly difficult, given that prior open-pit mines have absolutely devastated the surrounding environment.

It’s a little like saying “Stalin set new standards in the creation of unpopulated territory” or “Donald Trump set new standards in hair styling.”

Meanwhile, the Sportsmen’s Alliance for Alaska continues its eBay fundraising auctions, so stop by and make a bid.

Until then, see you on the river, Tom Chandler.

Technorati Tags: pebble mine, bristol bay, pending pebble mine disaster

[UPDATE: You can see all the Pebble Mine auctions here (and it's a lot of stuff)]

Valued at a whopping $13,400, the starting bid is $8,000, which places it squarely outside the Underground’s Monetary Comfort Zone (only by about $7900).

Still, it sounds pretty damned deluxe:

Rainbow River Lodge is located on private land in the heart of Alaska’s phenomenal Bristol Bay and Lake Illiamna “Trophy Alaska Rainbow Trout” watershed, conveniently adjacent to the Katmai Wilderness. The lodge offers magnificent views of the Alaska wilderness and the “Home River” is the beautiful Copper River, one of Alaska’s original “fly fishing only” designated streams.

Rainbow River Lodge hosts 12 guests per week, and they sell out every season.  This is your chance to get one of their last spots for 2008.

Rainbow River Lodge has been rated as one of the “ten best fly fishing lodges in Alaska” and the Copper River, our “Home River” has been rated by Trout Unlimited as one of the “top 100 best Trout streams in the world.” Truly outstanding accolades from the finest fly fishing authorities in the world today.

Retail value of this trip is $13,400!

Let it be known that if an Undergrounder wins this puppy, I fully expect to occupy the second spot.

See you buying a 10-weight, Tom Chandler.

Technorati Tags: fly fishing,alaskan sportsmen alliance,pebble mine,bristol bay,rainbow lodge

Frankly, here at the Underground we’re pretty damned tired of the damned cold and the damned snow and the damned clouds and the damned low water temperatures on the Upper Sacramento (and we don’t think much of most dams either).

When you’re in a mood like that (add sleep deprivation to the mix) and it’s a short descent into howling at the moon, which is what’s going to happen at the start of the next paragraph.

Argentina Makes Plan to Dam Last Free Flowing River, Eliminating Atlantic Steelhead

Sure we didn’t even know there’s an Atlantic-ocean-based run of steelhead (the Santa Cruz river hosts the world’s only run), but the Free Argentine Waters blog alerts us to a planned dam project that would eliminate the steelhead (probably because anything living wild and free is an affront to government).

Santa Cruz River holds two rare privileges, it is the last great river in Argentine Patagonia flowing freely and it is the only river in the world to receive wild runs of Steelhead from the Atlantic Ocean. Two distinctions soon to be challenged with the construction of Condor Cliff and La Barrancosa dams…

Well boys, taking into account that corruption and half assed decisions are a given in our every day life in Argentina, it´s a sure bet we will roast in the oven with this one.

Sounds about par for the course.

Pebble Mine Still Looms, But You Can Help

Though we haven’t heard a lot about it lately, the Pebble Mine project still looms over Bristol Bay — host to the biggest remaining (and healthy) salmon populations in the USA.

We understand they’re close to firing up an auction in an attempt to raise funds to fight this mine (the mining company is already lubricating the locals with money like it was candy, which, in a way it is), and we’ll announce that when it happens.

Until then, why not visit the Sportsmen’s Alliance for Alaska’s Web site and sign the petitions. I haven’t fished in Alaska yet, but it’d be nice if some of it was left when I do decide to go.

Oregon Thinking About Coastal Cutthroat Harvest Despite Recent Court Decision

With a court recently ruling that US Fish & Game must consider listing the Coastal Cutthroat under the Endangered Species Act, Shane at the Quiet Pool wonders why Oregon wants to allow a coastal cutthroat harvest.

He provides a few links for you to contact, so maybe — just maybe — those dolts running things will get the message.

See you out in the snow, Tom Chandler.