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Hunters And Anglers Launch Campaign To Conserve Alaska’s Brooks Range

November 3, 2023
By FTR Industry Wire

Hunters, anglers, and conservationists are uniting to safeguard Alaska’s iconic and awe-inspiring Brooks Range from the irrevocable impacts of the proposed Ambler Industrial Road.
The Brooks Range offers some of the best fly-in and float hunting and fishing opportunities remaining in the United States. The proposed 211-mile industrial corridor—designed to help foreign-owned companies develop at least four open-pit mines—would permanently alter the Brooks Range and diminish its values for fish and wildlife, and as a premier backcountry recreation destination.

Supported by 35 leading outdoor businesses, brands, and organizations, Hunters and Anglers for the Brooks Range is committed to conserving the most wild and remote hunting and fishing grounds left in North America. The collective—which includes guides, outfitters, and transporters who operate in the Brooks Range—is urging the Bureau of Land Management to deny the permit for the private industrial corridor.

The BLM recently released a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Ambler Road, which details more adverse impacts to fish, wildlife, and rural residents than previously acknowledged. The agency is seeking public comments on the project through Dec. 19 and plans to make a final decision in 2024.


“Even in Alaska, a state renowned for its world-class fishing opportunities, the Brooks Range stands apart,” said fly fishing guide Greg Halbach of Remote Waters in Anchorage, Alaska. Halbach’s small operation offers guided wilderness floats on the Kobuk River, one of the only places in North America to target sheefish—also known as ‘tarpon of the north’ or Inconnu. “There is no question that the Ambler Road would degrade the remote wilderness that makes this area so special.”

Many businesses and organizations affiliated with Hunters & Anglers for the Brooks Range recognize the need to develop America’s domestic mineral resources, and the campaign recommends that new projects be developed closer to existing infrastructure, where the impacts to fish and wildlife can be minimized or mitigated.

“The proposed mines are 211 miles from the nearest road and in some of Alaska’s best hunting and fishing grounds,” said Larry Bartlett, owner of Pristine Ventures, a hunt planning and gear manufacturing company in Fairbanks, Alaska. “The thought of a road crossing this landscape makes me question where the line exists between industry and politics. We have to agree to keep this place wild.”

Construction of the proposed industrial corridor, which would be off-limits to hunters and anglers, would likely disrupt the migratory behavior of some species of big game and fish. One of Alaska’s largest caribou herds, the Western Arctic Herd, roams an expansive area of about 157,000 square miles, approximately the size of Montana. The Ambler Road would additionally cross nearly 3,000 streams and 11 streams, degrading habitat quality and potentially blocking fish passage.

“The risks of the proposed Ambler Industrial Road far outweigh any potential benefits,” said Jen Leahy, Alaska program manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “The Bureau of Land Management will be hearing from our community, including Hunters and Anglers for the Brooks Range, about why the permit for the Ambler Road should be denied.”

For more information and to become involved with Hunters and Anglers for the Brooks Range, please contact Jen Leahy at jleahy@trcp.org.

About Hunters & Anglers for the Brooks Range
Hunters and Anglers for the Brooks Range, a project of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, is a collective of seasoned hunters, anglers, conservationists, and leading outdoor brands. We are committed to defending the wild and remote character of Alaska’s Brooks Range—a world-class hunting and fishing destination—from the proposed Ambler Industrial Road.

Thats CHICKEN SHIT!

quote:

Originally posted by tsturm:
Thats CHICKEN SHIT!

What is the road or the fact people are trying to stop it.

Looks like the outfitters are scared of losing their cash cow. If you can’t read between the lines on this one. Outfitters in Wyoming sure don’t want u and I talking to their clients when we meet on the trail. You mean you walked in here on your own??

quote:

Originally posted by Les Staley:
Looks like the outfitters are scared of losing their cash cow. If you can’t read between the lines on this one. Outfitters in Wyoming sure don’t want u and I talking to their clients when we meet on the trail. You mean you walked in here on your own??

"Construction of the proposed corridor, which would be off-limits to hunters and anglers"; if this quote is true, that might shine a different light on it, for some.
"Foreign owned companies" is another potential issue. In both the United States (all the states) and Canada, resources should be for the citizens of the country and not for sale to foreign interests. This is only my opinion, of course.
Ultimately, we only have to decide whether we prefer to see wild country used for traditional outdoor recreation and pursuits (like hunting, fishing, hiking, etc.) or used to enrich corporations with the result that wild country is never wild again. Personally, I would much prefer to see guides and outfitters making money by perpetuating hunting and fishing as a pursuit, than to see multi-national corporations cutting a fat hog in the ass at the expense of remaining wild country; I don;t care where it is. Regards, Bill.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Leeper:
"Construction of the proposed corridor, which would be off-limits to hunters and anglers"; if this quote is true, that might shine a different light on it, for some.
"Foreign owned companies" is another potential issue. In both the United States (all the states) and Canada, resources should be for the citizens of the country and not for sale to foreign interests. This is only my opinion, of course.
Ultimately, we only have to decide whether we prefer to see wild country used for traditional outdoor recreation and pursuits (like hunting, fishing, hiking, etc.) or used to enrich corporations with the result that wild country is never wild again. Personally, I would much prefer to see guides and outfitters making money by perpetuating hunting and fishing as a pursuit, than to see multi-national corporations cutting a fat hog in the ass at the expense of remaining wild country; I don;t care where it is. Regards, Bill.

^^^^ Couldn't agree more Bill.

Living as I do at the edge of the Permian Basin oil patch landscape from hell, I agree with you as well, Bill.
I wonder if any of these foreign interests are Chinese.

quote:

Originally posted by Les Staley:
Looks like the outfitters are scared of losing their cash cow. If you can’t read between the lines on this one. Outfitters in Wyoming sure don’t want u and I talking to their clients when we meet on the trail. You mean you walked in here on your own??

Would a oil and mining “cash cow” make for better hunting ?

quote:

and the campaign recommends that new projects be developed closer to existing infrastructure, where the impacts to fish and wildlife can be minimized or mitigated.

how does this work?
it either does or it doesn't, 50 miles away makes no difference.

https://www.miningnewsnorth.co...block-plan/8478.html

Sources leak BLM's Ambler Road block plan
North of 60 Mining News - April 17, 2024


Last updated 4/17/2024 at 9:29am



Project proponents make midnight hour appeal for Biden administration to reconsider "irresponsible and unacceptable" permit decision for road.

National media reports that the Biden administration is set to deny permits to build a 211-mile access road to the Ambler Mining District in Northwest Alaska has project proponents making a midnight-hour appeal to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to adhere to laws that led to the formation of the 49th State and were meant to ensure its prosperity.

"If true, this decision ignores the support of local communities for this project, while denying jobs for Alaskans and critical revenues for a region where youth are being forced to leave because of a lack of opportunity," said Kaleb Froehlich, managing director of Ambler Metals, a joint venture with mine projects that would be accessed by the proposed Ambler Road. "A denial would also undermine the promise made to Alaskans in the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which guaranteed a right-of-way for this crucial project."

Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse – founder and former CEO of Trilogy Metals, one of the Ambler Metals JV partners, and current chairman of Valhalla Metals, a company that is exploring a minerals project along the proposed Ambler Road route – says denial of permits to build the Ambler Road goes against the Biden administration's stated critical minerals policy and the aspirations of many of the people that live in the region.

"For an administration that talks about the importance of a domestic supply of critical metals, the importance of secure domestic supply chains, and mandates to transition to a green energy and transportation future, this decision makes no sense," the Vahala Metals chairman said. "Instead, they should be listening to the people who live in the Kobuk and Koyukuk regions, who want jobs, and who want a better and sustainable future for their children. Instead, they listen to anti-mining groups outside of Alaska."

"Frankly, I am disgusted," he added.

No action for Alaska

While BLM has not officially announced its decision on the Ambler Access Project, the official name of the Ambler Road, POLITICO reported on Tuesday that two anonymous sources with knowledge of the decision said BLM plans to go with the "no action" option when it publishes the final supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) for the proposed Ambler Road.

No action is basically a denial of permits that says that the federal permitting agency has decided not to permit the project being applied for or any of the alternatives that were considered during the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) permitting process.

For the Ambler Road, the alternatives considered were various industrial access routes connecting the Ambler Mining District to the Dalton Highway and Alaska's contiguous road system.

A no-action decision by BLM takes all these options off the table and strands the rich stores of critical minerals like copper, cobalt, and zinc found in the Ambler District.

"Denying access to the Ambler Mining District, which adheres to stringent environmental standards, would ironically force our nation to send jobs overseas, rely on critical minerals from China and countries [with] little or no environmental protections, while impoverishing local Alaska Native communities near the road," said Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) Executive Director Randy Ruaro.

AIDEA, which plans to build the Ambler Road and recoup its investments by charging tolls to mining companies that would use the industrial access to deliver metals to market, applied for the permits being considered by BLM.

The quasi-state-owned development authority was originally granted the federal permits to build the road in 2020, but BLM pulled those permits for further review after President Biden took office.

The federal land manager cited a lack of adequate consultation with Alaska tribes and evaluation of potential impacts the road might have on subsistence uses as reasons to reevaluate the previously issued authorizations.

Irresponsible and unacceptable
Since pulling the previously approved federal permits, BLM has been reanalyzing the proposed road, including further subsistence studies and additional tribal consultation.

In recent weeks, a growing number of Alaska Native Villages and Tribes in the area have come out in strong support of the proposed Ambler Road.

"We deserve the same opportunities as the billion-dollar donors and conservation groups trying to lock us into a state of poverty with the highest food and energy prices in the nation. Without access to running water or sewer, how are we supposed to be healthy people?" said PJ Simon, First Chief of Allakaket, an Alaska Native community about 35 miles south of the proposed Ambler Road. "Projects like the Ambler Road help us to develop skills and secure jobs that empower our people, much like Trans-Alaska Pipeline did in the 1970s."



Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy says the reports that BLM plans to deny permits for the Ambler Road "shows just how out of touch the Biden administration is with Alaska."

"This potential decision not only contradicts the law but blatantly ignores the stringent environmental stewardship we uphold in Alaska," he added. "To hinder access to our responsibly managed resources and then force America to import minerals from countries with questionable environmental practices is not just ironic-it's irresponsible and unacceptable."

BLM's final decision on the Ambler Road is expected in the coming days.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Leeper:
"Construction of the proposed corridor, which would be off-limits to hunters and anglers"; if this quote is true, that might shine a different light on it, for some.
"Foreign owned companies" is another potential issue. In both the United States (all the states) and Canada, resources should be for the citizens of the country and not for sale to foreign interests. This is only my opinion, of course.
Ultimately, we only have to decide whether we prefer to see wild country used for traditional outdoor recreation and pursuits (like hunting, fishing, hiking, etc.) or used to enrich corporations with the result that wild country is never wild again. Personally, I would much prefer to see guides and outfitters making money by perpetuating hunting and fishing as a pursuit, than to see multi-national corporations cutting a fat hog in the ass at the expense of remaining wild country; I don;t care where it is. Regards, Bill.

well said.

As a hunter I agree with all of this but times are changing and the elephant in the room is exponential increase in population and for that people need materials aka resources
I don’t know how we combine this as no matter where it is, be it on some ocean floor or in your backyard, nobody likes it until we need that particular material
Here in western MT they just announced a find of rare metals in pristine semi wilderness area
How that’s gonna play will be interesting
There is simply no escape

Most of the hunters who move up to Alaska dream of game rich areas where they can hunt pristine wilderness,
Once the realize how big the state is, they want roads into those game rich areas just like the places they moved away from.