We know we stand AGAINST the proposed Pebble mine due to its threats to Bristol Bay's jobs, wild salmon, and indigenous way of life.

But sometimes, it's important to have a reminder of what we stand FOR, too.

Below are the results of the Bristol Bay visioning project, which will give you a good sense of what we are pursuing for the future of this region.

The Bristol Bay Regional Vision
The foundation of the Bristol Bay Region is committed families, connected to our land and waters.
We believe future generations can live healthy and productive lives here. Across our region, we share common values of community, culture, and subsistence.
We see a future of educated, creative people who are well prepared for life. This requires:
Excellent schools
Safe and healthy families
Local jobs
Understanding our cultural values and traditions
We assert the importance of local voices in managing our natural resources to continue our way of life.
We welcome sustainable economic development that advances the values of Bristol Bay people. Our future includes diverse economic opportunities in businesses and industries based largely on renewable resources. Large development based on renewable and non-renewable resources must not threaten our land, our waters, or our way of life.
We foster cooperation among local and regional entities to coordinate infrastructure planning for stronger, more affordable communities. Investments in energy, housing and transportation promote sustainable communities and spur economic development.
We recognize the need to locate new sources of capital to implement this vision with a goal of generating self-sustaining regional economies.
We are unified to secure a prosperous future.

The full report is here.

How the vision was created: Commissioners for the Bristol Bay Regional Vision project prepared the region-wide vision statement that appears below after listening to the opinions and concerns of nearly 1,400 participants from across the Bristol Bay region. Two rounds of meetings took place in 26 communities between September 2010 and May 2011. Both men and women and every age group were well represented in the process. This Bristol Bay Regional Vision reflects the shared values of the people of the region based on what residents in every community said. In each community, residents responded to an identical set of questions using electronic voting keypads; they also engaged in conversations around key issues. Their responses showed there is strong agreement across the region about the most important aspects of peoples’ lives and goals for the future. The electronic polling results and discussion notes are posted for each community. Compiled results are also posted for the region as a whole.

Header image: Ben Knight