Developers can never again claim that residents of Alaska’s Lake and Peninsula Borough want them to build the dangerous Pebble Mine at the headwaters of Bristol Bay.

In a major victory for opponents of the mine, voters in the Bristol Bay region have passed the Save Our Salmon initiative, which would prohibit the borough from issuing permits for mining projects that would threaten to destroy salmon habitat.

Pebble Limited Partnership hopes to develop the mine roughly 200 miles southwest of Anchorage and just north of Iliamna. Pebble Mine would be the largest open-pit mine in North America, involving the excavation of billions of tons of raw ore containing copper, gold and molybdenum.

The mine would threaten the largest remaining wild sockeye salmon run in the world, which sustains the world’s richest commercial wild-salmon fishery; the habitat for tens of millions of salmon that spawn in the streams of the Bristol Bay watershed; and the subsistence ways of life of Alaska Natives who depend on fishing to feed their families. Sixty-five percent of the borough’s residents Alaska Natives, and most continue to practice traditional subsistence fishing activities that have sustained their people and culture for thousands of years.

The issue will now head to court in November because Pebble Limited Partnership has challenged the initiative’s legality. So has the state of Alaska, which claims authority over the development of natural resources belongs to the legislature, not local governments.

Concern that Pebble Mine could cause an environmental catastrophe in Alaska has unified a vast coalition of sport and subsistence-fishing interests, commercial fishermen and seafood processors, Native groups, former state and federal regulators and elected officials, conservation groups, and even churches.

Pebble Limited Partnership, which includes Northern Dynasty Minerals and the giant mining company Anglo American, has waged its own public relations campaign to convince the public that the mine would be an economic boon to the Lake and Peninsula Borough region.

But when local residents mailed in their ballots over the past few weeks, the majority approved the initiative 280 to 246.

What chance does a relatively small group of voters have against an international juggernaut willing to spend millions of dollars trying to force the construction of an open-pit mine in such a rare and special place? We’ll see what the courts say.

But the voters have already decided: Pebble Mine isn’t welcome in Bristol Bay.

Peta update

In the aerial view of SeaWorld, one can see how little room orcas have. Inside the circle is Tilikum, whose nose and tail almost touch the ends of his tank.
In a groundbreaking move for animals, PETA, with the help of three marine-mammal experts and two former orca trainers, will file a landmark lawsuit tomorrow asking a federal court to declare that five wild-caught orcas forced to perform at SeaWorld are being held as slaves in violation of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The 13th Amendment prohibits the condition of slavery, without reference to "person" or any particular class of victims. PETA's general counsel, Jeffrey Kerr, stated, "Slavery does not depend on the species of the slave any more than it depends on gender, race, or religion."

In the wild, orcas work cooperatively, form complex relationships, communicate using distinct dialects, and swim up to 100 miles every day. Their life at SeaWorld deprives them of everything that is natural and important to them. They are limited to small, barren concrete tanks and are forced to perform stupid tricks in exchange for dead fish.

Our understanding of animals grows every day. Animals should no longer be regarded as "things" to dominate, but as breathing, feeling beings with families, intellect, and emotions. The 13th Amendment exists to abolish slavery in all its forms—and this lawsuit is the next step. Please read about this precedent-setting lawsuit, post it on Facebook and Twitter, and tell everyone you know about it.

You can help animals imprisoned by SeaWorld today. Click here to write to The Blackstone Group—the company that owns SeaWorld—and ask that it immediately set in place a firm and rapid plan to release the animals to sanctuaries that can provide them with an appropriate and more natural environment.

7/1/11

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. - Palm Beach County pet owners must unchain their animals Friday and remove them from tight outdoor cages under a sweeping new law enacting some of Florida's toughest animal-care measures.

The controversial law, which passed in March, prohibits tethering animals at any hour — a step up from the previous daytime ban. Dogs still can be tied up under direct supervision and at some events such as shows.

The law also requires outdoor dog shelters be at least 80 square feet; they never can reach more than 85 degrees inside.

The new rules mark a victory for animal-rights groups and a major defeat for hunting-dog clubs and other groups that claim it goes too far.

Terry Workman, president of the Everglades Regional Dog Hunters Association, said the strict cage requirements will force lead some hunters to give away or abandon their dogs.

"It starts costing people a lot of money if they have two or three dogs," said Workman, adding he doesn't object to the tethering ban.

Workman keeps eight hunting dogs in cages behind his West Palm Beach home — three hound dogs and five Curs. Some fellow raccoon and hog hunters can't afford new shelters or don't have room in their yards, he said.

First-time violators of the tethering and shelter rules face a $100 fine. A second offense within a year comes with a $250 fine and a third offense costs $500. Depending on the severity of the violation, criminal charges may be filed.

Palm Beach County Animal Care & Control drafted the new law, aguing that it targets animal owners who keep their pets in deplorable conditions, Capt. Dave Walesky said.

"We were seeing people putting dogs in rabbit hutches," he said. "Before, we didn't have anything to stop them from doing that."

The county law requires more health protections for guard dogs and more disclosure to pet-store customers about where dogs and cats come from.

Palm Beach County's anti-tethering rule closely mirrors other restrictive measures gaining steam in Florida. Miami-Dade passed a similar ban in 2009. Broward County has no law on the books preventing people from tying up their dogs or requiring specific shelters outdoors.

Failed attempts to change that led some Broward cities to pass their own anti-tethering laws. Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Deerfield Beach and Pembroke Pines are among those that ban daytime or unattended tethering.

Heidi Jones, who represents Miami and Broward for the nonprofit group Dogs Deserve Better, said she pressed Pembroke Pines to pass a tethering ban in August. It goes farther than other laws by also banning tethering in garages and requiring people supervising a tethered dog to stay within arm's reach.

Jones said Palm Beach County's law is a big step in the right direction.

"Palm Beach County has really been at the forefront," she said.

However, groups such as the National Animal Interest Alliance were unhappy with the unanimous passage of the Palm Beach County regulations. The organization, which represents animal breeders, owners and their animals, failed to get Palm Beach County commissioners to soften the tethering law.

"It's too black-and-white," said Patti Strand, National Animal Interest Alliance chairwoman. "[People] will either let their dogs go or take them to a shelter."

Many people cannot afford to fence-in their dogs, she said, and in some cases, tethering them can be appropriate and humane. Dog trolleys or runners attached overhead allow dogs to move around more. The county could have allowed the option of a fence around a tethered dog in urban areas where dogs are more likely to bite passersby.