Articles

Trump administration set to halt Pebble Mine, sources say

According to multiple sources, the Trump admin is set to stop the mine it brought back from the dead

by Chad Shmukler - Saturday, Aug 22nd, 2020

A leopard rainbow trout from the Nushagak River, downstream of the planned Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska (photo: Pat Clayton / FishEyeGuy Photography).

According to six sources familiar with the administration's plans, the Trump administration is preparing to reverse course and either block or "hit pause" on the controversial proposed open-pit Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska, Politico reported in breaking news earlier today.

The Good American Outdoors Act

Has the hype for the Great American Outdoors Act gone too far?

by Chad Shmukler - Wednesday, Aug 19th, 2020

Photo: NPS / Jacob W. Frank.

After over 50 years of repeatedly having its coffers raided by Congress, the widely beloved Land and Water Conservation Fund will now enjoy full and permanent funding thanks to the Great American Outdoors Act. Reaction to the act’s passage was like the readout from a stress meter on the San Andreas fault, highlighting a rift that exists in today’s conservation community.

Fluent redneck

It's best to speak the language of the locals when you can

by Johnny Carrol Sain - Tuesday, Aug 18th, 2020

Photo: Thomas Hawk / cc2.0.

The term “redneck” has a dubious history. It’s a label that’s been applied to me more than a few times. I’ve always been honored by the designation, but I’m not a full-fledged redneck.

Sure, I’ve patched more than a few things together with baling wire and duct tape. I’ve owned some beater trucks, still own several guns, eat a lot of squirrel, live on a dirt road, have a camo ball cap near permanently affixed to my noggin, rarely shave, swig on moonshine, and used to have a loose-leaf tobacco habit.

Are bears showing us new salmon streams?

Grizzlies may be revealing previously undiscovered salmon streams, while highlighting the folly of mining in sensitive arctic regions

by Chris Hunt - Monday, Aug 17th, 2020

A remote river in the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (photo: NPS / cc2.0)

Are Arctic grizzly bears pointing the way to remote and previously undocumented Brooks Range salmon streams? According to a recent scientific paper published in the science journal Canadian Field-Naturalist, this might well be the case.

Gear we love right now: August 2020

What's working on (and off) the water

by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, Aug 13th, 2020

YETI's Hondo Base Camp Chairs (photo: Chad Shmukler).

Fly anglers are inundated with gear choices—rods, reels, boots, waders, lines, packs, bags, boxes, vests, apparel and more. Each year, it seems harder and harder to know what's worth coveting and what's worth ignoring. Sure, gear reviews are a great way to get a feel for what might be right for you, but not every piece of gear is suited to a full-length review and, even if it were, there's simply too much of it to get to.