Protecting Alaska's Cook Inlet watershed and the life it sustains since 1995.
Personal Watercraft Not Allowed (again) in Kachemak Bay and Fox River Flats Critical Habitat Areas Homer, AK – Alaska Superior Court Judge Adolf Zeman ruled in favor of plaintiffs: Cook Inletkeeper, Kachemak Bay Conservation Society, Friends of Kachemak Bay State Park, and Alaska Quiet Rights Coalition, in a case challenging jet ski use in two […]
President Biden and the Department of Interior announced their final five-year plan today for offshore oil and gas leasing in federal waters from 2023 through 2028. The plan includes 3 lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and no new lease sales in Lower Cook Inlet. “Alaskans have been fighting the industrialization of Cook Inlet […]
Thank you to all the happy salmon supporters who connected with us at this year’s Salmonfest. The long hard work paid off, we are always happy to make a splash in the chaotic and joyous vortex that Salmonfest is. From a line-up of Salmon Champions speaking from the River Stage, to salmon dinner, to a […]
The Paris Agreement seeks to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels to give the planet a decent chance of avoiding the worst outcomes of climate change. To hit this target, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls for reducing carbon emissions by 40-60% by 2030 and reaching net zero emissions by 2050-2070. […]
Quyanaqvaa Tailucci!!! (Yup’ik: Oh how to thank you all for coming here!?!?!) For this year’s Salmonfest event: August 4-6, we, water protectors of Tikahtnu; Cook Inletkeeper, have worked diligently with the organizers to find speakers between performers, taking care to bolster and highlight an Indigenous presence at Salmonfest 2023 with messages from their waters and regions. Ninilchik community […]
In a recent decision hitting Hilcorp with a $265,500 fine for violating an approved drilling plan, the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (AOGCC) cited the company’s “track record of regulatory noncompliance.” It sounds a lot like the AOGCC fine Hilcorp received in 2020, which also cited “a history of regulatory noncompliance,” as well as Hilcorp’s “lack of […]
On May 25th, we entered a new era of clean water work. For more than a generation, the Clean Water Act has been used to protect the waters of the United States. That work will be more difficult now. The Clean Water Act has been largely disempowered of its ability to protect wetlands from pollutant […]
Rules Are an Improvement But Further Local Action Will Be Essential FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Sharon DonovanCommunications Director, Earth Island Institute(510) 859-9161, sharondonovan@earthisland.org Berkeley, CA (June 13, 2023) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a long-awaited final rule governing oil spill response that may better safeguard the health of millions of people living […]
On Saturday, May 27, Cook Inletkeeper hosts the Mouth to Mouth Wild Run & Ride between the mouths of the Kenai (Kahtnuh Kaq’) and Kasilof (Ggasila Hdakaq’) rivers. Participants can choose to run 3 or 10 miles, or bike the 10 miles from one river mouth to the other. The 10-mile races start at the […]
We are finally experiencing the last ripples of Pebble mine. After decades of powerful advocacy, extensive salmon research, and strong tribal voices, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) vetoed the proposed copper mine threatening the headwaters of Bristol Bay in January 2023. We are still celebrating this long-anticipated moment and all those who played a role […]
On April 25th, Senators Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) introduced the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act – a bill that represents an unprecedented rollback of protections for federal public lands and prioritizes the interests of mining companies above all other land uses, including recreation, conservation, clean energy development, and the sacred sites of indigenous […]
Vote online in the HEA election here, or send your mail-in ballot by May 4. We can’t predict what energy system we’ll have in 2030, but it won’t be the one we have today.Since the 1960s, the majority of our electricity has been fueled by Cook Inlet natural gas. In January, the state forecast that […]
The Biden administration just approved exports from the Alaska LNG project, another carbon bomb that will lock us into 30 more years of planet-warming emissions. This massive $38 billion project involves building an 800-mile natural gas pipeline from the North Slope to an export terminal in Nikiski. The project will emit 2.7 billion metric tons […]
A Hilcorp contractor – SAExploration Seismic Services – is seeking a Miscellaneous Land Use Permit from the Alaska Department of Natural Resources to conduct a seismic survey this spring. To conduct the survey, SAE will detonate explosive shocks at 55-feet intervals along a 5.4 mile transect encompassing land, tidal and waters around and north of Anchor […]
Wetland permits are critical to large mining and other industrial operations. The Dunleavy Administration, DEC, and mine promoters want to control wetland permitting to streamline the industrialization of areas like the Bristol Bay watershed. Unable to prevail in the court of public opinion or with the Federal EPA, the Dunleavy Administration is now attempting to […]
Cook Inlet natural gas – the fuel for roughly 85% of our region’s electricity – could fall short by 2027, according to a report released in January by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. Previous DNR gas supply studies have estimated that prices would need to increase by 50-100% by 2030 for gas extraction to […]
The EPA’s decision this week to veto the Pebble Mine and issue Clean Water Act protections for Bristol Bay is a victory for Alaskans and the Bristol Bay and Cook Inlet ecosystems! In all the ways you showed up: at rallies, signing petitions and postcards, with dollars and loud voices, you contributed to a landmark […]
As we wait with anticipation for the EPA’s 404(c) Final Determination on Pebble mine later this month, Inletkeeper continues to ask questions about the Donlin Gold mine. The Donlin Gold mine would be a massive open-pit complex next to the Kuskokwim River in southwest Alaska and it presents sweeping risks to wild salmon habitat stretching […]
Nowhere is the disconnect between energy policy and climate impacts more evident than in Cook Inlet. In the same waters covered in last month’s federal Oil & Gas Lease Sale 258, federal fisheries managers closed the highly-lucrative Pacific cod fishery in 2019-2020, and they cited – for the first time ever – climate change as […]
Cook Inletkeeper runs on your support, yes, your support. You help keep the lights on and the building warm; you help us keep an eye on developments in our state, region, and communities. We help keep our community keen with real stories, real science, and real research. All our people are real people; our directors […]
After canceling the sale in May of 2022, the Biden Administration moved forward with leasing Alaska’s Lower Cook Inlet—resulting in only 1 bid on 1 block out of 193. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 30, 2022 Press Contact: Grace Nolan, grace@team-arc.com; Sue Mauger, sue@inletkeeper.org (Anchorage, Alaska) – Today, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held […]
This has been a frustrating year! Yet another Pebble mine comment period. Oil & Gas Lease Sale 258 in Lower Cook Inlet is happening tomorrow despite being canceled in May. The Cook Inlet beluga whale population is not improving. Our carbon emissions continue to go up, not down as is desperately needed. The best part […]
For December, we wanted to do something a bit different amidst the hustle and bustle that has become a hallmark of the holiday season. Enduring serial years of the pandemic and political setbacks in a time when we need immediate climate action has taken a toll on our community. We wanted to use this time […]
Groups cite Department of Interior’s failure to meaningfully consider climate impacts of auctioning off close to a million acres FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 21, 2022 MEDIA CONTACTSBecca Bowe, Earthjustice (Pacific time), rbowe@earthjustice.org Jackson Chiappinelli, Earthjustice (Eastern time), (585) 402-2005, jchiappinelli@earthjustice.org Anne Hawke, NRDC, (646) 823-4518 ahawke@nrdc.org Sue Mauger, Cook Inletkeeper, (907) 399-2070, sue@inletkeeper.org Penelope Haas, […]
The energy prospects on the horizon in December 2022 are very different from those of December 2021, and in December 2023, the picture is likely to be different once again. With action and engagement, we can make it a much brighter one. Mitigating the destruction that climate change is bringing to our ecosystems and lifestyles […]
In October, engineer and entrepreneur Patrick Simpson, who’s working on a mobile deviceto recycle ocean waste into plastic lumber, produced his first run of plastic 2x4s. Since June,Inletkeeper and our partners have contributed to the effort by collecting plastic waste at theInletkeeper Community Action Studio and the Goods Sustainable Grocery in Soldotna, and at theCenter […]
As Alaskans pay over $4/gallon at the pump, Exxon Mobil Corp. made record-breaking 3rdquarter profits. With rising demand and an undersupplied energy market amplified byWestern sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, the planet-warming dirty money isrolling in fast. If corporations really were people, this one and its cousins would be unwelcome atthe holiday […]
It’s easy to feel alone in the conviction that now is the time to stop developingnew oil & gas leases in Alaska. In 2022, we’ve seen Congress mandate that Lease Sale 258 in the federal watersof Lower Cook Inlet move forward before the end of the year; and the BidenAdministration expressing support for the Alaska […]
With the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), we saw steps forward on climate and clean energy but also steps backward, burdened with expanded oil & gas leasing and fast-tracked mining in Alaska. Linking clean energy development to decades of continued fossil fuel development impedes our goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, […]
Waqaa, Cama-i, Cissiarougua. Wiinga Yup’iaq angun, wii Qusquqvagmiu-llu. (Greetings, My Name is Ciissiar (Little-Bug), I am a Yup’ik man, and I am from the Kuskokwim River). My parents are Allen Simeon of Aniak married to Laura Simeon of Kalskag and Gloria Simeon of Bethel married to Michael Meeks of Kenai. I am fairly new to the lower […]
Clean water is critically important for people and salmon, landscapes and communities. One way that we can ensure clean water and healthy salmon is to protect surface water (like streams and lakes) and groundwater (such as aquifers and underground water between rocks, sediment, and sand). Gravel pits – if not designed thoughtfully and developed carefully – […]
This month the National Fish Habitat Partnership announced its list of 10 “Waters to Watch” for 2022. Cook Inlet’s Deshka River was listed as #1. Cook Inletkeeper and partners have invested years of research into better understanding the Deshka River. Management actions to minimize the effects of warming on Deshka River salmon have been limited by […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 22, 2022 FOR MORE INFORMATION: Sue Mauger, 907.399.2070, sue@inletkeeper.org Taylor Kendal Smith, 907.802.0534, taylor@inletkeeper.org Ben Boettger, 603.306.1352, ben@inletkeeper.org HOMER, Alaska — Today, the Department of the Interior released the Proposed Notice of Sale for Lease Sale 258 in Cook Inlet, Alaska. This is in direct response to the passing of the […]
Since our last update, the Inflation Reduction Act passed, bringing with it a mandate to hold Lease Sale 258 in the federal waters of Lower Cook Inlet before the end of 2022. Although we can’t stop this unpopular sale from moving forward, Inletkeeper and partners will be monitoring the level of industry interest to push […]
Cook Inletkeeper has been fighting alongside our supporters for our collective vision of Cook Inlet for the last 27 years. This vision has focused on clean water, healthy salmon, and strong communities. One central theme of this fight has been limiting oil and gas development and corresponding pollution. That vision is still central today. Inletkeeper’s […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 28, 2022 FOR MORE INFORMATION: Liz Mering, Inletkeeper (907.235.3459) Marissa Wilson, Executive Director AMCC (907.299.6566) PROPOSED BILL IN CONGRESS IGNORES ALASKANS, WOULD SACRIFICE COOK INLET 40 years of oil and gas development in undeveloped Lower Cook Inlet puts local economies at risk HOMER, AK – The proposed climate and energy package […]
Western conservationism isn’t working. As we face the fact that our environmental laws are ill-equipped to address the all-encompassing nature of the climate crisis, we must learn from the holistic land, water, and forest management practices born from a millennia of experience.
If you are like me, you feel like we just celebrated Lease Sale 258 in Lower Cook Inlet being taken off the table. Unfortunately, as many of you are only too familiar with, we are again facing a proposed lease sale in Lower Cook Inlet. President Biden and the Department of Interior proposed a five-year plan […]
How many times do we have to say NO to a bad project that would harm Alaskans? Most Alaskans know the main storyline of the decades-long Pebble Mine saga: Geologists discover the pebble deposit in 1987; A series of foreign companies thought it would be easy to dig a giant pit and mine the headwaters […]
On Monday, I saw a helicopter pilot I hadn’t seen in 14 years. Stan piloted my first trip in Bristol Bay to sample small headwater streams near the Pebble deposit. Seeing Stan brought up a flood of memories and names of people who have contributed to the decades of work to protect Bristol Bay, each […]
Over the three-day Nughelnik: Alaska Just Transition Summit in Anchorage May 20-22, Inletkeeper staff joined 500 other attendees from around the State of Alaska. Organized by The Alaska Just Transition Collective – a coalition of Alaska partners building a shared visionary path for Alaska by addressing the growing political, economic, and ecological crises we face. The goals […]
“It’s time to find our way back to what our ancestors had. Our people come from just economies, and we need to bring everyone with us, especially those most intent on destroying the Earth because we can’t afford that anymore” – Karlin Itchoak, Alaska State Director at the Wilderness Society This past May, many of […]
Alaska’s bears and salmon are inextricably linked. During the summer months, while Alaskans are filling our freezers with salmon, the brown bears on the Alaska Peninsula are storing up their salmon for the winter. Bears of the Alaska Peninsula are incredible — eating dozens of salmon and gaining up to 4 pounds a day. The […]
By Kayla Walsh, Alaska Conservation Foundation Intern What brings a city girl like me to Cook Inlet, a place I hadn’t heard of just 6 months ago? Well, I started a graduate program in Conservation Medicine and I’m here to learn all about it from the real experts: Alaskans! I’ve been asked what Conservation Medicine […]
On May 26, we started what we hope will be the LAST comment period advocating for strong protections under the Clean Water Act to defend Bristol Bay from destructive mining by a Canadian company. Many of you have been with us in this fight for years and years. Bristol Bay Native Corporation put together a […]
Late on Wednesday the Biden Administration quietly announced that the Department of Interior would not be pursuing Oil & Gas Lease Sale 258 in Lower Cook Inlet. First, we are thankful! Alaskans have been fighting the industrialization of Cook Inlet since the 90s and each of these victories is important for our communities that rely […]
After a short winter lull, Inletkeeper’s programs start revving up come spring. One program that Kenai Peninsula residents have grown to count on are our annual spring electronics recycling events. This year is no different. Mark your calendars for April 30th for our annual e-recycling events in Soldotna and Homer. Drop off your old devices […]
Are you ever on social media and you see articles titled something like “All the Things You’ve Been Doing Wrong Your Entire Life” or “Apparently eating chips isn’t as simple as popping them inside your mouth. No, there is a proper way to truly enjoy these crispy snacks.” Now if there can be a right […]
I stood at the finish line of the Mouth to Mouth Wild Run & Ride at the end of Cannery Road in Kenai, on an extremely cold February afternoon (the race is still over three months away). There was a mean wind that bit at any exposed skin, making my eyes water. I quickly wiped […]
This year will mark 50 years since Congress passed and enacted the Clean Water Act (CWA) after our nation’s rivers literally caught fire. This disregard of pollution was not unique to the Lower 48 as Alaska fishermen were finding blobs of oil floating in the ocean from passing tankers. While the Clean Water Act isn’t […]
