Stop Pebble Mine

Protecting the greatest wild salmon runs on Earth — and a way of life that’s existed since time immemorial

Bristol Bay is home to the world’s largest wild sockeye salmon fishery and the Yup’ik, Dena’ina, and Alutiiq peoples who have stewarded and depended on it since time immemorial. But powerful mining interests pushed for a massive open-pit mine at the headwaters — a project that threatened to poison the watershed, devastate a $2.2B fishing economy, and erase a cultural tradition thousands of years old.

True Blue partnered with the Tribal-led coalition — including United Tribes of Bristol Bay, NRDC, and the Bristol Bay Defense Fund — to protect this irreplaceable region. During the Trump administration, we exposed the mining industry’s deceit and kept national attention on the threat. Then, as President Biden took office, we helped transform a regional fight into a national movement — mobilizing millions of people to pressure the administration to finalize Clean Water Act protections.

Impact

We helped fuel an unprecedented wave of grassroots and political pressure that led to the EPA’s final veto of the Pebble Mine proposal in January 2023 — permanently protecting Bristol Bay and the communities who call it home. The victory culminated in a Rose Garden celebration with Tribal leaders and President Biden, marking the end of a decades-long fight. The campaign earned 17 national awards, including Best in Show in Overall Public Affairs at the Pollie Awards — twice.