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DOGS MUSHERS BEGINNERS BOOKSTORE FANS FEATURES FIND IT LINKS RESOURCES RACING TRAINING |
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Mushing for
a cause
Mushing for a cause: Alaskans compete in Apostle Islands race, raising awareness of threats to Bristol Bay, Alaska Cumberland, Wis. – Alaska mushers Tim Osmar and Monica Zappa are competing in the Apostle Islands race this weekend, Feb. 4 & 5, in the 80-mile distance with 8 dogs on each team. They are the only Alaskans among the 29 racers registered. Along with a win on the trail, they’re mushing to raise awareness of the
serious threats to the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery from a massive
open-pit mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed. Osmar is a veteran musher
who has won the Yukon Quest and completed the legendary Iditarod 23 times.
Zappa, originally from Cumberland, Wis., is an up and coming musher who
learned the sport growing up in the Midwest.
Both have decked out their gear – including their truck, dog boxes, sleds, parkas and all of their dogs’ coats – in No Pebble Mine and Save Bristol Bay decals. The mushers, both commercial salmon fishermen who live in Kasilof, Alaska, plan to donate a share of any winnings to the Save Bristol Bay campaign. Tim and Monica participated in an impromptu race called the Gunflint Mail Run last weekend as a warmup. They also plan to compete in the Kearney Sled Dog Race Feb. 11 & 12 in Ontario, and the UP 200 Feb. 16 -20, starting in Marquette, Mich. “We’re thrilled to compete in the Midwest and bring a message that the world’s best sockeye salmon fishery shouldn’t be sacrificed to a massive open pit copper and gold mine,” said Tim Osmar. “We need to show the rest of the country that Bristol Bay and its vast salmon are a national resource that must be protected.” Up to 60 million sockeye salmon return to the Bristol Bay watershed each year, supporting thousands of fishing jobs and businesses, countless wildlife, and a subsistence catch for Alaska Natives. Bristol Bay is also a sport fishing paradise, with ample runs of trophy rainbow trout and other species. The proposed Pebble Mine would dig a pit at least 3 miles wide and 2,500 feet deep (1,000 feet taller than the Sears Tower). It would create some 10 billion tons of toxic waste requiring treatment and storage forever behind towering earthen dams in an area known for earthquakes and other natural disasters. “Just like Alaskans, people in the upper Midwest understand the importance of fishing and hunting, and surviving on the food that you catch,” Zappa said. “We believe they will join us in opposing this threat to our lives and livelihoods.” Tim and Monica are available for interviews.
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