The Bristol Bay watershed in southwest Alaska produces nearly half of all the world’s Sockeye salmon supply, supporting 14,000 jobs and a $1.5 billion annual industry. It is also the cultural, spiritual and nutritional heart of the 8,000 residents of the region. It is also the home to a massive copper and gold deposit, which could someday boast the largest open pit mine in North America – at the headwaters of the most productive salmon streams in the region. In 2014, the EPA determined that it would impose severe restrictions on any mine, if built, in order to protect the valuable habitat. But on July 11, 2017, the new EPA took the first step to rescind those protections. Read more to learn the full story and what you can do to speak up for this incredible ecosystem.