Monica Zappa and Tim Osmar

In my mind, Pebble Mine is the biggest recipe for disaster that Alaska has ever faced. And that simple reason is why me and my partner, Tim Osmar, are embarking on an epic adventure – to mush for Bristol Bay. We’ll be running the dogs in three races in the Midwest and Canada to raise awareness about the serious threats to the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery from a massive open-pit mine.

The races we’re competing in are:

Apostle Islands Sled Dog Race: 80 miles, Feb. 4&5, starting in Bayfield, Wisconsin

Kearney Sled Dog Race: 120 miles, Feb. 11&12, Kearney, Ontario (Replacement event for the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, which was canceled due to lack of snow.)

UP 200: 240 miles, Feb. 16 -20, starting in Marquette, Michigan

Earlier this week, we traveled from Kasilof on the Kenai peninsula to Wisconsin. We loaded up our truck with 30 dogs and their crates and five bags of dog food before logging 5,000 miles.

We’re in a phase of training some young dogs and Tim is returning to racing after recovering from an injury. We each hope to be competitive on this quest, but we’re on a bigger mission. We’re mushing for Bristol Bay, working to share the story of Bristol Bay in the lower 48 and the dangers the proposed Pebble Mine poses to our awesome salmon fisheries and our way of life.

So, while we’re sledding, we’ll be sporting Save Bristol Bay and No Pebble Mine gear. Our truck is sporting decals, and so is our sled. We’ll be wearing parkas with No Pebble Mine decals, and our dogs’ coats are decked out too.

We’ve been thinking about Bristol Bay and the Pebble Mine a lot and we care for a host of reasons. We’re both commercial fishermen who work the coast of Cook Inlet near the Kasilof river, so we know how important salmon is for all who make a living from it and subsist through winter on it. We also know that the threat of an environmental catastrophe can put a huge damper on the fish market, depressing prices and leaving fishermen with lean pockets for years – as was the case in the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.

Pebble would require dams up to three times larger than the Three Gorges Dam in China to hold massive amounts of cyanide- and sulfuric acid-laced rock. Seeps and springs near the surface of the region’s watershed form a sponge-like terrain that can easily soak up contaminants, depositing them in the Upper Talarik Creek and Koktuli River drainages.

The fact that Pebble Mine is even being considered in such an extremely valuable habitat blows my mind. We need to be responsible stewards of these lands, waters and habitats today, and we join with others in asking the EPA to protect this nationally significant resource now.

We hope to send in a few more dispatches from the road. So, wish us luck, tell your friends in Wisconsin and Michigan about us. And, if you’re near Cumberland, or Ashland, Wisc., join us for some great events:

Saturday, January 21, 4 p.m: Screening of “Red Gold,” an award-winning documentary about the amazing fisheries of Bristol Bay and the people who rely on them. Nezzy's Sports Bar&Grill, 1345 2nd Ave., Cumberland

Sunday, January 22, 4 p.m: Salmon Dinner Fundraiser at Hilltop Retreat, featuring live music with Dan Hoffman, an outcry auction and door prizes, 2896 1 1/2 Street, Cumberland. Tickets sold at the door.

Thursday, January 26, 7 p.m: "Mushing, Mining and Bristol Bay" screening of Red Gold at Northland College, Alvord Theater, Ashland.

Monica Zappa is a scientist, Alaskan fisherwoman, and competitive dog musher who originally hails from Wisconsin.  Tim Osmar is also a commercial fisherman and a veteran sled dog racer who won the Yukon Quest in 2001 and has completed the legendary Iditarod 23 times.