Music and Arts Festival Celebrates Wild Salmon and Bristol Bay

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Come to Alaska this summer and join National Wildlife Federation’s Alaska affiliate, the Renewable Resources Foundation, for Salmonstock—a three-day music and arts festival celebrating Bristol Bay, wild salmon and the people who depend upon them! Held August 2-4 at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in the small fishing town of Ninilchik, Salmonstock blends a small-town country fair atmosphere with the amenities of an established music festival, against the backdrop of breathtaking Alaskan scenery. Ninilchik is a gorgeous two-hour drive from Anchorage.

With multiple stages featuring top musicians, arts and crafts from local merchants, artists-in-residence showcased throughout the festival, booths featuring some of Alaska’s best restaurants and an extensive beer garden featuring brews from throughout the state, this is a uniquely Alaskan event not to be missed. More than 5,000 people made their way to Salmonstock in 2012, and this year’s third annual festival is shaping up to be bigger and even better.
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Threat to Bristol Bay Salmon in the Spotlight

Wild salmon are key to a healthy Alaskan ecosystem and a healthy Alaskan economy. Both are now threatened by the Pebble Limited Partnership (a joint venture of Northern Dynasty Minerals and Anglo American Mining), which wants to build one of the largest open-pit copper, gold and molybdenum mines in the world on top of the headwaters of Bristol Bay, the planet’s largest remaining wild salmon fishery. Salmonstock seeks to celebrate this renewable resource as well as educate, bringing people from all walks of life together to oppose the devastating threat posed by the proposed mine.

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Photo: Tim Steinberg. 2012
An Awareness and Action Center on site will provide festival goers with the knowledge and resources they need to make their own positive impact on wild salmon habitat in Alaska, and help build a strong constituency of activists ready to take a stand against Pebble mine.

Performers Join to Support Salmon Protection

The lineup of musicians looks quite impressive; superstar Brandi Carlile just signed on to headline the show, bluegrass masters Trampled by Turtles, Minnesota rock and roll jam band The Big Wu, Americana favorite Great American Taxi and up-and-coming Colorado bluegrass band Head for the Hills will play at Salmonstock 2013. Other scheduled performers include Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, Moonalice, Si Kahn, The Coffis Brothers and Out Of Our Tree (featuring Tim Easton and Megan Palmer). More great bands will be announced in the coming weeks.

For tickets and more information, go to the Salmonstock website or the Salmonstock Facebook page. You can also contact RRF directly at info@salmonstock.org or 907-743-1900. See you in Ninilchik!