Cultural Connections with Laura Aspelund
Naknek, Alaska is Located at the northeast side of Bristol Bay and is home to the world’s richest sockeye salmon fishery. Almost 70 percent of the world’s sockeye salmon is caught in Bristol Bay and Naknek is home to six salmon processors. The first salmon cannery opened on the Naknek River in 1890, and by 1900 there were 12 canneries in Bristol Bay. The abundance of salmon is what kept the Yup'ik and Athabascan people in this region more than 10,000 years ago.
My guest Laura Aspelund has called this place home. She now resides in Anchorage AK where she is attending medical school. Laura is now a graduate of the Bristol Bay Fly Fishing and Guide Academy, and we talk about her experience living in Naknek, her transition into fly fishing and guiding, her experience of being a white passing native woman, and the impacts of the proposed Pebble Mine.
Resources:
The Valley of 10,000 Smokes NPS: https://www.nps.gov/katm/planyourvisit/exploring-the-valley-of-ten-thousand-smokes.htm
IG: @laurauga
Take Action: https://www.savebristolbay.org/take-action
TU Alaska Program: https://home.tu.org/tu-programs/alaska
Instagram: @mbark_on_adventures
Bristol Bay Fly Fishing and Guide Academy: https://bristolbayriveracademy.org/
This episode was sponsored by Trout Unlimited - Alaska Program & edited by Devin Dabney, check out The American Climbing Project.
