Pebble Mine remains one of the most controversial threats to Bristol Bay’s future. Explore how one Alaskan family’s connection to the land, their livelihood, and the salmon runs underscores what’s at stake if Pebble Mine moves forward.
Story by Tica Drury Photos provided by Tia Shoemaker
Looking to the future: Tia and her family envision a fish-filled future for Bristol Bay without the threat of the proposed Pebble mine.
Pebble Mine and the Fight to Protect Bristol Bay
You know the saying, “I get by with a little help from my friends?” As we cross into our second decade of advocacy for Bristol Bay, friends are more important than ever. The region is threatened by the proposed Pebble mine, a proposed open-pit mine threatening the world’s greatest salmon run. This is an ongoing series of profiles on Bristol Bay advocates that have devoted their lives to safeguarding the region. Read the whole series at savebristolbay.org.
Growing up in a stretch of remote wilderness that is home to two brown bears per square mile makes one well aware of their place in the natural world. As you can imagine, it’s not necessarily at the top.
This is the world that Tia Shoemaker knows best. Tia is a fly angler, pilot, hunting guide, and accomplished outdoorswoman. She views wild places not as a backdrop to her story, but as her story itself, an inextricable part of who she is.
For nearly 50 years, the Shoemakers have lived on a homestead in the heart of the Becharof National Wildlife Refuge on the Alaska Peninsula. Their home is only accessible by bush plane and is surrounded by millions of acres of wild land. That’s about as remote as it gets.
Tia’s parents are both wildlife biologists who left their careers to move off-grid and found Grizzly Skins of Alaska. Their family-owned hunting-and-fishing operation caters to discriminating and adventurous travelers, guiding them through the sporting paradise that is Bristol Bay, Alaska.
A Wild Childhood
Growing up, Tia and her brother could often be found running across the tundra, bow and arrow in hand, searching for willow ptarmigan and bickering over who gets to pretend to be the client and who gets to be the guide. At nine, Tia harvested her first caribou. At ten, she apprenticed on her first hunt. It’s unsurprising that Tia grew up to be one of less than a dozen female big game hunting guides registered in Alaska.
A life lived far away from the conveniences of modern life taught Tia the value of resilience and hard work. Only two trips to the grocery store per year meant the majority of the Shoemaker’s food needed to be fished, hunted, gathered, or grown. “I think we live in a way that many might find uncomfortable, or even extreme.” Tia says. “But from my earliest memories it was normal, the only way that I knew.”
Living Intimately with the Land
When you live in the middle of a wildlife refuge, your neighbors are bears, salmon, caribou, wolves, and porcupines, among other creatures. As Tia puts it, “We don’t have wild animals in our backyard. We live in theirs.”
As a child, Tia would use her best howl to call a wolf into camp. This was a crowd-pleasing trick amongst lodge clients. She and her brother viewed the fox kits that lived on the end of the runway as their best playmates. Brown bears, some of the biggest in the world due to the abundance of salmon, were common enough that they left a rifle in the outhouse for unplanned bear run-ins.
Living this closely with the land and its inhabitants means that hunting is a deeply sacred act for Tia. “My dad once told me: ‘The day you stop crying or feeling like crying when you take an animal’s life, is the day that you should stop hunting.’” This is a sentiment that she constantly recounts to guided hunting clients.
Tia’s daughter, niece, and nephew in front of the family Piper Super Cub. The Shoemakers care deeply about safeguarding Bristol Bay for the good of the next generation.
A Life Underpinned by Salmon
Out of all of Tia’s remarkable encounters, she insists, “One of the most awe-inspiring sights is standing in the middle of a stream or river during the Bristol Bay salmon run.” She speaks to the frenetic and relentless energy of it, of how every being––human, animal, bird, plant, you name it––are connected by this yearly wave of life-giving fish.
Tia and her family are powerful voices in the fight against the proposed Pebble Mine. The success of their small business is directly tied to the fate of salmon. No clean water means no fishing clients. No big game means no hunting clients. No salmon means the loss of life as they know it.
Tia and an Arctic grayling, one of the many fish species that anglers target within the bountiful waterways of Bristol Bay.
The family’s paramount concern lies far beyond lost dollars and cents. It’s the fear of not being able to pass on this unique lifestyle of hunting and fishing for their food to their children. The third generation already shows a great affinity for the land and animals around the homestead. With this deep connection to the wild, the family’s wellbeing is innately linked to the health of Bristol Bay and its fishery.
You can help ensure Bristol Bay’s salmon runs continue. Take action at savebristolbay.org. Follow @SaveBristolBay for updates on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks goes to Tia and the rest of the Shoemaker family for being such ardent supporters of Bristol Bay salmon. Learn more about their business at the Grizzly Skins of Alaska website.
Trout Unlimited’s mission is to protect, reconnect and restore North America’s cold-water fisheries and their watersheds. Learn about our work in Alaska at prioritywaters.tu.org/alaska. Tica Drury is Trout Unlimited’s Bristol Bay Engagement Manager.
For more conservation and fish habitat restoration reading, check out Fish Alaska’s Conservation Blog for more.