Bristol Bay elder Bobby Andrew, who has been a leading voice in the fight against Pebble Mine, passed away at the age of 73. State troopers say Andrew died of natural causes, and was found at his cabin on Lake Aleknagik Tuesday afternoon.
"He went up there to get whitefish and pike," said longtime friend and Nunamta Aulukestai coworker Kim Williams Wednesday. "He was supposed to come home Sunday or Monday morning, and when he didn't, his wife Ingrid asked someone to check in on him. He passed away in his sleep, in a place he loved and cherished. It's a sad day for Bristol Bay, but it's a happy day, too."
For a decade or more, Bobby Andrew has been outspoken on protecting Bristol Bay. He has been featured in films, written articles, spoken at public meetings, and taken his message around the country and overseas.
"I was looking at the photos this morning, and I think he's been to London five or six times carrying the message to the large mining companies Rio Tinto and Anglo American to say, 'You know Bristol Bay is not a place to develop a large, open-pit mine,'" said Williams. "He's gone to Juneau, to D.C., to Nevada ... anywhere he was needed, he would go."
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