The New York Times reports on a political fight over a proposed mine near Dillingham, Alaska,on Bristol Bay.

Rarely are Alaskans at odds over which of their natural resources they want to exploit. Oil? Timber? Minerals? Fish? While outsiders and some state residents may urge restraint, most people here typically just select all.

Yet the fight over what is known as the Pebble Mine is playing out as a war between economies and cultures, between copper and clean water, gold and wild salmon. Strange alliances and divisions have developed. Miners have been pitted against fishermen, as have Yupik Eskimos, Aleuts and Athabascan Indians and other Alaska Native people who want the jobs the new mine could bring versus those who fear it threatens thousands of years of culture.

Local fishing outfitters fear the proposed mine could harm fish populations, while others argue the mine is needed to help local economies. Bristol Bay is a gorgeous spot -- the first place I went fly fishing for salmon -- but Dillingham is also anything but a thriving community. It would be tragic if mining (or anything else) disrupted the local fisheries or that area's natural beauty. Then again, this is a choice Alaskans need to make for themselves. I hope they choose wisely.