About Pebble Mine
Nushagak river-courtesy Erin McKittrick
One of the most important components of a healthy, sustainable fishery is the integrity of upstream habitat. Sockeye in particular require not only pristine rivers and creeks to spawn, but also large, fresh water lake systems where they spend time as juveniles before heading out to sea. For thousands of years, Bristol Bay has maintained this delicate balance, and in doing so, provided optimal conditions for returning salmon.
Nushagak River-courtesy Ben Knight
Two of the five major river systems in Bristol Bay and the largest body of freshwater in the State (Lake Illiamna) now face certain habitat degradation in the form of the Pebble Mine Project, a proposed copper, gold and molybdenum mine sited across the headwaters of both the Nushagak river (one of the top king salmon producing rivers worldwide) and the Kvichak river (the top sockeye salmon producing river in the world). The mine promises to be one of the largest copper and gold mines in North America. It also promises a tailings lake filled with toxic sludge, impounded by an earthen dam larger than any dam ever built (seven hundred and forty feet tall and over four miles across). Built, apparently, to last in perpetuity. In fact, the “big” dam is just one of four huge dams planned for the project.
Map of proposed mining site-courtesy Renewable Resource Coalition
Red Dog Mine
The proposed mining district alone covers over a thousand square miles, while the mine complex would obliterate 15 square miles of pristine waterways and tundra. In every direction there are creeks, rivers, lakes, ponds; the tundra itself acting as a giant sponge. The hydrology of the area is so complex, so intermingled with the land, there is no real way to gauge the mine’s affect on water quality, except to say that it will affect water quality. What we do know is that any drop in water quality, even trace amounts of copper (parts per million) adversely affect a salmon’s sense of smell, the sense they use to spawn within a few feet of the spot they themselves were spawned.
The Pebble Mine Project is a partnership between a Canadian company, Northern Dynasty and the English mining giant, Anglo American. Anglo American has a long, clouded history of environmental degradation, worker safety issues and human rights abuses. Over 200 Anglo workers have died on the job just since 2002. At present, the partnership has spent in excess of 130 million dollars exploring the area, doing mine feasibility studies and funding baseline scientific data. All this money spent in preparation for the mine permitting process. Unfortunately, extractive resource management in Alaska is not managed biologically, the way our fishery is managed, and the State has always allowed large-scale mine operations to proceed.
Be a Rebel to the Pebble
Nothing could threaten the ecology of this area more than this mine, except maybe a nuclear bomb. A mine project of this magnitude threatens the very way of life for communities that have subsisted on salmon for thousands of years. Downstream still further, the mine threatens our commercial fishery, our way of life.
Please, do not just take our word for it. Educate yourself and help us stop this project before it goes any further. For more info, check out:
http://RenewableResourceCoalition.org. Also check out the award-winning documentary Red Gold. The film beautifully captures the struggle and passion surrounding this issue and highlights what an incredible natural resource is at stake. Their website is http://redgoldfilm.com.
