Alaska raises concerns over possible mine activity in Canada

A provincial map showing the planned or potential mining activity in British Columbia is so pocked that Alaska Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott says it looks like it has the measles. It's the cluster of dots in northwest British Columbia — including a prospect billed as one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in the world — that has many residents across the border in southeast Alaska on edge.

LINK (via:The Idaho Statesman)

Learn more about the threats to the British Columbia-Alaska transboundary region at Rivers Without Borders.

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/08/16/3941140/alaska-raises-concerns-over-possible.html#storylink=cpy

Canada Greenlight Massive Gold and Copper Mine Near Alaska Border

Earlier this week the BC government approved the massive Site C Dam on the Peace River. Now the Canadian federal government has greenlighted a proposed new mine in the Transboundary region that in on the scale of Pebble in Alaska.

The federal government approved the environmental assessment application on Friday for the massive KSM gold and copper mine in northwestern British Columbia near the Alaska border.

The mine, which is owned by Seabridge Gold Inc. (TSX:SEA), is considered the largest undeveloped gold reserve in the world and also has copper, silver and molybdenum deposits.

The project would be just 35 kilometres from the Alaska border, and in August the state took the rare step of asking the Canadian government for involvement in the approval process over concerns for its rivers and fish.

But the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency concluded in its report that the KSM project isn’t likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

LINK (via:Global News)

Not likely to cause significant environmental effects?

Here is some KSM data courtesy of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council.

As proposed, this mine will be among the largest open-pit mines in the world.  It will process 130,000 tons of ore per day. The mine will operate for 52 years.

Waste Rock: The KSM will produce 2.5 billion tons of acid producing waste rock that will be dumped into the Mitchell and McTagg Valleys just above the Unuk River.

Pits: The open pits will cover 2,500 acres and be over 1,200 feet deep.  Pumping water from the pits will essentially remove all of the ground water from the mine footprint.

Waste Water: The mine will be required to treat 119,000 gallons of contaminated water per minute prior to dumping into the Unuk River.  This scale of water treatment is unprecedented.  An earthen dam 540 feet tall will contain the lake of contaminated water.  Water will have to be treated for at least 200 years after closure and possibly forever.

Tailings Dump: The tailings dump will cover 3,400 acres of fish habitat in the headwaters of the Bell-Irving river system.  This sludge will be contained behind a 2 dams over 700 feet tall; taller and wider than the Hoover Dam.  These dams will be made from waste rock, not concrete.

There are currently 21 projects either active or in the later stages of exploration in the Transboundary region.

Learn more about the threats to the region and take action at SEACC and Rivers WIthout Borders.

The Next Big Fight?

Now that we may soon see the day that the Pebble fight is in the rear view mirror, it's time to start turning our attention to some of the other huge threats to fisheries and habitat that demand the support of the industry and anglers.

Lets' start with the multitude of threats that are currently facing the Transboundary Region.

Click to see zoomable map.

The Transboundary Watershed Region is a region of northwest British Columbia and southeast Alaska that includes the Tatshenshini-Alsek, Chilkat, Chilkoot, Skagway, Taiya, Taku, Iskut-Stikine, Unuk, and Whiting watersheds. The region extends from high alpine tundra, through boreal landscapes and coastal rainforests, to the island marine environment of southeast Alaska, and covers over 50,000 square miles.

The land and rivers within these watersheds support populations of wildlife including: grizzly and black bears, moose, caribou, mountain goats, sheep, wolves, and rare migratory birds. The major rivers of the region are abundant with wild Pacific salmon.

At least five large-scale mines are planned for northwest British Columbia in watersheds that drain into salmon-bearing rivers of Southeast Alaska. One project, called Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell (KSM), rivals in size and scope the Pebble mine proposed for Bristol Bay in Southwest Alaska. If built, developers say KSM would be the world’s largest gold and copper mine. The deposit sits in the headwaters of the salmon-rich Unuk River, which drains into Alaska’s Misty Fjords National Monument.

The Transboundary region defines the essence of North American wilderness and represents one of the continent’s best conservation opportunities so it deserves your attention and support.

How can you help?

Start by taking some time to familiarize yourself with the region, and the large scale rush to exploit it, by heading over to the Rivers Without Borders website. Since 1999 Rivers Without Borders has been working on both sides of the border promoting a watershed-based conservation vision for the Transboundary. Their site also has numerous resources dedicated to educating and inspiring action.

Trout Unlimited is also taking a very active role in bringing attention to the significant threats facing the Transboundary, their recent press release concerning the region and links to supporting documents can be accesssed here.

The Transboundary is the poster child for rampant extractive resource development in British Columbia, it's time to start lending our collective voices to preserving one of the last great wilderness areas on the planet.

Next up? The Alaska Chuitna coal project.

TAKE ACTION! - Comment on the proposed Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell Mine

Shared by Northwest BC and Southeast Alaska, the transboundary region is vast, alive and abundant. In all, the transboundary watersheds cover over 130,000 square kilometers/32 million acres, a geographic area equal in size to Switzerland and Portugal put together. The region extends from high alpine tundra, through boreal landscapes and coastal rainforests, and finally to the island marine environment of Southeast Alaska.

Now, a mining frenzy is underway that could threaten Alaska fisheries and tourism jobs. Spurred by weakened environmental regulations and the construction of a massive new power line that is one of Canada’s biggest transmission projects ever, as many as 10 new large-scale mines are undergoing exploration in the mineral-rich region that borders Southeast Alaska. Five of these Canadian mineral projects are located in trans-boundary watersheds of key salmon rivers including the Stikine, Taku, and Unuk rivers. These mines could produce water pollution that may harm Southeast Alaska fishing and tourism industries while offering few, if any, economic benefits to the communities of Southeast Alaska.

The project farthest along in the development process, and one that could cause substantial environmental damage is the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell mine (KSM), located in the headwaters of the Unuk river. This mega-mine, comparable in scale to the proposed Pebble Mine, threatens water quality, wild salmon and wildlife, and the fragile, remote ecosystems that support them in both the Unuk and Nass River watersheds.

The 80-mile-long Unuk river produces one of Southeast Alaska’s largest king salmon runs and flows into Misty Fjords National Monument near Ketchikan, a popular attraction for many of the region’s one million annual visitors. Canadian regulators are seeking public comment on KSM until October 21, 2013. Anyone who cares about wild salmonids should make their voices heard before the comment period closes.

Make your voice heard!

First read this briefing on the KSM project.

Next, send a comment about the KSM project to the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office (BCEAO), by using the form at The Tongass: America's Salmon Forest - your comment will go directly to the BCEAO.

• Tell Canadian officials that strong safeguards for salmon and water quality must be ensured if this mine is to be developed.

• Ask that the 45-day public comment period that ends on October 21 be extended by six months as it is not enough time for Alaskans to evaluate the KSM project, the several-thousand page environmental document accompanying it, and the enormous implications for our region.

• Demand that Seabridge hold public meetings in Southeast Alaska prior to any decision on the KSM project.

You'll find much more information on the extraordinary ecology, wildlife, marine habitat, and cultural values of the transboundary watersheds of southeast Alaska and northwest British Columbia at Rivers Without Borders.