Public meetings presenting independent reviews of environmental and socioeconomic studies by the Pebble Partnership are scheduled to take place in Anchorage Oct. 2-4 and Oct. 9-11.

People are asked to register in advance for the sessions, which will take place at the Consortium Library on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus.

Pebble hired The Keystone Center, a Denver-based nonprofit organization that specializes in environmental conflict resolution, to oversee independent reviews of its studies. The reviews were done by university professors, government scientists and private consultants.

The Pebble Limited Partnership hopes to develop what it believes is a giant gold and copper find in the Bristol Bay area but the project is highly controversial. An Environmental Protection Agency assessment released earlier this year found that it could damage critical salmon habitat. An independent review of the EPA's study is under way.

The Keystone panels cover geology, geochemistry, hydrology, water quality, fish, wildlife, habitat and socioeconomic dimensions of Pebble's studies. They are free and if there's space left, people can walk in. But about half the slots already are taken, according to Keystone.

To register, go to www.keystone.org/pebble.