OPINION: It shouldn’t be ‘Groundhog Day’ in Bristol Bay

The valiant fight for the future of Bristol Bay has gone on for the better part of the past two decades. Milestones occurred in 2020, as the Army Corps of Engineers denied a key federal permit for Pebble mine, and again in 2021, as the Environmental Protection Agency took action to reinstate Clean Water Act protections for the headwaters of Bristol Bay. With such significant measures enacted, most reasonable individuals would assume the region is safe from the looming threat of irreversible damage caused by large-scale mining.

This is a far cry from the truth.

Those engaged in the overall well-being of the Bristol Bay region know better than to fall into a false sense of complacency. The proposed Pebble mine has risen from near-death already once, and it would be unacceptable for history to repeat itself in this form or another. After 20 years of unnecessary uncertainty, rest will only come when consideration of large-scale mining in the region is gone for good. There is only one path forward: pursuit and implementation of durable safeguards for the region.

In March 2022, Chuchuna Minerals Co. applied for an exploratory mining permit in Bristol Bay, where they plan to conduct various forms of exploration at the Groundhog site this summer. The proposed Groundhog site is 20 miles northwest of the Village of Iliamna and adjacent to the proposed Pebble mine site. The local Nondalton Tribal Council came out in direct opposition to the project back in 2015, as Groundhog Mountain is considered sacred and is the community’s primary hunting grounds for moose and caribou. This new exploration emphasizes the importance of securing durable protections for Bristol Bay. Continually fending off other mining proposals is not the future we want to see in Bristol Bay.

The people of Bristol Bay and all Alaskans consistently and overwhelmingly oppose mining in the region, yet here we are again, having to mount another defense when the communities and industries in the region want nothing more than to look forward to a future unclouded by mining threats. Bristol Bay deserves a future that isn’t at the mercy of a continuous line of mining companies hoping to get rich at the expense of local people, small businesses, and the future value of this region. The world’s greatest sockeye salmon run and its legacy are rooted in thousands of years of successful stewardship by Indigenous Alaskans and the foundation of a prosperous fish-based economy. Permitting a mine in Bristol Bay could open a slurry of ecological and economic vulnerabilities which would be dictated by a mining company’s profit and whatever the future political landscape might bring.

The people of Bristol Bay have spoken out repeatedly and vehemently against mining in the region. Their voices need to be heard, as they should have the right to consider their futures and their children’s future without worrying if the wild salmon run, which underpins their culture, puts food on their tables, and drives their economy will be permanently destroyed. These livelihoods and lifestyles are irreplaceable in the modern world.

How many scientific studies that show large-scale mining will cause irreparable harm to the region must be conducted?

How many polls must come out stating that Pebble mine is the least controversial natural resource issue in the state, as more than 64% of Alaskans consistently opposed the project?

Must Bristol Bay residents and businesses gear up for another 20-year fight to protect their lands and waters from the Groundhog mine? What about another one after that?

Clean Water Act protections for the Pebble deposit area, coupled with congressional legislation that permanently safeguards the region from large-scale mining, is the only thing that will end an ongoing whack-a-mole game of irresponsible mine proposals that compromise Bristol Bay’s fisheries and future, and go against the will of local Alaskans.

It’s time to end wasteful spending of state and federal dollars to entertain mines in a region where large-scale mines simply should not exist. Imagine where all that money could go!

Twenty years of saying no to mines in Bristol Bay is enough. Years spent waiting for results of permitting processes is enough. Numerous lawsuits are enough. Bristol Bay deserves protections.

Clean Water Act protection and legislative safeguards are the most durable ways to ensure Bristol Bay’s incredible wild fisheries, cultures, industries and communities continue to thrive. The 2021 Bristol Bay sockeye salmon run saw a record-breaking 66.1 million salmon return to the region. This magnificent feat doesn’t happen at this scale anywhere else on Earth. The forecast for 2022 is even higher at more than 70 million sockeye salmon anticipated to return. During a time when salmon runs across the state are faltering, it is clearer than ever. Bristol Bay needs to be maintained, conserved and protected permanently from the ridiculous threat of large-scale mining.

Our leaders have the unique opportunity to end the Pebble mine and the era of uncertainty it has created once and for all. Alaskans unequivocally want to see it happen. Let’s not allow this Groundhogs head to remain a part of the discussion; it is time to implement safeguards for Bristol Bay so the next 20 years can be focused on a brighter, more certain future for Southwest Alaska.

Conner Johns is a registered guide outfitter and Bristol Bay Drift fisherman whose youthful summers were spent on the freshwater shores of some of the richest spawning grounds of Bristol Bay’s Wood-River drainage. Johns lives and works in Southeast and Southwest Alaska.

Cabot Pitts is a Bristol Bay Drift fisherman and owner of Alaska Wild Wind Adventures, a professional hunting guide operation that conducts guided hunting trips within the Katmai National Preserve. Pitts resides in Palmer.

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