About the Region
Taku Watershed
|
|
On the shores of the Taku River, at the base of Mount Sinwa, there is an ancient pictograph of handprints, and one of a sun, shining down on a canoe and paddlers drifting in the current. This is a land rich with stories. There are tales of great battles, and lavish feasts; accounts of Russian fur traders being outmaneuvered by quick-thinking Tlingits; and silent stories, on the river’s edge, like the one told by a grizzly print beside a salmon head, a drop of blood and an eagle feather.
The Taku is also a land abundant with life. Within its 18,000 square kilometers/4.5 million acres, the watershed encompasses seven biogeoclimatic zones, enriching the region with stunning diversity. It is the traditional territory of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation (TRTFN), who maintain strong ties to this landscape. It is also home to globally significant populations of large mammals, including carnivores such as: grizzly bear, black bear, wolf, wolverine, and lynx; as well as ungulates including moose, mountain goat, sheep; and woodland caribou. Bald eagles and many species of migrating birds, including the Trumpeter swan, also populate the watershed. Without roads to fragment and disrupt their habitat, these species play out their historic predator-prey relationships and move unimpeded across the landscape.
The watershed is home to runs of all five species of wild Pacific salmon, as well as over 30 other species of fish. It is estimated to be the largest salmon producer of all the BC-Alaska transboundary rivers.
THREATS
Unfortunately, the ecological and cultural riches of the Taku are being gambled for its mineral wealth.
In the 1940’s and 1950’s, there were three small mine sites on the Tulsequah tributary of the Taku River: Polaris Taku (now called New Polaris), Tulsequah Chief, and Big Bull. These sites were all accessed by barge up the Taku River. All three sites are being promoted for reopening, with the Tulsequah Chief being most advanced in this process. Other companies are waiting in the wings to access their staked claims in the area.
The most immediate threat is the proposal by the junior mining company Redfern Resources (wholly owned subsidiary of Redcorp Ventures Ltd.) to access and reopen the Tulsequah Chief mine site. The key concerns with the project include: impacts from accessing the site, toxic drainage into the river and sensitive surrounding areas, and the certainty that this project would pave the way for further industrial development.
One potential access route for the Tulsequah Chief project is to construct a 160km/100 mile road into the heart of the watershed. Such a road would not only be immediately devastating to caribou and salmon, it would also be a wedge to open the area to further devastation.
In January 2007 Redfern announced another possible access option, driving air cushion barges up the Taku River. Like the road, barging would also enhance the potential for developing other projects. And barging also has its own slate of potential ecological impacts, particularly on migrating salmon and their habitat. RWB is working with independent scientists to further investigate and identify the potential impacts of barging on the ecosystem.
There is one other potential access route into the Taku. A small, non-public road in the south of the watershed was built to access the now defunct Golden Bear Mine. This is the only existing road in the Taku. The mine has since closed, but the road is now being used for mineral exploration and could be used to support further industrial access.
No access plan addresses the impacts that would result from mine tailings being stored in the ecologically rich and biologically sensitive Shazah Slough, and no plan alleviates concern over the highly toxic acid mine drainage (AMD) emanating from the Tulsequah Chief and Big Bull mine sites.
The Taku requires permanent conservation designations and no-road areas to maintain its unique values as an intact watershed. Industrial development in the Tulsequah and lower Taku would undermine conservation values in this incredible and increasingly important region.