North American Indigenous Peoples Mining Summit, Anchorage, AK.
Andre Gagne : Sep 10.2007What a brilliant conference! Robert Shimek, Mining Campaign Organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network emceed the Aug 15-18th event and invited a range of presenters to take to the podium to speak about mining and oil & gas issues - past, present and strategies for the future. The three main areas of focus for the conference were: cultural resource protection, water quality and empowering the voice of indigenous people. My head was spinning at the end of the conference. The 1135 km scenic journey back to Whitehorse was a blur. 
There were anecdotal presentations about communities and environments degraded in the aftermath of mine closures and non-decommissioning. Reports on mines in production phases and waste disposal practices that go along with it that absolutely boggle the mind. Many of the talks centered on strategies to stop the Pebble Mine from moving forward.
One of the stark messages of the conference was that communities will have a much harder time stopping a mine from happening once the exploration begins, and the permitting process is underway. The name of the game is to resist and fight hard at the beginning. Native groups in Alaska can increase their odds of winning by identifying cultural resource sites in areas that would be affected by a mine and by showing that their subsistence rights and water quality will be infringed upon should a mine threaten lakes, rivers and hunting grounds.
Glenn Reynolds, one of the presenters is a lawyer from Wisconsin. He showed there is at least one legal precedent in US courts to stop mines from happening if they threaten livelihood, culture and health. Reynolds was instrumental in helping to keep a mine from opening upstream from Rice Lake, Wisconsin - home to a group of Ojibway - the Sokaogon Chippewa. At the heart of their cultural practice and subsistence livelihood is reliance upon clean water, providing the delicate natural balance required for the lake to be wild-rice producing. Reynolds argued, by drawing on studies from biologists stating that slight changes in water quality would adversely affect wild-rice growth, that a mine would undermine the US Environmental Protection Agency’s commitment to maintaining strict water quality controls on reserves. Reynolds brought a tool book to the conference outlining possible legal strategies that could potentially be employed by affected communities in the fight against the behemoth Pebble Mine proposal.
Jim Kuipers delivered a Power Point presentation entitled "My Life as an engineer and how I came back to the human beings." Kuipers spoke of his former life as an employee for massive mining companies and shared with the audience some of his horror stories related to messy mines and the corruption he witnessed. He now works as a consultant on the ‘other side’, raising awareness about the absolute disregard with which some mining companies consider environmental questions, particularly questions related to water quality. Kuipers has undertaken extensive studies showing that heavy metal discharges from mines, more often than not, far exceed US Federal water quality standards. Ann Maest is one of Kuipers’ associates and together they have been working on predictions of water quality outcomes related to hardrock mining. Click here to check one of their key reports. Often times water impacts are downplayed in environmental assessments prior to the production phases of a hardrock mine. Kuipers and Maest are trying to underscore the reality that mines pollute and that assessments should predict realistic numbers regarding heavy metal outcomes in water.
Sandra Jack, spokesperson for the Taku River Tlingit First Nation (TRTFN) was invited to speak about the progress of land use planning negotiations between the province of BC and the TRTFN. Government to government planning is currently underway related to fish and wildlife management and sustainable land use developments. A framework, once finalized, will provide greater transparency to all parties involved when any kind of development is proposed in the area. TRTFN’s Conservation and Area Design document drafted in 2003 outlines the First Nation’s approach to taking care of the land and practicing a sustainable economy within an environment that needs to be kept in balance. TRTFN have kept that balance for thousands of years in the area. Their Conservation document identifies the depth of their knowledge of the area, and outlines how to preserve their resources based on local knowledge. They are taking the initiative on their own land, ensuring aboriginal rights and traditions are respected and if there is a development project on TRTFN land - if will be done in such a way as to minimize impacts.
Attendees of the conference left with more tools for pursuing their respective campaigns than when they arrived. The Pebble Mine is clearly the heavyweight battle that will be played out in Alaska in the months to come. It’s about water rights and subsistence rights. Godspeed to all involved.