RIVERS WITHOUT BORDERS

Scientists Warn B.C. Mining Rush Would Harm Alaska and B.C. Salmon, Clean Water

For Immediate Release
15 November 2011

Contacts (bios below):
Jim Pojar, PhD – (250) 847-9429, jpojar@telus.net
Jack Stanford, PhD – (406) 982-3301, ext 236, jack.stanford@umontana.edu
Mike Fay, PhD – (907) 254-1902, mfay@uuplus.net
Tadzio Richards, Rivers Without Borders, (250) 842-8169, tadzio@riverswithoutborders.org
Chris Zimmer, Rivers Without Borders, (907) 586-2166, zimmer@riverswithoutborders.org

DOWNLOADABLE MAPS – Current Development within Northwest BC and Southeast Alaska and Current and Proposed Development within Northwest BC and Southeast Alaska

Northwest Transmission Line could spur multiple new mines, dams and coal-bed methane projects in pristine region known for world-class salmon, scenery and wildlife

Letter of concern about proposed development in the transboundary watersheds

Hazelton, British Columbia – In a letter to British Columbia Premier Christy Clark today, 36 scientists asked for her leadership to balance impending industrial development in northwest B.C. with the outstanding fish, wildlife and ecological values of this largely pristine region. Of particular concern are the impacts to clean water and salmon runs in B.C. and southeast Alaska. Spurred by BC Hydro’s Northwest Transmission Line (NTL), which has received environmental approvals, the rush is on to build mines, river-diversion hydroelectric dams and coal-bed methane energy projects that could radically transform the region.

“The consequences for salmon runs on both sides of the border could be devastating, yet Alaskans would see none of the economic benefit and have no seat at the table,” said Mike Fay PhD, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence who lives along the U.S. portion of the Unuk River just downstream of the B.C. border.

Among the well-documented impacts of mining is acid rock drainage, a chemical chain reaction created when discarded rock and tailings are exposed to air and water. The process can go on for decades at both operating and abandoned mines. Just one of the proposed mines, the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell mine in the Unuk River watershed, is expected to produce at least 2.1 billion tons of waste rock and tailings over its lifetime. The B.C. government has failed to stop 50 years of acid mine drainage from the idle Tulsequah Chief Mine into the Taku, southeast Alaska’s most productive salmon river.

“Northwest B.C. is home to pristine, free-flowing rivers that provide some of the last, best habitat for salmon in North America,” said Jack Stanford PhD, of the University of Montana. “Unfortunately, we don’t yet have the baseline scientific understanding needed to balance ecosystem health with impending industrial development.”

Map of current and proposed development within Northwest BC and Southeast Alaska

The lack of science is accompanied by a failure of the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office to ensure energy and mining companies follow through on environmental commitments. According to a recent report by the independent Auditor General of British Columbia, “adequate monitoring and enforcement of certified projects is not occurring and follow-up evaluations are not being conducted.”

Furthermore, the B.C. government currently does not have an adequate process in place to assess the cumulative impacts of the multiple industrial projects planned for the transboundary region.

“Without an assessment of the cumulative impacts of this wave of new mining and energy proposals, the British Columbia government could unwittingly sacrifice some of the best salmon and wildlife habitat left in North America,” said Jim Pojar PhD, who spent 25 years with the B.C. Forest Service and is a member of the Association of Professional Biology of B.C.

The southern part of the B.C.-Alaska transboundary region is home to species of concern such as grizzly bear and wolverine, as well as caribou, mountain goat, and Stone’s sheep. The largely pristine Stikine, Iskut and Unuk rivers are home to runs of all five species of Pacific salmon, which support subsistence fishing and commercial fishing jobs in both B.C. and Alaska.

The scientists’ letter reads: “The scale and intensity of proposed development certainly will fragment the watersheds with roads, transmission lines, river diversion projects, and open pit mines. Habitat for salmon and other wildlife will be destroyed at the development sites. Cumulative impacts likely will cascade throughout the watersheds in the form of altered flow and temperature patterns, disturbance to wildlife interacting with roads, and reduced water quality associated with sedimentation and acid mine drainage.”

Water quality, salmon habitat, and salmon populations on both sides of the border are at risk. Currently no organization or government has addressed the huge scope of ecological and social issues at stake. “Before further development is approved,” reads the scientist’s letter, “British Columbia must initiate a comprehensive assessment of potential cumulative impacts arising from the multiple development proposals in the watersheds.”

Nearly a dozen large mining projects are proposed for the transboundary watersheds in B.C., including the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell mine on a tributary of the Unuk River; Galore Creek and Shaft Creek mines on tributaries of the Stikine River; and the Red Chris mine at the headwater lakes of the Iskut River. A 195 megawatt river diversion hydroelectric project is under construction on the Iskut River, and numerous other hydroelectric projects are proposed for the region. In addition, Royal Dutch Shell has proposed to develop coal-bed methane at the headwaters of the Stikine River.

Dr. Jim Pojar has extensive professional experience in applied conservation biology, forest ecology, sustainable forest management, ecological land classification, and conservation, with a wealth of field experience throughout British Columbia. He is a leading expert in climate action planning in British Columbia. Dr. Pojar can be reached at: 250-847-9429, email: jpojar@telus.net

Dr. Mike Fay works as a biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society and is an Explorer in Residence for National Geographic. He is a renowned conservationist who has brought international attention to pristine and threatened landscapes in Gabon, Congo, and the Pacific Coast of North America. A resident of the Unuk River in Alaska, he lives directly downstream from planned development in British Columbia. Dr. Fay can be reached at: 907-254-1902, email: mfay@uuplus.net. His website documenting development in the region is: www.unukriverpost.org

Dr. Jack A. Stanford is the Jessie M. Bierman Professor of Ecology and Director of the Flathead Lake Biological Station at The University of Montana. He has conducted research and education in systems ecology for 35 years with focus on rivers and fisheries including pristine Pacific salmon river ecosystems around the Pacific Rim. Dr. Stanford can be reached at: Jack.stanford@umontana.edu

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Taku River Task Force

After months of discussion and negotiation between Alaska bipartisan legislators, government officials, commercial fishermen, sport fishermen, property owners, processors, businesses, and other stakeholders, including Rivers Without Borders, a Taku River Citizen’s Task Force has been established. The Task Force embodies Resolutions introduced in the 2011 Alaska legislature reflecting these community concerns. Juneau’s legislative office made the official announcement of the Task Force on September 19th.

The Task Force will provide a public forum to consider the Taku and its importance to Southeast Alaska, assess threats to wild salmon habitat, and explore ways to ensure the long term productivity of the watershed. Potential Canadian mining immediately above the Taku’s premier salmon habitat, and the prospect of related barging and dredging, is driving the creation of this unprecedented citizen’s body.

The facilitated eight member Task Force is scheduled to meet in a series of meetings in Juneau this fall. It is to report its findings and recommendations to the 2012 legislature.

In addition to highlighting the Taku’s ecological and economic importance relative to wild salmon via a formal, legislatively sanctioned citizen’s body, the Task Force underscores that Alaskans care about the Taku, and that upstream activities on this international river could have downstream consequences. It should be noted that Task Force deliberations will only apply to the river itself, as opposed to the larger river corridor, and that traditional river usage will in no way be affected by any habitat protection recommendations. Concerns about river barging and dredging relative to salmon will figure prominently in discussions.

The Taku is a “River to Watch” on the 2010 BC Endangered Rivers List

 The Taku’s placement as a ‘River to watch’ on the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC’s annual Endangered Rivers List is a distinction that many people in both BC and Alaska hope will never amount to anything.

The nearly two million hectare Taku watershed straddles the border between northwestern BC and Southeast Alaska. It is vast, intact and abundant wilderness region. The Taku River at the watershed’s heart is the third largest salmon producer in BC, hosting all five species of wild Pacific salmon in an intact wilderness watershed uncontaminated by sea lice, and not fragmented by roads and other industrial development.

“In terms of what is at stake, for BC, for the local Taku River Tlingit First Nation, for Pacific salmon populations; the Taku would be high on any list. The fact that we are fortunate enough to still have an opportunity to protect the ecological and cultural values in this region, gives us the position of a ‘river to watch’” said Nola Poirier with Rivers Without Borders.

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Alaska: Parnell should make Taku River a priority

 Monday, August 31, 2009   
Parnell should make Taku River a priority
Letter to the editor 

Thanks for the Juneau Empire article last week discussing the Taku River and its contribution to Juneau’s sport fishing. Taku River salmon account for about 90 percent of our spring king catch, 25 percent of sport-caught kings during the rest of the season and one third of the local coho harvest. The Taku is the most productive river in Southeast. Its wild salmon support hundreds of jobs and provide millions of dollars in revenue to Southeast Alaska. 

In a clear indicator of the importance of the Taku to Alaska, former Gov. Sarah Palin, on one of her last days in office, sent a formal request to the government of British Columbia urging the cleanup of highly toxic discharges from the Tulsequah Chief mine. For 50 years, the mine has been polluting the Tulsequah River with acid mine drainage found by Canadian regulatory agencies to be "acutely lethal" to aquatic organisms. 

The owner, mining company Redfern Resources, is bankrupt and has essentially abandoned the Tulsequah Chief Mine. Redfern recently removed most of the equipment and a water treatment plant from the mine site in order to sell them to pay creditors, despite a specific request from Palin not to do this. The British Columbia government has largely ignored the problem, while Environment Canada has issued a series of cleanup orders but has done little to enforce them. 

Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game have vigilantly protected the Taku River’s fisheries, but it is important that they keep the pressure on British Columbia and the rest of Canada to clean up this mess. Since the British Columbian government has so far ignored Palin’s letter, I urge Gov. Sean Parnell to continue efforts to halt the pollution from the Tulsequah Chief Mine. 

Alaska has managed the Taku River to protect water quality and healthy spawning habitat, which will ensure that the Taku’s rich fisheries continue to benefit many generations of Southeast Alaska families and businesses. But we need to engage with British Columbia more. While the Alaska side of the Taku provides the majority of the rearing habitat for juvenile salmon, the British Columbia side has the majority of the spawning habitat. 

I hope Parnell makes the Taku a priority. As Randy Bates, director of the Alaska Coastal Management Program, said in February about the Taku River, "There are certain areas that warrant just a little more protection." 

Chris Zimmer, Juneau

Gov. Palin Urges BC to Clean Up Abandoned Tulsequah Chief Mine

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                             CONTACT: 

July 20, 2009                                     Chris Zimmer, 907/586-2166,

                                                                                    Zimmer@riverswithoutborders.org

Gov. Palin Urges BC to Clean Up Abandoned Tulsequah Chief Mine

Bankrupt Mining Company Ignores Clean Up Order, Removes Water Treatment

Plant from Mine site

(Juneau)  Rivers Without Borders today applauded Governor Sarah Palin and Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Commissioner Tom Irwin for their recent letters to British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell and the court-appointed receiver for bankrupt junior Canadian mining company Redfern Resources urging a prompt cleanup of the chronic Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) pollution from the abandoned Tulsequah Chief mine. 

“For more than 50 years the BC provincial and Canadian federal governments have allowed the Tulsequah Chief mine to pollute the Taku Watershed, Southeast Alaska’s most productive salmon fishery, with acid mine drainage that their own inspectors have found to be “acutely lethal” to aquatic organisms,”  said Chris Zimmer, Alaska Campaign Director for Rivers Without Borders.  “Governor Palin has indicated her willingness to cooperate in solving this problem in Alaska’s backyard and we hope the Canadians take her up on the offer.”

On July 1 Palin wrote to Premier Campbell that “In order to protect water quality and assure the continued health of the valuable Taku River fisheries, the state of Alaska feels other means [than re-opening the mine] must be promptly implemented for remediating the Tulsequah Chief AMD drainage.”  Palin also included a July 1 letter Irwin sent to the receiver appointed by the Canadian bankruptcy court to deal with Redfern’s debts.  Irwin specifically requested Redfern not sell or remove any equipment currently on site and needed for cleanup, including heavy earthmoving equipment and an interim water treatment plant Redfern had previously barged to the site but not installed.  Irwin also noted that “The discharge has been the subject of clean-up orders by Canadian agencies, most recently an Inspector’s Direction on May 22, 2009 from Environment Canada under the Fisheries Act but has continued largely, if not wholly, unabated.” 

“BC has done nothing to halt this toxic pollution, while Canadian federal agencies continue to issue cleanup orders and do absolutely nothing to enforce them,” said Zimmer.  “Now it looks like Redfern has removed heavy equipment and a water treatment plant from the site, in direct contradiction to the request from Commissioner Irwin.  So, with the mining company bankrupt and abandoning the site and no action from BC or Canada, is toxic mine pollution going to spew into the Taku watershed for another 50 years?  We urge incoming Governor Parnell to keep the pressure on the Canadians.”

Environment Canada issued the most recent cleanup order on May 22, with a deadline of July 15 (see Chronology below).  As of today nothing has been done to comply with that order.  The Tulsequah Chief AMD discharge has been occurring unabated since Cominco closed the mine in the late 1950’s.  The new owner, Redfern, proposed to clean up the AMD once the mine was re-opened but had no plan for cleanup if the mine was not re-developed. 

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Shell’s methane plan in Sacred Headwaters triggers Financial Times ad

September 11, 2007 (Whitehorse, YT) – Rivers Without Borders and seven other international conservation groups are running an advertisement in today’s Financial Times in London, UK, targeting Royal Dutch Shell’s plan for a coalbed methane gas field in northern BC’s Sacred Headwaters.

See the full release.

Alaska and US Federal Agencies Raise Major Concerns and Questions About Hoverbarge Plan

 (JUNEAU)  Alaska and US federal agencies have formally raised a host of concerns about Redcorp’s hoverbarge plan, including significant risks to Taku salmon, a worrisome lack of detail and the need for extensive scientific analysis of the untested technology.  New information from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG), the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of the Interior (DOI) also indicates Redcorp’s fast track permitting and development schedule is unrealistic and the hoverbarge plan faces a very uncertain future.

See the full release here. 

Inspectors Find “Acutely Lethal” Acid Mine Pollution

April 1, 2004
(Juneau) New documents from Canadian federal fisheries and environment ministries demonstrate a history of failure by Redfern Resources Ltd. and British Columbia (BC) to address "acutely lethal" acid mine drainage at the Tulsequah Chief and Big Bull mine sites. These documents also provide evidence that BC has been deceitful about its plans for other industrial development in the Taku watershed. Redfern wants to reopen the Tulsequah Chief mine and construct a 100 mile access road from Atlin, BC to the mine site. The mine site is on the Tulsequah River, main tributary of the Taku, and above several critical salmon spawning and rearing areas.

Click here for the full press release.

BC/Alaska Conservation Alliance calls for Bi-National Assessment of Taku Mine

For immediate Release: January 30, 2007

Fishery too Valuable for Experiment with Unproven Technology

Whitehorse, Yukon and Juneau, Alaska — Rivers Without Borders has called upon authorities in British Columbia, Alaska and at the federal level in Canada and the United States to undertake a full, open and public binational environmental assessment of the new development proposal for the Tulsequah Chief project in northwest British Columbia.

On January 29th, 2007 Redcorp Ventures unveiled a development proposal for the Tulsequah Chief mine, abandoning previous plans for a 100 mile/160 km access road from Atlin, but introducing new and previously unassessed elements including an 8 km road to a barge loading facility and a proposal to “air cushion barge” metal concentrates from that facility down the Taku River to Juneau. The proposal is dramatically different from the previous proposal and would bring more direct impacts on the salmon-rich lower Taku River.

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Amount of Acid Mine Drainage release

The Tulsequah Chief mine annually pollutes the Tulsequah River with nearly 15 tons of heavy metals and has dumped more than 200 tons of these toxins into the river since 1990, according to BC government documents.

Click here for more information about this ongoing problem.