Against the backdrop of Bethel’s main highway, Quinton Simeon spoke about the future of the Kuskokwim River with his family in mind.
“I don't want to pass on a poisoned river to my babies or my grandchildren,” Simeon said to the crowd of over a dozen. He extended the sentiment to another kind of family.
“The fish are our relatives. We need to treat them like our cousins. And we need to give them a nice house to come home to,” Simeon said. “And if it's clouded with sludge from a mine that's only going to feed rich people on the East Coast and not us, it's not for us.”
Simeon is one of several organizers for the Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition, a grassroots organization opposing the proposed Donlin Gold mine. On June 5, the group led a rally against Calista Corporation's endorsement of the project, gathering before the regional Native corporation’s annual shareholder meeting held in Bethel the same day.
“It's the first time in many years that they've had it here in Bethel, so it's a really big opportunity for us to come and show that shareholders want a say in whether or not they pursue the development of Donlin Gold,” said Sophie Swope, the executive director of Mother Kuskokwim.
Swope said that the corporation’s support of the mine’s construction doesn’t take the opinions of its shareholders into account.
“There hasn't been a vote that shareholders have had the opportunities to say yes or no to this,” Swope said. “It's just kind of been slipped into our community.”
The contention over the proposed mine, which would be located around 10 miles from the middle Kuskokwim River community of Crooked Creek, has been going on for more than a decade. On June 3, members of Bethel’s Orutsararmiut Native Council continued their challenge of the mine in Alaska Supreme Court, arguing that the project should not have received a state water permit. Lawyers representing Donlin Gold, as well as the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, maintain that the permit was properly issued.
Opponents of the mine cite the environmental impact of a potentially catastrophic tailings dam failure. But Calista, which owns the subsurface rights, backs the project for the job opportunities it will bring to shareholders.
Thom Aparuk Leonard is the vice president of corporate affairs for Calista.
“Current history shows that proper regulation, proper oversight proves that resource development in Alaska absolutely coexists along with subsistence, along with the environment,” Leonard said.
Leonard said that Calista has been involved in the Donlin Gold project since its inception and continues to have oversight over any potential development. Leonard said that the leaders involved are very conscious of both sides of the fence and that subsistence remains a priority. He said that the current reports coming out of the project point to a low level of environmental risk that Calista sees as acceptable. And that with over 30,000 shareholders, not every opinion is going to be represented by the board.
“There are some that support, there are some that are against, and there are some that are neutral with the board at Calista. We are very keen on hearing the voice of our shareholders, but unfortunately that means that not everything is going to be unanimous,” Leonard said.
Back along Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway, marching toward the shareholder meeting, Mike McIntyre helped hold the rally’s leading banner. It read “You can’t eat gold” in painted letters surrounding the image of a fish.
McIntyre grew up on the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta. When he moved away, he felt like something was missing from his life.
“I moved back. It's the fish, it's a fishing, it's fish camp, it's family,” McIntyre said.
McIntyre said that saving the salmon so that future generations have the same connection is what fuels his opposition to the proposed mine.
“There's a lot of other interests from from outside that are encroaching on our rights for our indigenous, like, rights to fish, right to our sovereignty,” McIntyre said.
McIntyre said that the mine threatens the ability for people along the river to live in a healthy and clean way.
The protest group ended their procession outside Ayaprun Elitnaurvik, where they greeted shareholders entering the Calista meeting who would elect members to board of directors.
Mother Kuskokwim will hold a return of the salmon gathering in Bethel on June 13 in their second event this month opposing the proposed Donlin Gold project.
