Dale Kelley, Executive Director of the Alaska Trollers Association, expressed her concern about mines being developed upstream of the Stikine River. She said: “We are not against mining, but mining does not belong in all places, and certainly not huge scale mines on top of valuable salmon resources that both nations (Canada and America) share. The Mount Polley Mine disaster in British Columbia 2014 should be sufficient warning for us in the Chilkat Valley. The dam at the Mount Polley Mine waste pond burst, releasing tens of millions of gallons of toxic water and tailings into Polley Lake, its outflow Hazeltine Creek, and into nearby Quesnel Lake and Cariboo River, at the time Quesnel Lake was known as “the purest lake in the world.” A DO NOT USE order was issued for the drinking water for Polley Lake, Hazeltine Creek, and an area within 300 feet of the shoreline where Hazeltine Creek runs into Quesnel Lake. That advisory is expected to stay in place indefinitely. I too am not against mining, but Haines should not support a mine that could even remotely threaten our salmon populations on the Chilkat and Klehini rivers and the livelihood of so many of our citizens.
Michael Stark