It is a gamble. Constantine Resources would not tell us there is a 100 percent certainty that whoever they sell the rights to develop their claims on the Palmer Project would guarantee there will never be an event that could destroy a fishery that has existed and supported people in this valley for a very long time.
Certainly some will reap the benefits of an active mine. Things like well-paying jobs, possibly a stronger community infrastructure, hopefully a well-supported school system to educate our children, maybe a larger police department to handle a surge in population and the problems associated with it, and the opportunity for more high school graduates to stay home close to family and friends will exist for a generation or two. There are a number of positive human outcomes of developing the mine. Those outcomes are short term.
Given the very best estimates of the life of the mineral deposit, it still can’t stack up to a thousand years before and a thousand to come that fish will return to this valley and feed people, wildlife and the natural environment. Only one mishap has the potential to irrevocably change that reality, and the threat will linger long after the mineral deposit is depleted.
I would encourage people to see how they are “making-it” now, without the mine developed, and look to future generations before saying it is worth the risk of denying “them” a healthy resource that will continue to give forever.
Tim McDonough