Wild Salmon, Wild Border Order
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Vol.33 No.6 | 2014 Co-published by Rivers Without Borders and the Wilderness Committee FREE REPORT WILD SALMON, WILD BORDER ... FOR HOW LONG? THE TRANSBOUNDARY WATERSHEDS UNDER THREAT Tadzio Richards and growing industrial threats, the Taku River Tlingit First Nation WIL Transboundary transboundary watersheds collectively (TRTFN), challenging the D Conservation B embrace some of the most intact, Environmental Assessment ORDER Campaigner, Rivers Without Borders ecologically rich and diverse wild Certificate granted by the salmon habitat left on the planet. BC government for the Despite these rich conservation proposed mine.2 In July 2014, values, the transboundary watersheds the Court ruled that BC he transboundary watersheds are threatened on the BC side of must reconsider the status of northwest British Columbia the border by multiple large mine of the Certificate – without andT southeast Alaska are vast, wild proposals that pose a risk to fish and which the mine cannot and alive. From glacial headwaters wildlife habitat and water quality. proceed – and consult with to coastal rainforest, the rugged and The biggest single threat to rivers the TRTFN in its new determination, Photo top: Iskut River Valley (Carr Clifton), above: Mother bear with cubs (Paul Burwell). spectacular Alsek-Tatshenshini, and salmon in the transboundary which it had previously failed to do.3 Chilkat, Taku, Whiting, Iskut- region is the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell BC Hydro’s Northwest Transmission until more comprehensive studies Stikine, Unuk and Nass watersheds (KSM) mine, a gigantic proposed Line (NTL) also increases development and more significant consultation are largely intact and globally open-pit mine north of Stewart, BC, pressures in the region. Completed in with First Nations are conducted. significant landscapes. just upstream from Alaska's Misty Fjords summer 2014, the new electrical line cuts Potential cumulative impacts must Spanning some 130,000 square National Monument. The proposed north through the Nass and into the Iskut- be considered, and there must be a kilometres (32 million acres), the mine site sprawls across the headwaters Stikine watershed, enabling multiple river meaningful international conversation transboundary region conserves intact of the Unuk and Nass River watersheds, diversion dams and large-scale mining about the future of these watersheds freshwater habitats that sustain highly and would generate more than two projects such as KSM, Red Chris, Galore before additional development goes productive runs of all five species of billion tonnes of acidic tailings waste that Creek, Schaft Creek, Arctos Anthracite forward. wild Pacific salmon. Wildlife like Stone’s would need to be treated for hundreds and numerous other exploration projects. The region’s salmon rivers deserve sheep, caribou, moose, mountain of years, and likely in perpetuity.1 The NTL, paid for primarily by taxpayers the highest form of protection, goats, wolverines and grizzly bears In the Taku watershed, the extremely and BC Hydro ratepayers, subsidizes these regardless of which side of the border thrive in the mountains and valleys. controversial Tulsequah Chief mine proposed mine projects. they are on. Read on to find out From Skagway, Alaska to Stewart, BC would be located just upstream The pace and scale of this proposed more about this incredible wild area, – a distance of about 500 kilometres from the best salmon habitat industrial development is too much, current threats and the opportunity (310 miles) – not a single road of any in the transboundary region’s too fast. The transboundary watersheds we have to engage in meaningful kind crosses this wild section of border number one salmon river. In late deserve world-class stewardship. The cross-border action to safeguard between BC and Alaska. 2013 Ecojustice filed a lawsuit in the BC and Canadian governments need to the future of these extraordinary In a time of climate change Supreme Court of BC on behalf of the shelve plans for rapid industrialization international rivers. KSM MINE WILD SALMON AT RISK IN NASS AND UNUK RIVERS mong glaciers in the high mountains would be centuries if not in perpetuity.5 Aof the Boundary Range, about Twin 23-kilometre (14-mile) tunnels 65 kilometres (40 miles) northwest of would be drilled under glaciers to link the Stewart, BC, Seabridge Gold is proposing open pits to an ore concentrator plant and one of the largest copper-gold-silver- an eight-kilometre (five-mile) long tailings molybdenum mines in the world. impoundment – a toxic waste dump – If built, the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell located between Treaty Creek and Teigen (KSM) mine project would see three Creek. Both creeks contain fish habitat and giant open pits carved into the drain into the Bell-Irving and Nass Rivers. mountains at the headwaters of Two tailings dams, both around the height Sulphurets Creek, a tributary of the of the Hoover Dam, would be built to Unuk River, just upstream from Misty contain the mine’s toxic by-products.6 Fjords National Monument in Alaska. The Unuk and Nass River watersheds One of those pits would be the deepest support some of the most intact and in the world.4 productive salmon habitat in all of In this wet and rugged region, KSM BC and Alaska. KSM would create an would produce an average of 130,000 estimated 2.3 billion tonnes of mine tonnes of ore per day for up to 52 years. waste – an environmental time bomb Water at the mine site would require that would threaten salmon and Mayo Elsa treatment for as long as needed, which salmon habitat for centuries. Photo top: Bald eagle (Michael Truex), above left: Unuk River waterfall (Wayne Weihing), above right: Site of proposed KSM mining project (Mike Fay). Pelly Crossing THE NASS RIVer is the third largest salmon producer in BC and supports all five species of Pacific salmon, steelhead and other TRANSBOUNDARY REGION valuable sport fish. These stocks support constitutionally protected Carmacks and treaty fisheries for BC First Nations, as well as important commercial fisheries. Communities downstream from the tailings Wrangell AK - St. Elias Kluane area face enormous risks and economic uncertainties from the National Park YT National Faro proposed KSM project. Park & Haines Junction Inset NWT Reserve Map THE UnuK RIVer supports an important eulachon run and one Alsek - Ross River of the largest runs of Chinook salmon in the transboundary region. Pacific BC AB Tatshenshini Whitehorse Tatshenshini Unuk River salmon are highly valued by the Haida and Tlingit Ocean SK Chilkoot - Skagway - Taiya Nations of southeast Alaska, and by Alaskan commercial fishermen. Tatshenshini-Alsek WA Provincial Both groups have formally expressed their opposition to KSM to the Park Carcross US State Department.7 Chilkat Yukon Palmer Skagway Teslin “These projects could not be in a worse location. Salmon is our Glacier Bay Haines traditional food. If anything happens to them, we would be in a National Park and Preserve world of hurt.” Atlin 0 50 100 km - Rob Sanderson Jr., 2nd Vice President of the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes 8 Tulsequah Chief Watson Juneau Lake On both sides of the border, key concerns with the proposed KSM mine include: Taku . the potential long-term effects on the Nass River from the Whiting massive KSM tailings dump; Sitka . the potential long-term effects on the Unuk River from the enormous open pits and waste rock dumps at the mine site; Alaska Telegraph Dease Lake . the current lack of certainty around effectively treating water Creek Stikine Pacific Mt. Edziza contaminated with selenium at the mine site; Petersburg Ocean Schaft Creek Provincial Iskut . the potential for harmful effects on salmon from the Park proposed KSM mine discharges; Galore Creek Red Chris . the need for adequate bonds to be posted by the company to Wrangell Iskut - Stikine Spatsizi Iskut Arctos Plateau ensure water treatment and monitoring will continue as long as Anthracite Iskut River Hydropower Wilderness needed after mine closure (stated as 250 years by Seabridge, Provincial Park but possibly in perpetuity); Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell Unuk . the potential for catastrophic failure of tailings dams, failure Brucejack of water treatment and other possible problems. Hyder Stewart Ketchikan Misty Fjords Nass Sacred National Headwaters Monument Legend British Proposed Mines Masset Columbia Iskut River Hydropower Project Prince New Northwest Transmission Line Rupert Hazelton Existing Parks & Protected Areas Terrace Transboundary Watersheds Smithers Kitimat Houston Mackenzie Photo: Taku River watershed (Rivers Without Borders). Burns Lake Fort St. James TAKU RIVER WATERSHED: NO PLACE FOR A MINE ulsequah Chief is a proposed to the intensifying stresses presented by has drained acid mine pollution Tunderground gold and mixed climate change.9 into the Tulsequah and Taku metals mine located on the banks of The best salmon habitat in the Rivers since the 1950s.11 As the Tulsequah River, near its juncture Taku watershed is just downstream mandated by its permit, Chieftain with the Taku River in northwest BC, just from the proposed Tulsequah Metals began operating a water upstream from the border with Alaska. Chief mine. To access the site, mining treatment plant in December The proposed Tulsequah Chief mine, company Chieftain Metals proposes 2011, but shut it down a few which was granted an Environmental constructing a 128-kilometre (80-mile) months later due to high Assessment Certificate by the BC haul road to connect the Tulsequah operational costs and sludge government, could be devastating Valley to the nearest existing road near production that outstripped the for wild salmon and salmon habitat. Atlin, BC. The company estimates the company’s capacity to manage At 18,800 square kilometres mine would operate for only nine years, it.12 Canadian federal and BC (4.5 million acres), the Taku is the but the new road would inevitably regulatory agencies have failed largest totally intact watershed on bring new mineral exploration and to enforce water quality permits, the Pacific coast of North America.