Photo by Nikolai Ivanoff SNAKE RIVER VALLEY — After a three-month review, the Army Corps of Engineers reinstated a modified wetlands permit for Alaska Gold Company’s Rock Creek mine located on the slopes of Mt. Brynteson in the Snake River Valley. VOLUME CVII NO. 10 MARCH 8, 2007 Corps reinstates Rock Creek wetland permit By Diana Haecker permit include a reduction in wet- Last week the Army Corps of land destruction acreage from 414.5 Engineers announced that they acres to 346.5 after errors in the per- intend to reissue the section 404 mit application drawings were dis- wetlands permit for Alaska Gold covered that marked uplands as Company’s Rock Creek mine. wetlands. “After a thorough re-evaluation The Corps’ press release high- of the application and decision doc- lights the Gold Company’s plans to ument, Corps officials determined reestablish fish and wildlife habitat that the Alaska Gold Company’s along Big Hurrah by using the his- permit is consistent with applicable torical mine tailings for their proj- laws and regulations,” reads the ect. Corp’s press release. “Alaska Gold will retrieve mine “Based on its own independent tailings that historically were dis- analysis, which considered infor- posed of in stream channels and use mation provided by the permit the material for road construction applicant and involved coordination and other work associated with the with the State of Alaska’s Large project. Then the company will re- Mine Team, the Corps reached a contour these stream channels to a finding of no significant impact in more natural condition,” said the its environmental assessment,” the Corps’ release. However, the Corps’ press release said. method of destroying vegetation Changes to the original wetlands continued on page 4 Photo by Diana Haecker HONORARY MUSHER— Tekla Monson, daughter of the late Susan Butcher, was the honorary musher, wearing bib number 1, during the ceremonial start of the 35th Iditarod last Saturday in Anchorage. Driving the sled with her is her father, Butcher's husband Dave Monson. Iditarod XXXV: Off to a cold start By Diana Haecker crash that left him injured with pos- Alaska thawed snowy trails. As A field of 82 Iditarod mushers sible broken ribs and a dislocated temperatures dropped down below began their 1,200-mile long journey thumb. Swingley, who has won the freezing again, the trails compacted from Willow to Nome in earnest on race four times and came in second and resembled ice rinks more than Sunday starting at 2 p.m. last year, scratched in Puntilla Lake mushing trails. There was not much Every two minutes, dog teams checkpoint. “We don’t know what snow to speak of after the big thaw. were unleashed and shot out of the happened,” said Iditarod spokesman While this affected the whole state, starting chute, past throngs of peo- Chas St. George. “There was the handicap regarding training was ple waving and screaming, across glaciated ice on a sidehill trail and equally shared by most Alaskan Willow Lake until the trail disap- Swingley lost control.” At press mushers. Now it’s a matter of who peared into the trees and took the time on Monday night, St. George will escape injuries the best, either mushers out of sight. The $785,000 said that Swingley himself isn’t through luck or ice skating abilities. Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race is on its really sure what happened and that After the ceremonial start in way. he’s still trying to jog his memory. Anchorage, mushers were ready to Sunny skies made for a perfect St. George said that no dogs were move on and get going with the real family outing day. The official start injured in the accident. Swingley thing. “It’s time to go,” summed up was a welcome reason for a party, decided to scratch at 12:36 p.m. on Kotzebue musher Louis Nelson, Sr., complete with barbecues set up and Monday. as he was waiting at the parking lot the smell of burning wood and Mushing experts in the press had with his son Darin. Nelson drew bib roasted sausages carried by a stiff focused on The Gang of Four — number 49. Just next to him was his breeze all across the lake. Martin Buser, Jeff King, Doug nephew John Baker, with start num- It was going to be a cold night, Swingley and Robert Sorlie— now ber 48, who quietly attached a snow that first night of Iditarod 35. narrowed down to the Gang of hook rope to his self-designed-and- The National Weather Service Three. But one should not forget built sled. Baker seemed calm, col- forecasted lows of -45°F for the about a field of solid teams that are lected and confident as ever. A few mushers nearing the Alaska Range. just vying for the “big” guys to spots away from Baker was Akiak’s And in a way, the weather already make a mistake and be there to bust Mike Williams, bib number 43, who claimed the first casualty. a move. showed race official Art Church his Funky weather that left Alaskan The $785,000-Iditarod has lots of mandatory gear: trail mail, cooker, trails hard as cement and unforgiv- dark horses, and the trail this year sleeping bag, booties, snow shoes. ing caused the first giant to fall. On will make or break a team. It broke All there. “It’s been hard getting Photo by Nancy McGuire Monday, news reached mushing Swingley already. here,” said Williams. “But once we ALL DRESSED UP —Karena Bartlett shows off her new millenary fans that Montana musher Doug After a winter with good snow get going, it’s gonna be good. I hope creation she fashioned at the hat making session last week in prepara- tion for the Miners and Mushers Ball this Saturday. Swingley had scratched after a coverage, a freak warm spell across continued on page 6 www.nomenugget.net e-mail: [email protected] 4 THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2007 Local THE NOME NUGGET Photo by Diana Haecker/2006Nugget archive LINDBLOM CREEK— A photo taken in November 2006 shows Glacier Creek Road and abandoned cul- verts in frozen Lindblom creek. Water flows over the road, with no culvert in place. •Rock Creek continued from page 1 a civil lawsuit in November 2006 at we believed was the right thing to Photo by Diana Haecker/2006 Nugget archive that re-colonized the old tailings the US District Court in Anchorage. do. I continue to believe that the CULVERT— Two abandoned culverts sit in the middle of Lindblom and disturbing the stream channels The lawsuit, filed by the public people of Nome deserve an Creek while water flows freely over Glacier Creek Road with no cul- vert in place. again is not without controversy. interest law firm Trustees for continued on page 5 The Board of Fisheries is concerned Alaska and the Western Mining about this, and Jim Marcotte, exec- Action Project, alleged that the utive director of the BoF, said that a Corps illegally issued a Clean Water letter to the Department of Natural Act Section 404 wetlands permit by Resources and the Department of violating the National “The Must-Do Fun Iditarod Event " Transportation is in Environmental the works that cau- “We are committed Policy Act and the tions the depart- to protecting impor- National Historic Preservation Act. ments to use tant aquatic Miners & Mushers Ball streambed gravel The plaintiffs for road improve- resources, while claimed that the ments. allowing reasonable Corps should have Deputy Chief of development within prepared an the Corps’ regula- Environmental the state of Impact Statement to Saturday, March 10 tory division Kevin Morgan also Alaska,”... independently explained to The determine the Nome Nugget that in the Corps’ rea- effects of the open pit mines pro- 7 p.m. - Midnight soning, “mitigation is defined as posed for Rock Creek and Big avoidance, minimization and com- Hurrah on human health and the pensation.” environment. They also claim that Mini-Convention Center Since wetlands are going to be the Corps did not consult with local replaced with concrete, mill and tribes to satisfy National Historic mining facilities, and a large Preservation Act requirements. Tickets $35 at the door acreage will be turned into a dump The permit was issued on August for pulverized and chemically treat- 21 and authorized AGC to place Costumes Awards Entertainment ed rock, the Corps said compensa- 13.7 million cubic yards of fill on tion is required. “Alaska Gold 414.5 acres of wetlands. Light Refreshments No-Host Bar Company is required in consulta- After the Corps voluntarily sus- tion with USFWS and the Corps to pended the permit, the lawsuit was All proceeds for benefit of the Arctic Business & Professional Women’s Scholarship Fund develop and implement a mitigation tossed out by order of US District plan to offset the unavoidable loss Court Judge Ralph Beistline. of wetlands and high-value bird The newly instated permit will habitats,” Morgan said. take effect March 13, when the Morgan also repeated AGC’s Corps’ Alaska District commander proposal to fill the mine pits with Col. Kevin Wilson is expected to water “to create fish over-wintering sign the final paperwork. habitat.” “We are committed to protecting In terms of accountability and important aquatic resources, while enforcement oversight, Morgan allowing reasonable development quotes a special condition dealing within the state of Alaska,” Wilson with a culvert at Lindblom Creek. said. “I’m confident that this deci- Morgan wrote in an email interview sion is a positive reflection of our that the condition “requires replace- efforts to provide an equitable bal- ment of the Lindblom Creek culvert ance that is in the public’s best on Glacier Creek Road with one of interest.” sufficient size and design to acco- The Corps, however, did not modate increased flows was re- address the issues brought up by the written to include what we would lawsuit, mainly the lack of the thor- consider non-compliance with the ough environmental review that the condition.” plaintiffs were suing about.