Support Tribes Calling for Protection from Harmful Mining Activity in the Norton Sound

Support Tribes Calling for Protection from Harmful Mining Activity in the Norton Sound

Action during Iditarod race in Anchorage. (Photo by Native Movement)

Yesterday, on Monday, March 3, mushers took off from Fairbanks at the official start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. This year, advocates are calling for attention during the race about the dangers posed by Panther Minerals and Graphite One mines in the headwaters of the Tubutulik River and Imuruk Basin Watersheds within the traditional territories of the Native Villages of Elim, Teller, Mary’s Igloo, and Brevig Mission.

This past Saturday, Alaska Community Action on Toxics, Norton Bay Watershed Council, Northern Environmental Center, and Native Movement led actions in Anchorage at the ceremonial start. The communities of Elim and Nome are organizing to complete the action in the Norton Sound region.

The mushers are expected to be in Elim in about a week, where the impacted residents will lead demonstrations. The Tribes of Brevig Mission, Elim, Teller, and Mary’s Igloo ask for your support in bringing attention to harmful mining activities that threaten our way of life!

Join us in saying, “Stop Destructive Mines: Protect Norton Sound”!

Art build at the ACAT office. (Photo by Ben Townsend/KNOM)

The proposed exploration area is home to fish and wildlife populations and supplies water to Elim’s watershed. Drilling would disrupt the Tubutulik River with dangerous levels of uranium contamination, posing significant threats to the health of humans and wildlife. The community of Elim depends on salmon to sustain its cultural, traditional, and economic well-being and way of life.

“We have the right to a clean environment and the right to give or withhold consent for any action that affects our lands, territories, and rights,” said Jasmine Jemewouk, Alaska Community Action on Toxics’ Water Quality and Community Health Coordinator who is from Elim. 

 

Exposure to uranium contamination in drinking water can lead to severe health problems, including cancer, genetic damage, and hormone disruption. Symptoms may not appear for decades, but the harm is irreversible. The Navajo Nation banned uranium mining on their lands in 2005 due to its many adverse effects on the environment and human health.

The Panther Minerals’ Boulder Creek uranium exploration program is located on federal and state-owned land, with 11 mining claims under the Bureau of Land Management jurisdiction and 18 under the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. The uranium mining operation would consume 18,000 gallons of water each day, causing irreparable damage to the environment. When uranium is removed from the ground as ore, it must undergo a process that uses multiple toxic chemicals and blasting, creating significant quantities of mine tailings and polluted wastewater that will continue to contaminate for years to come.

Protect the interests of the Native Village of Elim and help us prevent Panther Minerals AK Inc. from conducting hard-rock exploration activities on the Tubutulik River.

Resources 

ACAT Uranium Mining Factsheet

Protect Norton Sound — Native Movement

Tribes Rally for Protection of Water from Mining Activity