Overview of the YRITWC’s Mining Program

​

The YRITWC Mining Program is built on these directives
•    Directive 2015 in Minto, AK: To establish a mining watchdog position … to guide water and soil sampling, with a focus on creating informational tools, grounded in Traditional Knowledge
•    Directive 2017 in Carcross, Yukon, CA: Gather Information About Mining and Other Discharges into the Watershed and Assess Potential Impacts to Human and Fish Health

Goals of the Mining Program include:
1.    To create user-friendly tools to inform local and regional decision-making regarding mining
2.    To partner with, and empower, communities to collect accurate, trustworthy mining contaminant data that has potential to impact human and ecosystem health
3.    To work with relevant stakeholders, including the mining industry, and others to promote responsible development and clean-up of mine related waste and equipment

-----

In the state of Alaska, mining is a significant portion of the economy, contributing almost $100 million to the state of Alaska’s revenue every year. 

In particular, the Yukon River Watershed bears both the risks and opportunities of mining. The risks, in potential threats to water quality and the landscape. The opportunities, in potential revenues and employment locally. In the Yukon River Watershed, most of the mining activity folks experience will be either exploration or placer mining. There are a few hard rock mines in the watershed, such as Fort Knox, that both produce significantly more revenue but bear more environmental risk. As of 2013, there are about 265 placer mines in the state of Alaska and 6 operating large mines (ISER).

The Yukon River Watershed Council developed this toolkit in order to aid communities in the Yukon River understand what rights they have and navigate legal and social systems in asserting those rights.