Alaska, a mine threatens the natural habitat of thousands of bears
Environment — di Andrea Barolini
Pebble Mine is the name of the mining project that, in Alaska, could transform a territory home to thousands of bears.
Alaska, a mine threatens the natural habitat of thousands of bears
Pebble Mine is the name of the mining project that, in Alaska, could transform a territory home to thousands of bears.
The Alaska Peninsula is a strip of land stretching 800 kilometres into the south-west of the eponymous American federal state, separating the Pacific Ocean on one side from Bristol Bay on the other. Rugged and mountainous in its northern portion, the area is flatter and gentler to the south. It is a land that serves as home to thousands of bears.
About 1/3 of Alaska’s 30,000 brown bears are on the Alaska Peninsula—"the controversial Pebble Mine, a proposed open-pit gold and copper mine that is planned for the headwaters of the Bristol Bay watershed" would impact habitat for sockeye salmon & bears
theguardian.com/environment/20…
theguardian.com/environment/20…
Pebble Mine will enable gold and copper extraction in Alaska
To understand just how well-suited the local habitat is for these animals, consider that roughly one third of the 30,000 specimens living in Alaska reside on the peninsula itself. They can take advantage of the abundance of food, including through the water basins that fill at snowmelt, after the hibernation period.
A place that is almost pristine, yet one that is today under threat. Looming over the lives of the bears is Pebble Mine, a mine planned for opening in order to extract gold and copper. It is set to be built near the high-altitude water sources that drain down into the bay.
The project, according to reports by the British newspaper The Guardian, would result in the destruction of thousands of hectares of wetlands, in which fish that represent the bears' primary food source currently thrive. The risk is that pollution produced by the mine could contaminate the animals.
The U-turn of the United States Environmental Protection Agency
Not to mention the impact on the territory caused by a transport and infrastructure corridor that would be 140 kilometres long. Furthermore, the project could also have serious repercussions for the local fishing industry, which employs around 14,000 people.
Proud to stand with more than 250 national outdoor sporting businesses and organizations in standing up for Bristol Bay. Together, we sent a letter directly to the President urging him to direct the Army Corp of Engineers to deny the Clean Water Act 404 permit for #PebbleMine!
That Pebble Mine will have an enormous impact was, moreover, already certified back in 2014 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, which had highlighted the significant risks to fish populations. That same agency, however, reversed its judgement entirely during the years of Donald Trump's presidency.
For this reason, local communities, fishing groups and environmentalists are considering launching legal action in an attempt to block the mining project.