Contested Lands and Waters : The Political Forces Surrounding Northern Dynasty's Proposed Mine Near Bristol Bay, Alaska
Faculty Mentor
Majid Sharifi
Document Type
Poster
Start Date
10-5-2023 11:15 AM
End Date
10-5-2023 1:00 PM
Location
PUB NCR
Abstract
Above Bristol Bay, in Southwest Alaska, lies one of the largest deposits of copper on the face of the earth. Additionally, this region supports the largest stock of wild sockeye salmon on the planet, sustaining the 25 federally recognized Native Alaskan Tribes that reside in the region, as well as commercial and recreational anglers. In an era of development and green energy, the demand for copper has never been higher. Despite its value, however, this deposit that was discovered in the 1980s still hasn’t been mined. While there are numerous stakeholders at play, causing massive amounts of political and social dispute, this study offers significant evidence that public opinion, as it has been organized by non-profit organizations, has been the most critical factor in preventing any large scale mining in the area. Through grass-roots advocacy, fundraising, and effective marketing campaigns, political leaders through several presidential administrations have felt the pressure to create permanent protections for Bristol Bay, something that is still being disputed to this day.
Recommended Citation
Schultz, Matthew, "Contested Lands and Waters : The Political Forces Surrounding Northern Dynasty's Proposed Mine Near Bristol Bay, Alaska" (2023). 2023 Symposium. 7.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2023/res_2023/p2_2023/7
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Contested Lands and Waters : The Political Forces Surrounding Northern Dynasty's Proposed Mine Near Bristol Bay, Alaska
PUB NCR
Above Bristol Bay, in Southwest Alaska, lies one of the largest deposits of copper on the face of the earth. Additionally, this region supports the largest stock of wild sockeye salmon on the planet, sustaining the 25 federally recognized Native Alaskan Tribes that reside in the region, as well as commercial and recreational anglers. In an era of development and green energy, the demand for copper has never been higher. Despite its value, however, this deposit that was discovered in the 1980s still hasn’t been mined. While there are numerous stakeholders at play, causing massive amounts of political and social dispute, this study offers significant evidence that public opinion, as it has been organized by non-profit organizations, has been the most critical factor in preventing any large scale mining in the area. Through grass-roots advocacy, fundraising, and effective marketing campaigns, political leaders through several presidential administrations have felt the pressure to create permanent protections for Bristol Bay, something that is still being disputed to this day.
