Download - The Pebble Project Newsletter JULY/AUG 2013
The Pebble Project Newsletterjuly/august 2013
The Pebble Project Newsletter july/august 2013 | PagE 1
Although outmigration is a statewide issue, Southwest Alaska continues to experience some of the highest population declines. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, throughout a 10-year period, the Lake and Peninsula Borough experienced a 17 percent drop in Alaska Native population.
Similarly, the Bristol Bay Borough experienced
a 23 percent drop in Alaska Native population.
Research shows issues such as high living
costs, lack of economic opportunities,
limited infrastructure and school closures all
contribute to outmigration. Let’s take a closer
look at school closures.
In 1999, the Alaska State Legislature revised
a state law, reducing operational funds for
schools with fewer than 10 students. The
reductions occur throughout a four-year period,
with schools risking closure if they are not able
to meet enrollment requirements. Today, years
after the enacted law, more than 32 schools
have closed throughout Alaska, including six
schools throughout the Southwest region:
Clarks Point, Portage Creek, South Naknek,
Pedro Bay, Ivanoff Bay and Nelson Lagoon.
In most cases, schools serve as a place of
learning. However, in rural Alaska a school
serves in many different capacities.
Patty Alsworth, a founding member of the
village of Port Alsworth, was upfront about
the harsh realities of school closures. “Often
a community, if it doesn’t die, becomes
crippled,” Alsworth said. “It’s hard for a family
to continue living there without education for
their children.”
FEatuRE stORy
Rural Schools, Outmigration and Perceptions
In 2010, after Pedro Bay’s school closed due
to a fall in attendance, Karla Jensen and other
families in that community had few choices.
According to Jensen, the school closure has
made their lives more challenging, having to
either homeschool their children or send them
away in order to receive an education.
With limited educational opportunities
throughout rural Alaska, many families have
resorted to migrating into more urban areas.
However, research shows this transition can
be very disorienting and even painful for
residents.
Dewey Hoffman, a Koyukon Athabascan from
Ruby, Alaska, a small village along the Yukon,
shared his experience moving from rural
Alaska into a more urban area.
“Living in Barrow and then suddenly moving to
the land of drive-throughs and long-distance
commutes was at first unbearable,” Hoffman
said. “I later became adapted to city living,
but I am still most comfortable in a village
setting.”
A more severe case of the impacts of school
closures is Ivanof Bay, Alaska. In 2003,
when the community saw a fall in student
enrollment, Ivanof Bay School closed its
doors to residents. Today, less than 10 years
after the school closure, the total year-round
population ranges from two to six people. n
by Pebble Intern Gabriella Brune
A lack of infrastructure is a common challenge in rural Alaska, especially during long winter months.
Like many people throughout Alaska, AlexAnna Salmon is passionate about sustaining her community – Igiugig, Alaska. I’ve asked AlexAnna to share what life looks like for her in rural Alaska, a perspective worth knowing.
– John Shively, Pebble CEO
PagE 2 | july/augusy 2013
Berry PickingBy Anna Paine, Pebble Administrative Assistant
Taught by Elders from her region, Anna Paine has
picked berries for more than 20 years, a tradition
she believes is a great family-bonding activity.
Message from the President
A Slice of Rural Alaska LifeBy AlexAnna Salmon
I chose to live without routine, and spontaneously by the seasons. This is why I live in the isolated village of Igiugig, population 70, which sits on the banks of the Kvichak River and Iliamna Lake. On a daily basis, I am able to work one full, and several part-time jobs, while raising three beautiful daughters.
I work several jobs to afford a comfortable living. Paying $7.79 a gallon for oil, I set the thermostat to 72 degrees and decide whether or not to burn wood. At .80 cents per kilowatt hour, we wash 50 loads of laundry a month and use an electric dryer. We do not drink our treated well water, but pack drinking water from the pristine and crystal-clear river in gallon containers -- its taste is unrivaled in this world. I open the freezer and decide whether or not to grill the New York steaks or make caribou shish-kabobs.
My companion is an avid hunter, trapper and operator so we have a fleet of vehicles: four-wheelers, snow-machines, boats and trucks in which to embrace the landscape. We bring home berries, furs, beluga and birds. Our goal is to make available all the opportunities we had as children to our children—to teach self-sustainability, self-entertainment, community service, and tradition to the girls so that wherever they live, they will be happy with a solid sense of self and belonging.
Today, my family and I live a modernized preferred subsistence lifestyle that is leaps and bounds easier and more luxurious than our ancestors. It is the ultimate life of self-determination; I just wish it weren’t so expensive to fly to Anchorage so that we could travel the world easier. And as always, cheaper fuel would be ideal. Questions? Send to: [email protected].
To start, stand in one place overlooking the
tundra and identify the best place to begin. You
will need a backpack, buckets, berry picker, Ziploc
bags, snacks, mosquito repellant, water, scarf
and boots.
Typically, blackberries are the first berries to
show. They are usually found clustered together
in dry and flat portions of the tundra. Blueberries
on the other hand are found in higher areas
of the tundra with long stems and tiny leaves
surrounding the berry patch. Salmonberries are
found in the damp part of the tundra, mostly
around swamps. They are easily seen because of
their bright colors. Each salmonberry is covered
with a stem and leaf attached to the salmon
berry. Cranberries are surrounded by bright green
leaves at the end of the summer. Cranberries also
have a bright fall-colored leaf hanging close to the
berry, almost purple color.
When berry picking, always remember to be aware
of your surroundings, consistently looking out
for wildlife and bad weather. Berry picking is fun
activity that you can do with both your friends and
family.
EnviROnmEnt Q & aWhat are wetlands, and why are they important?
answER: Generally, wetlands are lands
where the soil is often saturated with
water, affecting the types of plant and
animal communities living in that area.
For example, wetlands include marshes,
swamps, fens, bogs, and, in Alaska,
permafrost.
Wetlands are important because they
support a variety of ecological functions
and human values. For example, wetlands
can provide fish and wildlife habitat, which
in turn supports subsistence resources;
wetlands can “filter” contaminants to
maintain clean water, or in developed
areas, improve degraded water; they can
store flood water to moderate flood related
damage; and wetlands can provide sites for
educational and recreational opportunities.
Wetlands can vary in their importance,
number of functions and services, and
significance.
Pebble scientists have documented and
mapped the location of wetlands across
a large geographic area that extends well
beyond the project’s footprint. Pebble
scientists are also studying wetland
functions through a process called a
Functional Assessment. Pebble will use this
information during the regulatory process to
avoid and minimize impacts to wetlands to
the maximum extent practicable, and then
offset any remaining unavoidable impacts
through compensatory mitigation.
The Pebble Project Newsletter july/august 2013 | PagE 3
Mining FactAll Alaska Native corporations benefit from the mining industry. For example, of the $124.7 million in net proceeds from Red Dog Operations to NANA Regional Corporation in 2012, $76.4 million were distributed to other Alaska Native regional and village corporations through 7(i) and 7(j) payments.
Source: http://www.alaskaminers.org/mcd13sum.pdf
Safety TipFire safety should always be a main
concern in the workplace. Here are some
helpful tips promoting fire safety: keep
your work area free of waste paper and
trash that can easily catch fire; check your
electrical cords – if a cord is damaged in
any way, replace it; keep heat-producing
equipment away from anything that might
burn; and always know your fire safety plan.
Green Star TipDid you know one of the most serious
threats to our oceans is plastic pollution?
Plastic constitutes approximately 90
percent of all trash floating on the
ocean’s surface. Please consider
recycling or reusing your plastics.
myth: Pebble will pollute the waters around it.
FaCt: All water from the mine area will be
controlled, collected and released back into
the environment only when it meets strict
water quality standards.
The Alaska Department of Environmental
Conservation has some of the most stringent
water quality standards in the nation. This
includes an anti-degradation policy, which
requires extraordinary protection of waters
with high natural quality. The quality of these
waters must be maintained and protected and
any discharges to the waters must be treated
using best available methods and to the
highest statutory and regulatory requirements.
The standards also protect Alaska’s waters
BUSTER
so that they can serve as habitat for fish and
other aquatic life, as sources of drinking water,
and for recreation and other purposes.
Pebble will work closely with the state and
federal agencies to ensure that water released
from the mine area not only meets water
quality standards, but has everything needed
to continue to provide vital fish habitat.
The Elder’s Forum began in 2009 with approximately 60 attendees from the Bristol Bay region. The initial purpose of the event: to address questions surrounding the Pebble Project. Today, the Elder’s Forum serves as an opportunity for those who want to learn more about the Pebble Project, while reconnecting with family and friends. This year at the 5th Annual Elder’s Forum, Pebble hosted more than 200 attendees from 26 communities throughout the Bristol Bay region.
Elders Forum
3201 C Street, Suite 604Anchorage, AK 99503United States of America
PAGE 4 | july/AuGust 2013 The Pebble Project Newsletter
ANCHORAGE: 907.339.2600TOll-FREE: 1.877.450.2600
www.pebblepartnership.com
EmPlOyEE sPOtlight
Meet Valerie EngebretsenA life-long Alaskan and a resident of Nondalton, Alaska
PRSRT STDUS Postage
PAIDAnchorage, AK
Permit #537
www.facebook.com/pebbleprojectwww.twitter.com/pebbleproject
www.linkedin.com/company/pebble-ltd.-partnershipwww.youtube.com/pebbleparternship
What is your position with Pebble?I’m a Community Associate for the Pebble
Partnership, serving as a liaison for information
between the Partnership and the communities in
which I grew up.
When did you start working for Pebble? My career with Pebble began in February 2012.
Tell us about your Pebble work history. Before I applied for a position as a community
associate I was pretty uninformed about the
project. I thought what better way to get more
informed then to work directly for Pebble. I
applied for the position and here I’m today as a
Community Associate. Learning as I go, I travel
and get a chance to hear from people all over my
region.
What does the Pebble culture mean to you? The environmental commitment Pebble puts forth
to the project is one of the greatest commitments
I have ever seen by a company. I can easily say
with full confidence that our area is by far the most
studied area in Alaska. Pebble is doing a great job
at keeping their promise of using the world’s best
science.
What do you like best about working for Pebble? The opportunity to engage with stakeholders in my
region and to stay informed on the Pebble Project.
What is your favorite memory from your time with Pebble? I’ve really enjoyed traveling and engaging with
communities. Also, getting together with the entire
Pebble team is a wonderful experience. Everyone I
meet has a great attitude and work ethic. n