I was raised on the Taku River.<\/p>\n
In the ’40s and ’50s, from May through October, my brothers and I did everything together on the river: Gillnetting, set netting, berry picking, moose hunting. In the winter, we lived in Douglas Indian Village, on Douglas Island, a few miles from the mouth of the Taku.<\/p>\n
During those years, I heard fishermen raise concerns about the Tulsequah Chief mine. They asked why mine tailings were dumped in the river. I recall hearing of orange stuff that was leaking into the river from a holding pond at the mine.<\/p>\n
Now, more than six decades after the mine was abandoned, we are still asking about what we now know is toxic acid mine drainage, which continues to pour into the Tulsequah River. I am nearing my ninth decade in Juneau, and getting rid of the Tulsequah Chief is one of the things on my list to get done before I am gone.<\/p>\n
Finally, there may be a solution. Two mining companies have gone bankrupt trying to re-open the Tulsequah Chief in the last decade. The British Columbia government has finally realized what we have been saying for years. The Tulsequah Chief isn’t a workable mine and it should be cleaned up and closed down. British Columbia is working on a mine cleanup plan and says work is expected to start in 2020.<\/p>\n
However, there is still much to be done to ensure this happens; cleanup is not a done deal. We need to make sure the cleanup plan is done on time, is thorough and funded. Currently there is no funding for mine cleanup.<\/p>\n
Alaska governors since Tony Knowles have focused concern on the Tulsequah Chief. So have our congressional delegation, legislators and local governments. We need to keep the pressure up on British Columbia to do the right thing. This means our leaders need to make it clear to British Columbia and Canada that a thorough cleanup and closure is No.1 on the transboundary priority list.<\/p>\n
As a council member of the Douglas Indian Association, I know we will continue to fight for the Taku. We’ll have plenty of help. This past April, Douglas Indian Association, along with Alaskan fishing groups and businesses, tourism businesses, and tribes representing thousands of Alaskans, signed a letter to Governor Dunleavy urging him to seize “the best opportunity in 20 years to obtain real action from British Columbia to clean up and close down” the Tulsequah Chief.<\/p>\n
The Taku River Tlingit First Nation has also made it clear they want the province “to act immediately and decisively” to ensure “immediate and full remediation” of the Tulsequah Chief. We at Douglas Indian Association look forward to working with the First Nation to achieve this worthy goal.<\/p>\n