Coverage and threat descriptions developed by the Eyak Preservation Council, 2003. Scale unknown. See <http://www.redzone.org>
1. Katalla Oil & Gas Development: Cassandra Oil/Chugach Alaska Corporation
Chugach Alaska Corporation (CAC) has subsurface rights to extract oil in this region as long as they begin the exploration process before December 31, 2004. If an active oil producing well is in place by December 31, 2004, CAC will receive an additional 55,000 acres of public land to drill on. CAC has contracted with a small oil company, Cassandra Oil Corporation, to move in oil exploration equipment in spring 2003. CAC is requesting an extension until Dec 31, 2006.
EPC sent activists down to Katalla in August 2002 to photograph the area and document forces threatening the region. We have initiated a letter writing campaign, and comment letters to agencies involved to prevent Cassandra Oil from beginning exploration. The local business owners, subsistence, sport & commercial fishers are adamantly opposed to this project.
Some of the permits would allow oil waste to be mixed with cement and buried. Oil barrels are still leaking from the last time they tried to drill there. In order to access the area, Cassandra Oil wants to pull 120-foot barges over 60 times up a shallow 6- foot deep salmon-bearing stream. The place is only now recovering from the workers that killed bears and salmon during the previous exploration treks. In addition, Katalla receives winds and rains that are some of the worst weather on the planet. There is no question that there would be oil spills.
2. Katalla Highway (Carbon Mountain-Katalla): Chugach Alaska Corporation
If the oil well gets into Katalla, a highway is planned to go up towards CAC land near the coal fields and harvest timber area. This invasive road will also bring tourists, industry and development and the unsustainable effects that come with roads. This is a very sensitive area. There are already sustainable businesses there, and ways to expand on its viability as a valuable area just the way it is. Chugach Alaska Corporation needs to be able to change the requirement in order to receive rights for conservation alternatives in that region. The mandate to drill for oil in an ecosystem that is sustainable and valuable, at a time when our dependence on oil is UNECCESARY, is unacceptable. We need the Katalla region to remain intact and pristine – not spoiled for all time.
3. Bering River Highway/Carbon Mountain Road (Mile 41-Clear Creek): Chugach Alaska Corporation
This proposed 55 mile road would go across the Delta across salmon bearing streams and pristine wilderness. With it, would come industrial tourism, development, coal mining, timber harvesting, trash, pollution, increased bear hunting and unsustainable development to one of the last wild places in North America.
4. Carbon Mountain Trees (73,000 Acres): Chugach Alaska Corporation
In order to access the trees, the Carbon Mountain Road must first be built. There are old growth hemlock trees for which there is no profitable market at this time. Chugach Alaska Corporation has prioritized 8,000 of the 73,000 as the more marketable if a road were to be built. However, ALL 73,000 acres of trees could be clearcut in the effort to retrieve the more profitable 8,000 acres.
5. Bering River Coal Field: Korean Alaska Development Corporation (KADCO), Dr. Joo Shin (Korea)
Again, in order to access the coal, the Carbon Mountain Road would have to be built. across the Delta. The coal is in horizontal strips, allowing for the most invasive form of strip mining – mountain top mining. To do this in the heart of the Delta would mean hundreds of trucks going back and forth from Cordova across the delta every day for years.
6. Shepard Point Proposed Road/Oil Spill Response Facility/Deep Water Port: Native Village of Eyak/ Chugach Alaska Corporation/ Eyak Corporation/ City of Cordova/ State of Alaska/ Alaska Delegation/ Bureau of Indian Affairs
The road development rights have been transferred from the State to the City of Cordova to the Eyak Corporation to the Native Village of Eyak. So far, the NVE has raised $18 million, from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to build a road and from Exxon criminal settlement funds to build an Oil Spill Response Facility. While the road project will need a federally mandated EIS or EA, this is an unnecessary project created solely for the profit purposes of its creators with no concern for the environment or destruction of habitat and wildlife along the way. The Oil Spill Response Facility is a guise for necessary fundraising to build a deep-water port. The community of Cordova has been adequately to respond quickly in the case of emergency response to another oil spill in the Sound. The City and NVE also have plans to build a housing development near Shepard Point and develop the coastline from Cordova to Shepard Point.
A deep-water port would provide an economic opportunity to export oil, gas, coal and timber, and import industrial tourism where currently none exists. It would destroy the opportunity to have a sustainable fishing economy and ecotourism based on renewable resources and visionary management.
The project is altogether going to be exorbitantly expensive, one reason in particular being that it is planned to go through several avalanche zones. Much of this money could be spent on improvements with the same result in the town of Cordova, with the infrastructure it has, now. It would take less time to get started, require less time to build, use fewer funds, in a more far sighted manner with a more visionary result to protect commercial fishing, our renewable economy and rural lifestyle.
7. Pave Chitina-McCarthy Highway: State of Alaska 8. Copper River Trail/Road: State of Alaska
This project would bring hundreds and thousands of people into wilderness areas that should stay that way. With them would come accidents, trash, wildlife and salmon takes at unsustainable levels. It would also be very expensive to maintain, and be the precursor to a road. Each Governor since statehood has had Copper River legacy dreams to build a road or trail down the Copper River and connect the world to Cordova.
9. Pave Copper River Highway, Mile 13-52: Federal
Again, we are looking at oil spill pollution being 1,000 times worse than we thought – dangerous levels are one part per billion, not the one part per million upon which the Clean Water Act was created. This is one of the last wild salmon bearing areas in North America. What kind of leadership is it going to take, to make this quantum leap in understanding with vision, to allow us to realize that this region is more valuable just the way it is, here and now?
Our tendency to build roads and use gasoline powered engines everywhere will ruin our watershed and wilderness. Paving the Copper River Highway east and north to the Million Dollar Bridge will only push the envelope for further road-building, industrial tourism and natural resource extraction opportunities.
10. Million Dollar Bridge Renovation ($17M): Federal The Million Dollar Bridge retrofit is unnecessary, and will only serve to encourage a future road up along the Copper River. The tourists like the fact it almost fell in the water. It also encourages hiking. It is a dangerous area in the winter, and if it were more accessible in the winter, people who get cross would get injured for sure. The base camp and road has already been built north of the million dollar bridge on the west side of the Copper River.
11. Eyak Shareholder Land Use Program (SLUP/Copper River): Eyak Corporation
The Eyak Corporation is quietly accepting applications to allow certain individual shareholders to lease land (at $99 per along the Copper River for private use. This will mean more commands on salmon and wildlife carrying capacity, more gas and boat use, more waste and noise pollution in unmonitored situations.
12. Million Dollar Bridge Restaurant/Lodge: Eyak Corporation SLUP Program, Shareholder Luke Borer
Eyak Corporation shareholder, Luke Borer began development in fall 2002 on a project that will bring more tourists, gas and boat use, waste and unmonitored situations along the Copper River.
13. Abercrombie Rapids Bear Viewing Station: Eyak Corporation SLUP Program, Shareholder Luke Borer
At this time, an Eyak Corporation shareholder, Luke Borer would like to put up a bear-viewing stand at Abercrombie Rapids – one of the most spiritual places on the Copper River. The bears come here to feed – and not be bothered. If this happens – there WILL be more boat traffic, there will be more bear takes, there will be interactions between bears and humans that is dangerous that may lead to justification of “bear control,” and this would will be a violation of one of their last wild feeding spots. 14. Airboats/Jetboats/Jetskis on Copper River: Private/Commercial
Every year there are more and more permit requests for jetboats and airboats on the Copper. Jetskis are more frequent each year as well. With what we know now about oil pollution and the reproduction of salmon and other wildlife, we are crazy to think ANY oil pollutants in water are safe for salmon. We must have the courage to say no.
15. Princess Lodge River traffic and activities (Klutina River): Princess, Inc.
Princess, Inc. opened a lodge at the confluence of the Copper and Klutina rivers. In the coming years, this lodge will bring more people who want allocation rights of Copper River salmon, more human trash and boat pollution into the Copper River.
16. Eyak Village Cabin (Baird Canyon): Native Village of Eyak
The NVE has built a cabin in wide-open-view from the river corridor that houses staff to work on fish-tagging research. The purpose of the research is to statistically analyze the number of Chinook and Sockeye salmon returning upriver. The cabin is an eye-sore and it could have been more adequately designed to respect the surrounding landscape and those who run the river.
While the purpose of this research may be beneficial to learning about the ratios of Chinook and Sockeye in the Copper River, better fish sonar and monitoring equipment exists that can distinguish between the two species. ADF&G should be investing in such equipment so that efforts are not duplicated in escapement counts and tagging. The impact of tagging salmon (on their migration upriver) is difficult to quantify, but if better management solutions exist, a world-class commercial fishery should be taking advantage of them.
17. Salmon Allocation – Commercial Fishing/ Fishwheels/ Dipnetting/ Sportfishing (Copper River): Federal/State of Alaska Both the State of Alaska and the United States have jurisdiction over subsistence in Alaska. Subsistence permitting is a HOT political issue between urban, rural and non- Alaskan residents and reclassification threatens salmon allocation for Alaska Natives, commercial fishers and rural residents on the Copper River.
Political factions are fighting for allocation, but without regulation limits and forethought to the Cordova commercial fishing community below and Alaska Native traditions throughout the watershed, future mismanagement endangers economic viability of Cordova, threatens traditional activities and puts pressure on other kinds of unsustainable economic development for the region as an alternative to a renewable salmon economy that will ultimately destroy salmon habitat and opportunities for all users.
The proper amount of permits must be determined in a manner that depends on sustainability and fact – not profit for the State. The sustainability of the fishery and good common sense for watershed management is our first responsibility.
18. Prince William Sound Borough Plans: City of Cordova/State of Alaska
It’s a classic land grab that is considered necessary for tax basis reasons in order to support a town. But, there is plenty of opportunity right in town. There needs to be a good reason for this unnecessary expansion, when sustainable solutions need to be introduced in the current land base situation.
19. City of Cordova Annexation of Hartney Bay: City of Cordova, Eyak Corporation
The prospect for a development in Hartney Bay and therefore higher potential property tax revenues for the City has inspired the Cordova City Council to reannex the City of Cordova to include undeveloped lands currently owned by the Eyak Corporation and some landowners-at-large. The partnership would encourage a highway development along the coast and subdivision of lands.
20. Cordova Road Paving Drive: Federal/State of Alaska/City of Cordova
The details of these road-paving projects were not fully disclosed to the community of Cordova, and there was no approval process. There was no EIS, and no categorical exclusion either, as was stated by the officials that came to town to “tell” Cordova that most roads would be paved. We are finding that oil and hydrocarbon pollution are 1,000 times worse than previously thought at the miniscule number of 1ppb. Runoff into salmon habitat areas kills salmon reproductive ability. The lack of any in- depth analysis about the potential damages of noise, safety, run-off and habitat destruction is wholly irresponsible.
21. Hartney Bay Highway/Subdivision: Eyak Corporation
On the way to Hartney Bay, there is a creek that used to have so many salmon in it you could literally walk across the salmon to get across the creek. Then, some houses were built, and there are no salmon in the stream any more. The amount of traffic and run off the construction causes is disruptive and destructive to salmon and wildlife habitat.
22. Orca Narrows Proposed Road and Bridge to connect Channel Island with Shepard Point: Eyak Corporation
From Channel Island to the head of Nelson Bay on the north shore, the proposed road and bridge is approximately 7 miles long and would connect previous infrastructure with new opportunities for subdivision and development. Roads destroy salmon habitat (kill salmon), bring pollution, noise and unsustainable growth to wilderness areas. The Eyak Corporation would bring their shareholders a more profitable and desirable result with conservation and sustainable alternatives to this region.
23. Shelter Cove (Hippie Cove) Development: City of Cordova
Currently, several residents live sustainable, low impact lives and reside peacefully in a beautiful setting. Plans to create a road, a park, or a campground should be done with a vision in mind that sustains this small watershed area.
24. Permitted Sale of $2000 worth of salmon from subsistence fishwheel permits: Alaska Department of Fish & Game – Glennallen Subdistrict
ADF&G is allowing subsistence fishwheelers to sell up to $2000 worth of Copper River salmon. Not only does this not comply ethically with the intention of subsistence permits, but it also poses a public health and marketing threat to the world-famous Copper River salmon. While the commercial fishing industry must adhere to strict quality control standards set by the FDA for the sale of Copper River salmon, fishwheelers are often camped out by the river cleaning their fish in the same vicinity where they relieve themselves and allow pets to do so as well.
25. ANCSA Land Holdings along Copper River Corridor – 1.2 million acres: Owned by Regionals: Ahtna Corporation, Chugach Alaska Corporation, and Villages: Tatitlek Corporation, Eyak Corporation, Gulkana Corporation, Gakona Corporation, Chitina Corporation, Chistochina Corporation, Mentasta Corporation
The Native Corporations have shown no interest in allowing shareholders the opportunity to enjoy their lands, educating them of the availability or training them to steward and use them sustainably. The upriver Ahtna and Athabaskan Natives own hundreds of thousands of acres of land in the upper Copper River watershed.
26. Bremner River Gold Mine: Chugach Alaska Corporation
The Bremner River is a tributary to the Copper River. Gold mines are a dirty business. They use cyanide, and unsustainable mining practices. The results on the environment are disastrous.
27. Helicopters in the Chugach National Forest: Private/Commercial
It sure must be fun to heli-ski but it is totally out of touch with the sustainable environmental practices. The most classic comment was when the primary operator there said there “weren’t any goats up there.” I asked him how he knew, and his reply was “I never see them.” It seems that in this precarious sensitive high altitude environment, we should know what our impact truly is.
28. Alaganik Slough Development, Mile 18: Native Village of Eyak
The Native Village of Eyak and Eyak tribal members have been in discussions about how to develop this property within traditional guidelines in order to retain it from development as an interpretive site by the US Forest Service.
29. Clearcut Logging/Subdivision (locations: Long Lake, Lost Coast): University of Alaska Land Trust, Mental Health Trust Lands, State of Alaska
Clearcutting plans are devastating to forested regions in Alaska. They should be outlawed in our pristine and rich productive ecosystems. It is devastating to wildlife and salmon habitat, and furthermore, seldom value-added and profitable for the region surrounding the clearcuts. Much of this clearcut timber gets sent overseas. The accounting principles used should be audited. Clearcutting in Alaska is unsustainable. It is unnecessary. There are better ways for the University of Alaska to make money.
30. Gulkana River Hatchery (Paxson, Summit, Crosswinds Lakes): Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation
The hatchery claims they are enhancing the wild Copper River runs, while they may be replacing them. Their escapement goals each year on the Gulkana do not meet the following years’ needs for self-sustainability. The 30 million fry are captured from other Copper River tributaries and the rate of return for hatchery stock pale in comparison to those of the wild runs. While the hatchery enhances the ability for fry to survive, they are stealing from Peter to pay Paul and the wild stocks are paying the price. Eventually, when the wild stocks suffer, the hatchery will have no wild stock from which they can take salmon fry. Then what… save some DNA and clone ‘em?
We must promote “enhancement” that sustains itself through ecological models and proper management or admit that we’re shooting ourselves in the foot.
This hatchery is already changing the robust nature of our wild Copper River salmon. We are playing creator without any knowledge of the impacts it is having on our wild salmon runs – some of the only remaining wild salmon left in the world.
31. Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski
“North to the Future” natural resource development plan will prioritize extractive economies to the detriment and ultimate destruction of renewable economies, such as commercial fishing. Loss of salmon habitat monitoring and accountability in ADF&G to protect the public interest dependent on salmon, commercial and subsistence fishers, including Alaska Natives and rural residents.
32. No Oil Spill Contingency Clean-Up Plan for Entire Copper River Corridor – Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, State of Alaska, Federal
20% of the 800-mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline System lies in the Copper River watershed. The oil companies who own the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System admit that offshore oil spill response is warranted to protect the public interest, but they claim inland protection along the pipeline is not necessary, nor is oversight necessary once tankers leave the Gulf of Alaska.
P.O. Box 460 URL: www.redzone.org Voice: 907.424.5890 Cordova, AK 99574 Email: eyak@redzone.org Fax: 907.424.5891