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There are stories the elders used to tell about these gold rocks that came from the hills above Crooked Creek, the gold
in the streams and the rivers. So our forefathers selected that land, through the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, because they knew there was mining
potential there.
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And mining certainly has a big place in Alaska’s economy. It’s meaningful for every person that
works in any sort of related activity, whether they’re heavy equipment operators or if they’re healthcare workers, or if they’re quality control or OSHA or safety compliance folks, or even environmentalists. They have a role to ensure that mining activities from preparation to reclamation are done properly.
The Kuskokwim Corporation, and Native Corporations in general, have a commitment to our shareholders
to develop the resources on our land for their benefit, and the Donlin Gold project – this potential project in our backyard, on our land – it’s truly our project. The mining companies were invited by our Corporations, our elders, our forefathers to develop that project, but really, it belongs to us and our shareholders. That gold that’s in the hills, it belongs to the Calista Corporation and their shareholders, and the land belongs to our shareholders – the people of the Middle Kuskokwim.
We have complete oversight and complete partnership and complete involvement not only in how this project is designed, but also the permitting process. We’ll have complete involvement in operations, and we’ll have complete involvement in reclamation. Who better to ensure that this project benefits our communities? Who better to ensure that the water will continue to be clean, and that we’ll
be able to continue to use that land as we have for thousands and thousands of years?
There is no aspect of this project that we have not
had a hand in helping to develop. We have the best minds at the table, which is how we know that Donlin will not only provide an economic opportunity for our shareholders, but also protect our most important resource. That’s our charge under ANCSA: to provide our shareholders with a better life and a brighter future.
VOICES
Danny Ausdahl, Jr.
—
Donna Bach
—
Andrea Gusty
Back in the mid ’90s, the Native Corporations invited the first gold miners to our land to look at that possibility – to explore this opportunity that we knew was there. Now it’s Donlin Gold, a partnership betwee NOVAGOLD and Barrick.
This is a world-class gold mine and it’s right in our backyard. And it’s here because our elders had the wisdom to select that land to provide opportunities; to improve the lives of our people so that our communities can grow and thrive.
I wasn’t immediately sold, to be perfectly honest,
on what a large-scale open pit mine could mean so close to the Kuskokwim tributaries. But, the more that I understand about it, the more open I am. Alaska
has a pretty good report card in terms of its mining activities. It has a really good record of remediation.
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Top and Bottom: Traditional Yup’ik art uses seal skin, ivory, beads, grass, and various furs to represent local gatherings, celebrations, and dances.
Middle: Andrea Gusty is president and chief executive officer at The Kuskokwim Corporation (TKC), the Alaskan Native Village Corporation and surface land owners of the Donlin Gold project. The largest Village Corporation in Alaska, TKC represents 10 communities on the Middle Kuskokwim River, from Lower Kalskag to Stony River.