Chilkat Indian Village (Klukwan) and Chilkat Forever put new owners on notice: Development of Palmer mine project in Chilkat Valley will face "sustained and unyielding opposition"

Photo by Colin Arisman

KLUKWAN, AK—The Chilkat Indian Village (Klukwan) and Chilkat Forever are putting the new owners of the Palmer mine project, Vizsla Copper, on notice that they are not welcome to explore, develop, or operate a hardrock, acid-generating mine project in the Chilkat Valley. Hardrock mining poses significant threats to the the Jilḵáat Aani Ḵa Héeni (Chilkat Valley Watershed), the way of life the Chilkat Valley provides to all who live here, and the biodiversity the valley supports, including bald eagles, wild salmon, moose, and bears.

“Whether it’s Vizsla Copper Corporation, American Pacific Mining Corporation, or another operator that owns the Palmer mining project, this industrial hardrock mining development lacks the consent of the Chilkat Indian Village - Klukwan and of many in the broader community,” said Kimberley Strong, President of Chilkat Indian Village. “It is not only Klukwan that stands to be harmed. Continued hardrock exploration and development at the Palmer mine site poses direct and unacceptable risks to our food security, our way of life in the Chilkat Valley, and the commercial fishing and visitor industries, which form the backbone of our local economy. Everyone who lives, hunts, fishes, and recreates in this watershed has something to lose. Any entity considering investment in this project should understand that it will face sustained and unyielding opposition from the stewards of Jilkáat Héeni.” 

Vizsla Copper and American Pacific announced on Nov. 13 that they had entered into a share purchase agreement in which Vizsla will acquire the Palmer mine project for $15 million. Based on the details in that announcement, it appears that under the terms of the agreement Vizsla will also pay American Pacific an additional $5 million only if and when an updated mineral resource estimate shows 22 million tonnes or more of mineralized material, and an additional $10 million only if and when commercial production has begun at the proposed mine. The payment will be made as either cash, shares of Vizsla, or a combination. Vizsla is still looking for $25 million in financing.

“The Jilḵáat Kwáan’s mission is still the same. Whatever the situation or circumstances are, we will always stand for and with our way of life—there is no other option. We’ve been living this way since time immemorial and we’re always looking forward to the seventh generation to pass it on,” said Jones Hotch Jr., Vice President of the Chilkat Indian Village. “We work so hard to ensure that our grandchildren’s’ generation will not be the last to put up salmon from Jilḵáat River and harvest our other traditional foods.”

In 2022, the Chilkat Indian Village (Klukwan) issued Ordinance 2022-01, An Ordinance to Protect the Chilkat River and Tributaries in the Chilkat Valley, Alaska. Community support for Klukwan and opposition to the Palmer project has been growing. More than 800 Alaskans, including nearly 500 of approximately 2,500 total Chilkat Valley residents, have signed on opposing the further development of hardrock acid-generating mines like the Palmer Project, in the Chilkat Valley. So have both the American Bald Eagle Foundation and the National Bald Eagle Center. 

“Our efforts are aimed at protecting what we already have here, not opposing economic growth for the greater Chilkat Valley community. No amount of money can compensate for the kind of destruction and pollution we’ve witnessed from mines across British Columbia and the Yukon,” said David Strong Jr., Chilkat Indian Village Tribal Council Member. “Life in this valley is expensive and challenging at times, but if we work together as a unified community, we can find better, safer solutions than a hardrock mine that threatens one of the major arteries of our existence. We recognize we are not the only people who depend on this land and this river. Gunalchéesh to those who are standing up to protect our way of life.”

As home to the largest migration of bald eagles in the world, five species of wild Pacific salmon, 39 species of mammals, and over 260 species of migratory birds, the Jilḵáat Aani Ḵa Héeni ecosystem is one of the most biodiverse in all of Alaska. It is far too valuable to jeopardize with high-risk large-scale hardrock mining.

Chilkat Indian Village (Klukwan) and Chilkat Forever commend American Bald Eagle Foundation for resolving to protect the Chilkat Valley

Photo by Brian Riveria

KLUKWAN, AK—The Chilkat Indian Village (Klukwan) and Chilkat Forever commend and thank the American Bald Eagle Foundation for its recent recognition of the significant threats large- scale hard rock mining poses to bald eagle habitat; to the biodiversity of our valley, the Jilḵáat Aani Ḵa Héeni (Chilkat Valley Watershed); and to the way of life the Chilkat Valley provides to all who live here. The American Bald Eagle Foundation in January passed a new resolution stating its opposition to the continuation of large-scale hard rock mining activities in the Chilkat Valley, which has only recently become public.

The foundation’s resolution, in addition to the Chilkat Indian Village’s ordinance 2022-01, make even more clear that Palmer Project’s sole owner, American Pacific Mining, lacks community consent for its ongoing activities — and that any entity considering investing in this project faces unrelenting opposition from the stewards of Jilkáat Héeni. American Pacific has been looking for new investment after the former 70% owner, Dowa Metals and Mining, pulled out of the project in November 2024.

“The values and traditions that sustain our communities are intricately connected to the health of our natural environment,” said Kimberley Strong, Tribal Vice President of Chilkat Indian Village of Klukwan. “Haa atx̱aayí haa kusteeyíx̱ sitee (Our food is our way of life). The ongoing hardrock mining activity conducted by American Pacific Mining Co. poses a direct threat to not only our food security and way of life in the Chilkat Valley, but also the existing commercial fishing and visitor industries, which are the backbone of our local economy. We are grateful to our neighbors at the American Bald Eagle Foundation for standing with us. We invite others in the community to join this effort to ensure our eagles, salmon, moose, and more are here for generations to come.”

“The American Bald Eagle Foundation stands in solidarity with the citizens of the Chilkat Valley in opposing the development of a copper-zinc-gold-silver deposit into a large-scale underground mine by American Pacific Mining Co. or any other exploratory/mining company, and also any large scale clearcutting, because of the risk it represents to the wild salmon runs in the Klehini and Chilkat Rivers and the dependence on those salmon runs of the world’s largest congregation of bald eagles in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve,” the foundation’s resolution states.

This statement comes on the heels of the recognition of the bald eagle as the national bird of the United States.

As home to the largest migration of bald eagles in the world, all five species of wild Pacific salmon, 39 species of mammals, and over 260 species of migratory birds, the Jilḵáat Aani Ḵa Héeni ecosystem is one of the most biodiverse in all of Alaska. It is far too valuable to jeopardize with high-risk large-scale hardrock mining.

“The American Bald Eagle Foundation’s statement is a great example of our community coming together as a united front to preserve our community’s greatest assets: our bald eagles, wild salmon, and the clean air, water, and land that supports them,” said Rose Fudge, community organizer with Chilkat Forever. “These resources set the foundation for the prosperity of our commercial fisheries, visitor industry, and for many small businesses in the Chilkat Valley.”

"The future of the Chilkat Valley is at stake here. The generation that is here — they could be the ones to say ‘We were the last ones to harvest wild stock salmon from the Chilkat River,’ if we see a hard rock mine develop here,” said Chilkat Indian Village Tribal President Jones Hotch Jr. “I'm humbled by the many that have joined us in the fight for our way of life, including the American Bald Eagle Foundation staff and board members. Klukwan is like a big canoe. And I’m asking fellow supporters to come join Klukwan’s canoe and help us paddle. Help us fight for our way of life and for the future generations to come. Gunalchéesh (thank you), Atlein Gunalchéesh (a big thank you).” 

Background: The traditional territory of Chilkat Indian Village (Tlákw Aan – Klukwan) includes 2.6 million acres encompassing Jilḵáat Aani Ḵa Héeni (Chilkat River watershed). The entire watershed includes the Chilkat, Tsirku, and Klehini Rivers, along with several salmon-bearing tributaries, which provide spawning grounds for all five species of Pacific salmon, as well as anadromous eulachon and trout. The Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is located in Jilḵáat Aani Ḵa Héeni (Chilkat River watershed). The preserve encompasses 48,000 acres and was created by the State of Alaska in 1982 to protect and perpetuate one of the world's largest concentrations of Bald Eagles and their critical habitat. Virtually every portion of the preserve is used by eagles at some time during the year and is also an essential spawning habitat for wild salmon.

Seventeen miles upriver from Klukwan and the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is an advanced-stage exploratory acid-generating copper-zinc mine project, owned and operated by American Pacific Mining Corp. and its subsidiary, Constantine Metal Resources. The mine project, known locally as the Palmer Mine, encompasses over 80,000 acres of state, federal, and Mental Health Trust mineral claims and is in an area prone to earthquakes, high levels of precipitation, and landslides. Additionally, the Palmer project is a volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit and has the potential to pollute nearby waterways with acid-mine generation. Local community members, Tribal leaders, and organizations have raised concerns about the threat posed to the fishing and visitor industries, and the way of life in the Chilkat Valley, by the potential acid-generating mine project.