1

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment 

Record of Public Comment Meeting 

Naknek, Alaska - Tuesday, June 5, 2012 

[00:02:13.10] 

Joe Chythlook 

My name is Joe Chythlook and I am a BBNC shareholder. A board member and the chairman 

of the board. BBNC represents about 9,000 shareholders of whom 81% are opposed to the 

development of the Pebble Mine. I'm also a lifelong Bristol Bay watershed resident and a life 

long subsistence user and hunter. Fifty years of commercial salmon fishing experience. First I 

want to thank EPA for doing a BB watershed assessment. BBNC have been dealing with the 

threat of Pebble Mine for many years. Since the BBNC made its position to oppose the Pebble 

Mine over in December 2009, many have been advocating for the very same issues that have 

recently been published as findings in your report. Our traditional knowledge is in total 

agreement with what many have expressed regarding your findings. BBNC board has always 

had a salmon first policy. One finding that the salmon are the fundamental foundation of our 

cultures supports this 100%. One other EPA finding that even if the proposed Pebble Mine 

worked perfectly, it would destroy as much as 87 miles of salmon streams and 4,000 acres of 

wetland. And it suggests that there is a 98% of pipeline failure over 25 years putting at least 1/3 

of the Lake Iliamna sockeye salmon population at risk. Finally, the failure of a tailings dam 

could cause a 30% loss of Nushagak king salmon and 10-20% of the Mulchatna king salmon. 

Potential impacts like these are absolutely unacceptable to me and to the people I represent. 

This is a risk to our culture, our primary food source and our long term sustainable economy. 

BBNC will continue to work with you. 

[00:05:01.25] 

Russell Nelson 

My name is Russell Nelson. Thanks for coming to Bristol Bay and conducting this assessment. 

I'm a director of the BBNC, I've spent six years on the Alaska state board of fisheries, 

generations of my family and I have subsistence fished, hunted and commercial fished in Bristol 

Bay. The comment period of July 23 is plenty of time. We haven't started fishing this year and 
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most of the fisherman will be done before July 23. I think we have a lot of time to take a look at 

this and make the comments. You are not overreaching. We have three basic things that we 

need after this assessment is done and we can get to a 404(c) action. First, the tailings should 

not be deposited into salmon streams. Second toxic materials should not be allowed in salmon 

streams and I mean no mixing zones. Third, perpetual remediation should not be allowed ever 

in BB. These mining companies go bankrupt. When they are done they leave the country and it 

is up to the taxpayers to foot the bill forever and ever. We can't have that here. Please help us 

ensure that the greatest sockeye salmon run in the world is preserved for future generations. 

Thank you. 

[00:06:28.06] 

Bryce Edgmon 

Good evening. I too want to thank you for coming out to the area and doing the assessment. 

I'm going to offer a few comments in general support of the document. My name is Bryce 

Edgmon. I am a member of the Alaska legislature and I represent a good part of the BB 

watershed including the BB borough area. First I want to say that the assessment gives this 

area what I would call a stamp of authenticity in terms of it being a one of a kind resource. 

Many times, in Juneau, I've encountered a lot of decision makers, a lot of my colleagues in the 

legislature that might know about the Katmai Park, they might know about the Wood-Tikchik 

Park or Lake Clark preserve or any particular element but they don't understand the overall 

significance of the area. Second, I'd like to say that in terms of the diversity of the habitat and 

the complexity involved and the genetic makeup of the salmon species and how interrelated and 

interdependent they are on each other, in terms of if you go and do damage to one of the six 

river systems, you may be doing damage to all six of the river systems. I think that the 

document will help us understand the cumulative impacts. I would like to talk about the broad 

picture that this provides because the permitting process as I understand it, and I don't claim to 

be an expert, really has a singular focus and it involves a lot of different tracks that take place 

sometimes unrelated to each other. This document is going to help provide that broader 

picture. I've heard in the media, broader characterizations about this process being rushed, 

about it being an intrusion on states’ rights and about it being a straw man or preemptive action. 

I don't see it that way at all. I see it as informing the constituents behind me on both sides of the 

issue. I see it providing more science, more research, and more information on making a 

decision that is highly complex and beyond most people’s understanding. Thank you. 
3

[00:08:54.12] 

Peter Andrew 

My name is Peter Andrew. Thank you very much for coming to salmon country. I am a BBNC 

board member and a lifelong commercial fisherman and subsistence user. These special 

waters that we are talking about today need your protection. They need your protection. 

Senator Murkowski and Governor Parnell have gone on record saying that they will not trade 

salmon for minerals. We have gone on record asking them over and over again to please 

protect our waters to no avail. BBNC, along with BBNA and the 31 villages have passed 

supporting resolutions asking EPA to take action on 404(c) to protect our waters. On behalf of 

my cultural background, generations of subsistence use, I urge you take care of our people and 

our cultural ways of life. We have invited you, we have asked you to come, our region has 

asked because you are the only people and the only agency that may be able to help us with 

this. We do not need to trade this resource for a resource that is nonrenewable and will only 

enrich foreign mining companies. Thank you. 

[00:10:44.18] 

Moses Kritz 

Thank you for this opportunity. My name is Moses Kritz and I am from the traditional village of 

Togiak. I was born and raised there in Togiak. I cannot stress enough and urge you to help us 

to protect the waters of our lands. Our people and our elders have always taught us the 

importance of waters that sustain the living fish and others in our waters. Recently, the doctors 

have urged whenever we become sick, that we drink a lot of fluids. We have, as I said before, 

we have always been in our cultural lands and in our regions. I wish I could express myself 

enough to convince you of the importance of the life giving waters of BB. The three quarters of 

the economy that sustain us is the subsistence way of life. We are also teaching what we are 

taught to our children to carry on or pass on what we have learned from our parents and 

grandparents. When to hunt and fish. When not to hunt and fish. What to expect from season 

to season. How to survive in different seasons. Our cultural people have taught us very well 

since we are from the western most part of Bristol Bay, it does not mean that we will not be 

greatly affected. We have always traded for shared with other villages. 

 
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[00:13:20.14] 

Bella Hammond 

Thank you. The first thing I would like to say is thank you to EPA for their assessment. 

Listening to the people of BB and other concerned fisherman and subsistence users and as far 

as I'm concerned I think more enlightenment about the Pebble project will only help smooth the 

waters for better understanding of what our loss in that salmon area could be. Not just that 

area, but the ripple effect that in so many ways. I encourage people to take more of an interest 

and also express more concern about the environment. Many many times over the past few 

years, I have asked people why you support the Pebble project. The first thing I hear is "well, it 

will provide jobs," which is true. However, I don't hear enough about concern for the 

environment and long term effects, or no concern for the environment and this is very very 

troubling. I want to remind people that EPA is doing what they should do, what they were 

requested to do, and I can't thank them enough for that. 

[00:16:18.26] 

Hjalmar Olsen 

Good evening. My name is Hjalmar Olson. I belong to the Curyung Tribe and I'm also a BBNC 

board member. My main concern about the development up there is the spawning grounds. 

Whenever you touch the spawning grounds, whether it is in the lower 48 or wherever, the 

salmon got less and less. Why do you suppose that Bristol Bay has the last great wild salmon 

in the world? We have five river systems and each one of them requires large spawning 

grounds. Also the caribou and the moose. My family has a cabin about 50 miles west of this 

proposed development. We have been going up there for many many years trapping and 

hunting and fishing. If this project is developed, we are going to have one heck of a time 

keeping the water clean. As a matter of fact it will be polluted and nobody will be fishing. We 

have a good economy as your numbers indicate. Why would we want to kill a renewable 

economy for a mine up here that is only going to last for so many years? I want to thank for this 

assessment. You are the only government agency that listened to the tribes and came out to 

meet with the people. The rest of them say it's too early, it's too early. We have a room full of 

fisherman here and they are here early working on their boats. You have to prepare early. That 

is why many of us have made a decision to oppose this development. Thank you very much. 

 
5

[00:18:23.25] 

Mel Brown 

Thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Mel Brown, commercial fisherman for the 

last 50 years and I aim to go longer than that. I am a director for BBNC and also a tribal 

member for the Naknek village. I want to thank you so much that EPA is here and doing the 

watershed assessment study. This is the area that is the second largest watershed in Alaska 

and it is the largest fishery in the world that produces the largest amount of salmon. Yet, it is 

unbelievable that the largest proposed mine is going to attempt to build this huge mine that has 

the lowest grade ore that possibly will create serious problems for us in the future. We have 

depended on the food source. The area that is located for the site itself is right smack in the 

middle of salmon producing habitat. It takes care of the salmon and the cycles of salmon that 

we depend on as subsistence users, commercially, cultural dependency on this covers this who 

BB area with the 37 villages that exist here. It is unconscionable to me to even think that this 

might happen to us here. Not only does this area where the mine is coming in provide a bread 

basket of animals, all different types of birds and fish that exist there. We are concerned and 

we are thankful that you are here listening to our concerns and putting them into action. 

[00:20:51.16] 

Paul Hansen 

Hello, my name is Paul Hansen and I am a Naknek tribal elder. Resident of Naknek, Alaska. 

Thank you for allowing me to testify and welcome to our community. The EPA 404c authorizes 

to protect or deny discharge of dredge fill material to the waters of the US including wetlands. 

Using such sites for disposal would have unacceptable adverse impacts on various resources, 

including fisheries, water and wildlife. As a tribal elder and resident, I want to make it clear that 

the development of a large scale mine for a sulfide mineral deposit and disposal of tailings into 

salmon bearing rivers would have an unacceptable impact on the Bristol Bay region and all that 

it supports. Your agency with authority and responsibility to protect BB now you have the 

science to prove it. The development of the Pebble prospect would have unacceptable adverse 

impacts on the BB fisheries and wildlife. Waiting for the state permitting process is the 

developer’s timeline, leaving local residents in limbo with no assurance for our future. Bristol 

Bay is important and worth protecting because runs have sustained BB native populations for 

generations and is the most important resource we utilize. Thank you. 
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[00:22:47.08] 

Violet Wilson 

Hi I'm Violet Wilson and I live here in Naknek. I am happy you folks are here because I would 

like my voice to be heard. I totally oppose the Pebble Mine because I have been involved with 

fishing for 51 years myself. My grandfather started in the 1800's and I have my children, 

grandchildren and great grandchildren involved in fishing today. Fishing has been very 

important to me and also subsistence fishing. I lost my first husband when I have five little 

children. If it wasn't for commercial fishing and subsistence fishing I would have had a very hard 

time. I am very proud to say that I can stand here tonight and say that I have never drawn a 

welfare check. I would do anything to try and keep our waters clean, because I feel this is a 

very touchy situation. The waters are very particular and for any kind of chemical to be used 

would be disastrous. I am so grateful you are here. This means a lot to me. I would like to see 

our fishing industry go on, because there a lot of people involved in fishing, a lot more than 

there would ever be working in the mine. I would like to see this go on for years and years for 

future generations. Thank you very much. 

[00:25:26.02] 

Sergie Chukwak 

I am an elected official of the BBNC on the board of directors and I'm also a tribal elder. I 

became a Grandpa on October 1 and I think I qualify for an elder. Thank you for coming. 

Fishing is our life and our livelihood. It's what we do for healthy communities, healthy lifestyles. 

Going out and catching the subsistence fish, smoking these. Passing the traditional cultural 

knowledge on to the younger generations. You hear about how they will make you free, the 

fish. We have been doing this for 6,000 years and we will want to do it for 6000 more. The short 

life of a sulfide mine that lasts 50-70 years and maybe a little longer 75 years, but one that 

activity is done the mine is just going to sit there with all of the chemicals and continue to kill off 

more of the rivers and streams, and then instead of just 24% of the Nushagak and the Kvichak 

river contaminated it is going to be 100% and that is going to be death of 37 communities in 

BB.. Once they are done it's going to be like the gold rush - boom and ghost town. I think that 

is unacceptable and we need clean water for another 6,000 years. Thank you. 

 
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[00:27:42.26] 

Anna Hoover 

Hello thank you very much for being here. My name is Anna Hoover and my grandmother came 

from the Aleutian Islands and my family has been fishing BB for a long time. My grandparents, 

my aunts, ay uncles, my mother, my father, my cousins, we all fish BB in the summers. I am 

based out of Egegik and someone from Togiak mentioned that there will be a lot of other 

communities that will be affected. The water is all connected as we all know. I've been in 

school. I have a double master’s degree from the University of Washington and I've been at my 

thesis for my Native American Art History degree to raise awareness about this mine. Violet 

might have been one of the beautiful women who spoke earlier. Awareness is really helping. 

Front page New York Times helps. I launched a T-shirt campaign. I thank you for your research 

and putting that into a digestible anything that can be distributed is really the key to helping stop 

the mine. It is obviously a terrible idea. It's been said over and over again. The generations 

that are coming who can be fed from this resource and this land and it's a beautiful interaction 

and it's one that we are losing around the world. When we realize that we have lost it we strive 

to get it back, but it is taking a long time for this beautiful balance between human, animal and 

subsistence lifestyle to come about and evolve. Thank you. 

[00:30:09.05] 

Sam Carter 

Hello I'm Sam Carter from down in Egegik. This is fishing country here. If we lose our fish. I 

want to say thank you guys for being here. If we all put our heads together and try to come up 

with a solution. I am really grateful. Thank you. 

[00:30:38.18] 

Donne Fleagle 

Thank you. My name is Donne Fleagle. I work for Wetaviiq. It is a subsidiary of the Alaska 

Peninsula Corporation which represents five villages: Kokhanok, Newhalen, Ugashik, Port 

Heiden and Newhalen. I work as the project director. My role is to inform APC shareholders 

about the EPA BB watershed assessment. It has nothing to do with the Pebble Mine. We 

haven't seen any plans and they haven't added their documentation. I do want to tell you what 

the concerns are from APC and Wetaviiq. In the summertime in Alaska, my second and third 

quarter visits with the shareholders will be challenging. People are busy. The focus is 
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elsewhere and I would like to request a 120 day extension on behalf of the APC and Wetaviiq. 

Thank you very much. 

[00:31:52.03] 

Lloyd Montgomery 

Hi, I am Lloyd Montgomery. I just made my 48th year transfer from Prince William Sound. I am 

an elder for the Chugak Native Corporation and the Igiugig? Corporation and I made my 48th 

year transfer from the Copper River to Bristol Bay. I fished here in 1994 for 10 days. The first 

day I was here I fell absolutely in love with this place. I was hoping that one of these days I 

would have the opportunity to come back and it was available for me to come back. I fished a 

lot of coast. I had experience for the last 48 years. The promise that Exxon made that there 

would be no oil spill. I really appreciate the EPA and their assessment, what they have done on 

BB. The money that is involved. I would like to thank those who are behind me to witness this 

because this is what the rest of the world is going to witness. The whole Pebble Mine and the 

after effects of what will happen with the whole place. I would like to share with you a little bit 

that I sent to the Pebble Mine website called Journey: This journey has been made generation 

after generation. How can I go wrong, it's in my DNA? Here I lay my sack my back. There is 

no rhyme or reason why I'm here. At the same time, I'm in season. Ma and Pa nowhere in 

sight and I'm scared out of my life. I am left alone on my own every day of my life at this stage 

of change. My eyes begin to see within this realm. I'm cuddled in the spot with brothers and 

sisters too many to count. Within this (?) comes a (?). We have no choice. Make no mistake 

this is our estate. We have no life at that stage. Here we sit under the ice, it's not nice. In the 

winter all we do is shiver. Soon it will pass. We will be on our way at last. We look at each 

other. Where are Ma and Pa? With no answer, one by one we begin the trip of water. We be 

on the other side and that is the end of it. Thank you. 

[00:34:19.02] 

Norman van Vactor 

Good evening. My name is Norman van Vactor I'm the general manager of Leader Creek 

Fisheries, one of the main fish processors located here in Bristol Bay. We are about three miles 

down the river bank from here and we have about 440 employees. We have about 100 

independent fishing families who fish their permits for us. I've been involved in the BB fishing 

industry for about 30 years, and I've been tracking concern about the Pebble Mine project for 
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about 9. My parents were born and raised in the Black Hills of South Dakota and some of my 

early memories of a young man were going back and panning for gold with my Grandfather. 

This is not South Dakota. This is not Montana, Utah or Nevada. This is BB and it is absolutely 

incredible. In about two weeks from now, tens of millions of salmon will return to this incredible 

place and the pristine habitat that rears them. The will first and foremost provide incredible food 

and protein for us, to the subsistence users of the region, and from there, they will go on to feed 

people around the world. Naturally we are concerned about the large scale threats to the 

fisheries and the quality of habitat that are preempted by the Pebble Mine proposal. Your report 

makes clear that puts to ink what many of us have known and felt would happen, should this 

proposed project be allowed to continue. Elsewhere around the world, hundreds of millions of 

dollars are being spent to restore habitat that has been destroyed. Here it is ours to protect, not 

destroy. The proponents of this project would argue for more time for public comment. These 

are the same people who for years now have promised timely reports and transparency. But 

nothing has been farther from the truth or reality. We ask that your agency stay on track and 

stay focused. Our habitat and our salmon depend on it. It really is about location and 

magnitude. I must say that under normal circumstances, a lot of industries like our own, we run 

for cover when we hear EPA is in town. I thank you for being here and for protecting. 

[00:36:52.11] 

Tiel Smith 

Thank you very much, my name is Tiel Smith. I was born and raised in SW AK here in 

Dillingham. I now work for BBNC as the VP of lands and regional operations. I am a lifelong 

fisherman here in BB, and my comments today will not be redundant to the comments already 

given by our BBNC board members and staff. In fact I will start with my closing statement and 

then if I get cut off I will be good to go. As the largest private landowner, I support the continued 

and increased protections to development of the renewable and nonrenewable resources in BB 

and that being done responsibly. What does BBNC consider responsible? BBNC board and 

staff have no intention of supporting any large scale development that would impact the pristine 

nature of the water or impact the renewable resource of the salmon. We have a long history of 

economic development projects in the region including docks like you see here in Naknek. 

They play a pivotal role in transportation of goods and services and the like. We support good 

business and jobs. The entire commercial fisherman who are joining us today, as well as 

tourism business. We also support conservation easements. We purchased easements that 
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are strategic to salmon habitat. WE also listen to our shareholders including 81% that oppose 

this project. Thank you very much. 

[00:39:12.26] 

Frederick Anderson 

My name is Fred Anderson and I am a Naknek resident and a fisherman. First of all thank you 

to EPA for protecting our land, environment and fishery. The natural resources should be a 

priority over money and jobs. Who needs these jobs? Everyone who needs to work around 

here is working. Even the TV people who say we need jobs are working. I'd like to see a show 

of hands to see who needs a job. For the last couple of years I've been doing a study with the 

BB Times local newspaper. The employment ads. Every day there are 30-50 jobs, some of 

them starting at $39,000 dollars. Many of the affected areas like Pebble they can't find people 

for these jobs. Who are these jobs for? Everyone who is willing to work is working. My main 

concern, if Pebble is allowed to their baseline research and is doing test drilling, because of the 

impact of studies like that on natural resources and the environment. 

[00:41:10.12] 

Kristina Ramirez 

My name is Kristina Ramirez and I was born right here in Bristol Bay. My family and I 

subsistence fish and we have for generations. First I would like to thank you for coming out 

here and conducting this assessment. What I would like to add, is that even if Pebble could 

safely build the mine, they would have to build 89 miles of roads over salmon habitat and 

through them. This is scary to me, because as we are all aware, when manmade structures are 

built, the wildlife around them suffers. Please use the 404(c) to protect the wildlife, and I ask 

you please keep to your timeline comment period deadline. The only people who want more 

time are the state and Pebble and they just want to filibuster. We already know what we need 

to say and that is we don't need this mine. That is because our people and our culture are 

worth more than anything that the mine could ever produce. Thank you. 

[00:42:11.09] 

Richard Russell. 

Good evening. I am Richard Russell. I had a 24 year career here with the AKDFG in the BB 

area. Ten years as a sport fish biologist, the rest of the time as a commercial salmon fish 
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biologist. Very very familiar with the Iliamna area and I am opposed to any large scale industrial 

development in the Iliamna Lake watershed due to the impacts that are certain to follow on the 

waters, fish and the wildlife of the drainage; both by the development itself and the associated 

infrastructure. Particularly roads, landfills, sewage and chemical disposal systems, water 

reservations, holding ponds, tailing storage etc. Numerous stream crossings of the 70 or so 

streams that you identified are very problematic. A couple of those streams, one of them in 

Knutson River and the other one is Canyon Creek, routinely change their channel. Any kind of 

structure put across them that carries a slurry or anything else is very likely to be washed out 

periodically and heavy equipment will have to be in there mucking up the stream as well as 

replacing whatever was there to begin with. Actually I favor establishing the Lake Iliamna area 

as a National Fish Reserve as has been suggested due to its international importance as a 

fisheries resource. I thank you very much for being here. 

[00:44:01.04] 

George Wilson 

Welcome to our community and thank you for coming. My name is George Wilson. My wife 

and I came here from Detroit in 1979. We were seeking an adventure. To say the least, the 

change in our environment was remarkable. In those 33 years, we raised our three children 

here; fishing, hunting, subsistence fishing, gathering berries and making smoked salmon are 

activities we enjoy. We play on the lakes and rivers of the area. My family has been involved in 

fishing commercially since 1980. We set net fished on the Naknek Kvichak portion of the 

district. Our adult children return every summer to help us fish our sites. The business has and 

is still paying for their college education. Over the years, we have seen the price of salmon rise 

and fall. We are currently seeing a slow rebound in fish prices. Quality improvement due to 

handling and refrigeration are improving the marketability of our fish. The marketing is 

augmented by the fact that our salmon are wild, renewable and pristine. The waters where they 

regenerate is clear, clean and pristine. The Pebble project, if permitted, represents a huge 

threat to the rearing waters of two of the largest fish producing drainages left on earth. If sulfuric 

acid and copper leachate dissolve in surface and ground water, along with other pollutants, are 

more than likely going to make their way through the earthen dam constructed to hold them 

back. Ad infinitim is a long time. It won't matter if the salmon get confused as to where their 

natal stream is. The pollution may not kill the salmon outright. As a matter of fact the salmon 

may return every year, somewhere. But the perception that these salmon are tainted food 

sources is all that it will take to drive prices down to a point where the industry will not survive. 
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15,000 jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars annually are at stake. My job is at stake. A way 

of life is at stake. The largest reason the community is here is at stake. The quality of the water 

is at stake. It is not worth the risk. 

[00:46:23.24] (microphone echo) 

Iso Montlavan 

Greetings. As an independent scholar, studying biodiversity and ecosystems, I find the EPA 

assessment to be technically sound and sufficient for general public discussion, and a work in 

progress to be reviewed in the scientific community. Here is testimony I prepared and I call it "In 

Defense of Food Security." As a cannery worker of 8 seasons and an active worker in the 

environmental science field, and a master’s student in natural resources and environmental 

science, I speak in defense of this bastion of nature and man and the subsistence that we need 

to survive. I am from the two continents on either side of the Pacific Ocean. As a dual citizen of 

the United States and the Philippine Islands, I have a great opportunity to live and work with the 

Yup'ik society of Alaska and the ? people of the ?also. I see how these hunter gatherers of the 

cold far north have a great disadvantage compared to hunter gatherers who live around the 

equator. Being one of thousands of cannery workers who follow a migratory life of salmon that 

come back season after season so we can make a living and survive on the bounty from the 

great almighty. The seasonal industry offers a way for hunters and gathers and commercial 

fishers to bring salmon to homes, schools and tables around the globe. This is subsistence life 

in the global level. The fight for Bristol Bay is a fight between two great professions, metals of 

gold and copper on one hand and the basics of life; pure air, pure water and food for 

generations to come. As the last the last remaining salmon of the season are canned, the 

subsistence ways of hunting, berry picking and trapping get underway to prepare for the long 

days of winter. This is survival. The Yup'iks of SW Alaska do not have alternatives of buying 

and raising livestock as a way to survive. Here lies the difference. For my last remaining 

seconds, allow me to echo a common cry of indigenous people from around the globe. Taken 

from a piece written by a tribal leader from across the ocean. (Statement read - inaudible). 

[00:49:13.08] 

Andria Agli 

My name is Andria Agli and I am a granddaughter of the Olympic and (?) lineages. Families 

who have fished these waters for salmon for many lifetimes. I grew up in the village of S. 
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Naknek just across the river. I am a lifelong subsistence fisherman and also a commercial 

fisherman. Utilizing traditional knowledge that has been passed down from my grandmother 

and my mother over the years. Salmon and the salmon way of life have always been the 

foundation of our generations. Nothing compares to the excitement and the taste of that first 

king salmon in June or the boiled fish head and the eggs that come from that salmon. I've 

travelled many places in my life and experienced many cultures. This has allowed me to truly 

appreciate what we have here at home. While I live and work in Anchorage during the winter 

months, this area is still my home. We are blessed to able to nurture our bodies and our souls 

with our salmon resource and I would like to thank EPA for coming out to the region to hear 

from the people who are affected most. The detailed science in the watershed assessment 

shows that large scale mining would destroy our precious salmon streams and other wetlands. 

This risk is too great for us to accept for our culture and our long term sustainable food source. 

I ask EPA to quickly take 404c action to protect our salmon and our way of life as well as our 

land and the future of generations to come. Thank you. 

[00:50:48.23] 

Norman C Anderson 

Thank you. My name is Norman Anderson. I am the youngest son of Norman Anderson of 

Yakutat (?) and Alma Christenson of Ugashik. My testimony is an objection to the proposed 

Pebble project and a request that you stick to your timeline. Native Alaskan people have 

believed in the seven generation scenario as our ancestors have always gingerly taken care of 

the land to assure that we today can enjoy what they had then. We must take care to ensure 

that our descendants will have seven generations from now. Over the years I have seen 

mineral and hydrocarbon corporations abuse the right to explore and destroy our lands. I relate 

their activity to serial killers who move from one area to another to kill and maim our clans. 

Bristol Bay is a valued place that we have protected for years, and against mineral and 

hydrocarbon exploration. There is the potential to make BB a crime scene. If we do not take a 

stand as caretakers of our land. As a former spokesperson of Northern Dynasty said here at a 

meeting in this auditorium. If we not only focus on the Pebble project, because Pebble will 

become the hole in the bagel if the permitting of the Pebble site becomes a reality. The land 

around us would be staked for potential development and other companies will be approved as 

well. Since the first native Alaskans claimed Bristol Bay as their home there have been 

earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricane force winds, blizzards and epidemics. However, since the 

mineral corporation is allowed to create a future for themselves, we have subsistence lifestyle 
14

people who are at an end of our way of life. As much as David slew Goliath with a small stone, 

Northern Dynasty can cut off Bristol Bay with a project named Pebble. I dedicate my testimony 

to our (? name) of Newhalen, who once told me don't let them hurt the land. His request hit me 

like a million porcupine quills. His view was to be heard in any testimony but he asked my 

generation to protect our traditional habits. I thank EPA for coming to my village and have a 

safe travel back home. 

[00:54:13.05] 

Daniel Cheyette 

Good evening. My name is Daniel Cheyette and I work for BBNC. I've had the honor and good 

fortune of working with BBNC's board and shareholders. I've come to greatly appreciate Bristol 

Bay and its people. The people who live here love this place and its waters. Its resources have 

supported their families for thousands of years. As you have heard tonight and as you will 

continue to hear, salmon is the regions greatest resource. Thank you for undertaking the 

assessment and assembling a better understanding of the watershed and the potential impacts 

of large scale mining. The assessment is appropriately focused only on large scale mining 

development. Thank you for not focusing on other infrastructure development that is critical to 

the regions survival. The assessment is not about roads, the assessment is not about runways 

and airports. The assessment is not about small property owners. It's not about the Sacketts 

and the Kegels. The assessment answers the critics who falsely assert that the EPA is 

targeting all improvements and aims to freeze Bristol Bay in place and time. To the contrary, 

the assessment is a useful planning tool. It does a great job of identifying the more direct and 

immediate impacts of large scale mines. By way of improvement, I encourage EPA to add 

layers to the assessment and look at underlying and indirect impacts that mines would cause to 

BB families and communities. The socioeconomic impacts to individuals and families, the 

cultural loss of communities and the additional community needs that large mines would bring. I 

urge the EPA to finalize the assessment on the existing timeline and start implementing the 

restrictions and protections that will protect this unique and special place and its salmon 

resources. 

 
15

[00:56:25.21] 

Dan Barr 

Thank you. My name is Dan Barr and I am president of the BB Drift netters Association. I’m 70 

years old and I've fished almost half my life in the fishery. My family has fished for generations. 

First of all I would like to request a 120 day extension. Our members have not had an adequate 

notice even though you have given good notice, it is not adequate and I believe that we need to 

build on the kind of comments we heard here today. Secondly, I believe the economic impacts 

can be vastly greater than is portrayed in the report. I read from ocean news and technology 

from May 2012, the worldwide demand for seafood is expected to more than double in the next 

10-15 years. However the amount of seafood being harvested from our oceans is expected to 

decline due to overfishing. I suggest that in ten years, the value of this fishery could be 600 

million and could be potentially $900 million. Third point is that is captures that mining impacts 

and disasters are vastly underreported in the mining industry. I give the case of Canada, where 

the recent Economist says that they are the worst of eight leading countries that only 20% of the 

potential for transparency is being used, and just in the last two weeks, the salmon farmers 

attempted to make industry make it illegal to report salmon farm disease with the penalty of 

$75000 and two years in jail. I believe that some of this is applicable to the mining industry. A 

friend of mine said they had some tailings they removed and when it ripped they used acid and 

four years later distorted salmon came back. Mining can leave a terrible impact in perpetuity. 

Thanks for your effort to get to the truth and to prevent horror, tragedy and devastation from the 

residents and visitors to this resource. It is not a matter of if but when if mining is permitted. 

Thank you.\ 

[00:58:30.19] 

Sharon Wilson 

Thank you. My name is Sharon Wilson and I am the regional outreach coordinator for Pebble. I 

was asked this evening if I would read their statement regarding the assessment. The Pebble 

Partnership views the watershed assessment as rushed and inadequate. Rushed because EPA 

has only spent 11 months on preparing the assessment. Rushed because the first meeting was 

held on this 1,100 page document are being held only two short weeks after the draft of the 

report was released and rushed because EPA is allowing only 60-days when the people of 

Alaska are being asked to comment in the middle of summer. The current draft of the 

assessment is inadequate because EPA spent only 11 months studying and area of 20,000 
16

square miles, while the Pebble Partnership has spent eight years studying approximately 1,500 

square miles. Inadequate because the Pebble Partnership study is almost 30,000 pages for this 

acreage and the EPA study is about 1,100 and inadequate because their environmental studies 

were gathered and analyzed by scientists on the ground and field research and EPA by their 

own admission did not spend time analyzing the field data. EPA should return when Alaskans 

have more time to review the material so that they can meaningfully comment on this 

assessment. The state of Alaska asked for a 120-day extension on the public comment period. 

EPA should take the time to do this assessment correctly or stop their work. The current 

approach is insufficient, inadequate and rushed. Thank you for your time. 

[01:00:27.27] 

Sara O-Neill 

Hi there. My name is Sara O'Neill. I am a freshwater ecologist with 15 years of experience 

working on the salmon ecosystems. In nearly every place I have worked, salmon populations 

have been pushed to if not past the brink of extinction. That is until I finally faced the fish of 

Bristol Bay five years ago. I have worked with tribes and non-profits and fell in love at first sight 

with the habitats and salmon populations of the Kvichak and Nushagak watersheds. I would like 

to commend the EPA for the thorough work you have put into the assessment and to highlight 

your conclusions regarding the global significance of not only of the sockeye salmon population, 

but also the Nushagak king salmon, which you documented can be the largest king run in the 

world in many years. This makes the area particularly important to conserve and to study 

further since king salmon populations are declining throughout the North Pacific Ocean in spite 

of millions of dollars spent on their restoration in the lower 48, and even in places with minimal 

human development like the Yukon River. Most of the information in the assessment is based 

on the low resolution national wetlands inventory data, and vastly underestimates the area 

impacted by mining in a landscape where I personally sank into the saturated tundra up to my 

thighs more times than I wish to recall. Given their importance to fish and wildlife, more effort is 

essential to accurately estimate the wetland area in the region. Overall you have done an 

excellent job, given the information available; to draw sound and well founded conclusions. The 

Kvichak and Nushagak Rivers indeed support one of the world’s largest and last remaining 

salmon ecosystems and even under ideal albeit unlikely circumstances, mining of this type and 

size in this hydrologically and biologically complex place, simply cannot take place without 

impact. I kindly thank you for your work and take the next logical step in prohibiting the 
17

discharge of mine waste in this country's and perhaps the world’s last intact freshwater salmon 

habitat. 

[01:02:41.23] 

Rick Halford 

Thank you again. I kind of am amazed at the unity of Bristol Bay and that probably thousands 

of the most independent people on earth have gone to the EPA, to the federal government to 

ask for help. The reason is the complete failure of our state to protect this area. The State of 

AK is acting like a development partner of Pebble. Whether it is temporary water use permits, 

dumping directly of drilling material into the groundwater, artesian slime running down the hill. 

We flew across a well that has been running for three years, since it was photographed by 

National Geographic in September of 2009. It is still running today and the slick is still going 

down the hill. It is within a mile of their biggest camp. They fly across it hundreds and hundreds 

of times and do nothing. And the state does nothing. As a matter of fact, when long term 

Alaskans, people like Bella Hammond file a lawsuit for simple access for water use permits, the 

state joined by Pebble argues against it. Now they come to you to ask for a longer comment 

period. It is hypocritical. It's ridiculous. Your watershed assessment, one area I think can be 

stronger is that you underestimate the size of potential damage. You are buying the argument 

that there is no plan. There is a plan, for a water rights application in 2006 where there is 

approximately 2.5 billion tons. It has to be a plan, or they have to give up their water rights 

application, because the law requires to have the priority date, you have to have a plan of 

appropriation of the water. They can't have it both ways. The state can't have it both ways 

either. Pebble is telling us the lie of the century. It's still a lie, as it was when the Romans told 

the British almost two thousand years ago. 

[01:05:26.02] 

Everett Thompson 

First of all, thank you for coming out to my community. All my statements are of my own opinion 

and don't reflect anyone besides myself. I am a tribal member for Naknek, a village council 

member and a shareholder for APC. (?), BBNC and Levelock Limited. I thank EPA for coming 

out here. We have asked you to come out here and a lot of people with a passion for common 

sense. I don't know how they could build a mine out here below sea level and in such a moist 

area without having terrible effects on our fish. I have ties to the area and I have been a 
18

fisherman since I was a little kid. This is my 29th season coming into it. My daughter is 11 

years old and it is her third season coming into it. I am looking forward to it. I look forward to 

working my butt off to make a living for my family and there have been plenty of winters where 

my only income was salmon. The state seems like they give the EPA a hard time, but the state 

allocated a million dollars to do this same study a few years back - an independent scientific 

review. Nothing was done. In the Pebble Partnership, they talk about socio-economics and 

how we need this mine and we need jobs and we need this and that. But where are we going to 

be in 100 years when this boom and bust economy has wore itself out and exhausted itself out 

and our fisheries is to suffer. So I would like you guys to do a 404(c) process and have a 

sustainable economy in this area like we have had for thousands and thousands of years. 

Thank you. 

[01:07:25.28] 

Sharon Thompson 

Hi, my name is Sharon Thompson and I live here in Naknek with my husband and two kids. I 

am very thankful that EPA has conducted the watershed assessment of BB which confirmed 

that mining at this scale would cause loss of spawning and rearing habitat and would severely 

impact our fisheries. Even if there weren't any accidents or catastrophic failures, common 

sense and now science tells us that development and operation of a mine this big would affect 

our fish populations and water quality. I am worried that even their exploratory drilling over the 

last few years has degraded water quality. We drink from a well at our house, and the kids 

enjoy clean safe water from the ground. I don't believe that Pebble can guarantee that acid, 

metal and other contaminants won't be released upstream from us over the life span of that 

mine. They might not even be able to detect that, which puts us all at risk. Digging up miles of 

land and streams and taking tons of water from the area results in loss of critical habitat for fish. 

Not to mention other wildlife that we all depend on. It is arrogant for Pebble officials to claim that 

they can control the flow of water or know of the intricate pathway of its flow underground. It is 

also ridiculous for them to claim that they can recreate salmon streams after they are destroyed. 

We need clean safe water just as much as the fish do to survive. We survive here only because 

of the fish. My husband supports our family through commercial fishing, and we also depend on 

subsistence fishing and eat salmon year round. Any threat to the health of our fish or the 

reputation of this fishery would be disastrous for our lives and economy here. The statue of 

liberty is made up of copper with an iron and steel skeleton. When it was first completed in 

1886 it was shiny and new like a copper penny. After 30 years it was exposed to the elements, 
19

it was oxidized and turned green and faded over time. I would rather see the statue of liberty be 

recycled for its copper than see the Pebble extract low grade mineral deposit here in BB 

because our thriving fishery is just as much a symbol of our liberty, giving us freedom to enjoy 

clean water, a good environment and the subsist off the land. It is equally important that we 

defend our national treasure. The last and greatest salmon fishery. 

[01:09:46.05] 

Lindsey Bloom 

Good evening. My name is Lindsey Bloom and I am a lifelong Alaskan and a long time BB 

commercial fisherman. I want to thank the EPA for coming to BB and taking the time to be here 

and listen to our comments. I'm really humbled by the people who have spoken before me and 

it's hard to find words to import what has already been expressed about the value of our clean 

water and wild fisheries of this region up here in Alaska. You asked originally for the 

conclusions that we could draw from the watershed assessment and I think that there is no 

conclusion to be drawn, except that your agency has a duty to move forward and protect the BB 

watershed. The original ask, and I thank the tribes who asked you to get involved, they asked 

you to use the 404(c) action to protect our watershed and if nothing else, if I can leave one thing 

with you tonight, it's that you absolutely must do it, and you must do it now. We have been held 

hostage by years of Pebble Partnership propaganda and spending money to try and buy the 

vote of the Alaskans. They don't have it, they won't have it and we need your help. 

[01:11:07.09] 

Melanie Brown 

Hi, my name is Melanie Brown. I'm a member of the Naknek Native Village Council and a 

BBNC shareholder. I'm also a permit holder in BB, I set net here in the Naknek district on the 

site that my great grandfather Paul Shukan established generations ago. I have two children, 

and my oldest daughter is getting ready to enter the fishery. She is very eager and that makes 

me very proud. My parents are both permit holders in the bay and I have a niece who is a 

permit holder as well and a brother-in-law. As you can see, the commercial fishery in BB, it is 

economic support to my family. But more importantly, the salmon, they have provided countless 

meals over the years. The salmon have been at the center of our table for generations. The 

salmon have indirectly fed the mammals that are also part of our meals throughout the winter. I 

am not a scientist, but I strongly believe that large scale mining development would greatly 
20

impact the fishery. I'm really grateful for the work that the EPA is doing, and from what I was 

able to glean from the watershed assessment, I feel that it really supported what I already 

believed. I understand that you have the power to prohibit mining waste from basically being 

dumped into the rearing habitat of our salmon under the clean water act section 404 and I would 

ask that you use that authority to prohibit mining waste from being deposited into the waterways 

of the Bristol Bay watershed. Thank you for being here, I really appreciate the work that you are 

doing and thanks for your time. 

[01:13:45.29] 

Olaf Hansen 

Hello, my name is Olaf Hanson. I am a Naknek resident, a third generation BB commercial 

fisherman. It is very important to me. I take my family up to the Kvichak every year, and I would 

like to keep doing that. My son, second youngest wants to fish. My older son has fished. The 

fishing community we need to protect this and 404(c) should be a must, it shouldn't be a maybe. 

You guys need to help us and we need help now, because right now we are in desperate 

measures for what is going to happen here, and you guys have the authority to step up and help 

us out. We have grandkids, we have grandparents, and we have moms, dads, uncles, aunts 

that live in this community. They eat the fish, they pick the berries, they eat the berries, and 

they take pictures. You eat moose, you eat caribou, this is very very important to our 

community. I am a subsistence user myself and you guys to help us out would be appreciated. 

We are asking as one voice, even though there are a lot of us in here, we are one voice. We 

are asking you to step up and put the 404(c) into action and get this ball rolling so that we can 

carry on. I would hate to not be able to go and do what I do for my lifestyle here. 

[01:15:13.07] 

Ron Nebert 

I'm Ron Nebert and I'm with Ocean Beauty Seafood’s. We are a local seafood processor. I 

would like to say that Ocean Beauty opposes the Pebble Mine project. We feel like that it will 

greatly endangered seafood jobs and salmon invested throughout BB. 

 
21

[01:15:49.21] 

Jodie McDonnell 

My name is Jodie McDonnell. Thank you so much for coming to Bristol Bay to hear the people 

of our region. I have been a resident of Naknek for 16 years, and my husband for 32 year. I 

originally came to Naknek working for a seafood buyer. I fell in love with this region and 

specifically this fishery, eventually becoming commercial fisherman for two seasons. I am 

currently a safety trainer, training commercial fisherman and seafood workers in first aid and 

marine safety. My husband and I also own a machine shop where we repair propellers and 

impellers and shafts for the Bristol Bay gillnet fleet and others. We make our living because the 

BB fishery. We also subsistence fish for salmon each year. Filling our freezer for the winter 

with salmon and our cupboards with canned and smoked salmon. One of my concerns has to 

do with the high seismic activity in this area and the creation of tailings ponds behind large 

earthen dams. The potential for leaching into our watersheds. If you have ever been on the 

beach subsistence fishing, or on a gill netter, watching the salmon hit the net, you would 

understand my love of this fishery. It is like nothing else I have ever seen. I would hate to see 

something unique go away. I would trade it for anything in the world. I also feel like the 

comment period of July 23 is sufficient. Thank you for your assessment and please help us 

protect our resource by using your authority to implement 404(c). 

[01:17:38.06] 

Joe Klutsch 

My name is Joe Klutsch, I have been a 40 year resident of King Salmon/Naknek. My wife and 

my son have been here. My son graduated from this state. My testimony has been made so 

much easier because of the heartfelt comments we have heard from the people who have 

spoken before me. You certainly now are aware of the cultural and environmental implications 

of this mining project if it were to move forward. You have already heard this, but I am going to 

say it again. We are talking about the largest scale pit mine in the word with a very low grade of 

ore. Remediation in perpetuity. It will take as long. We will be long gone. It will take forever to 

protect the watershed from the byproducts that come from this mine. That is by their own 

admission. That is unacceptable. There is more here involved than just the salmon fishery with 

all due respect. It's an entire ecosystem. Its birds, game, plants, its' the cultural dimensions of 

this that are at stake. I commend EPA for what you have produced to date and I want you to 

continue on this course. I think everything in regard to this project qualifies for the 404(c). I will 
22

be humble enough to quote something that our former governor Jay Hammond said years ago. 

"As it relates to resource development projects, we have to distinguish between what is 

reasonable and sustainable and that which is malignant". This project has every earmark of 

being malignant. I urge you to use 404(c). 

[01:19:59.09] 

Don Martinson 

Hi. My name is Don Martinson. I want to thank the EPA for taking part in this. And I want to 

thank the BB natives for asking for this to happen. Without the BB natives, we wouldn't be able 

to proceed in this fashion. They are a gentle people and they are fierce defenders of what they 

have here. I really appreciate what they are doing. I've fished here for 50 years; this will be my 

51st season. It has provided for my family all of these years and I've really enjoyed fishing and 

it has been a great way of life and I know how all these other people feel about it too. The 

watershed that they hope to impact, the Pebble people, will at the very minimum take away 

stream flow and then in the future it will be the leaching out that will be the killer. It is going to 

have an immediate impact to take water. It will destroy life. This project has turned all of us into 

pro-lifers. We are anti-death in this matter and we beg the EPA to do everything in their power 

to push this as hard as they can. Thank you. 

[01:22:16.00] 

David Harsila 

Good evening. I'm David Harsila. I'm here representing an organization. (Significant 

microphone feedback). Association of Fisherman known as AIFMA. An association of 

independent owners and operators who are a significant number of people here in the bay. And 

I am here representing the fisherman who cannot be here today tonight. We are supportive of 

the 404(c) process, including the assessment and the comment period ending July 23. So far 

we have not found any inaccuracies in our review of the documents and did not disagree with 

the findings. We will continue to review the document and will submit written comment by July 

23. We urge the prohibition of hard rock sulfide mining in this region. Thank you. 

 
23

[01:23:56.21] 

Robert Bonammo 

Robert Bonammo, I am also a member of AIFMA along with David who just spoke. I am a third 

generation fisherman in BB. I'm from N. California. I'm fully invested in this fishery as were my 

grandfather and my father before me. I truly appreciate the EPA's efforts and providing this 

assessment of mining impacts in the BB watershed. I believe that any and all information 

concerning the impacts of any mining in such a diverse area such as BB is not only necessary, 

but imperative to ensure the continuation of its pristine existence and diverse way of life for both 

man and enough. I thank you again for the attention that you are giving to this proposed 

onslaught to one of nature’s true gifts. Thank you. 

[01:25:26.24] 

George Wilson Jr. 

My name is George Wilson. I appreciate all of you coming here to listen to all of us. I've been a 

lifelong fisherman. I started when I was eight years old in my Dad's boat. I'm a third generation 

fisherman and my ancestors in this region go back to recorded time. I feel like I need to speak 

on behalf of my ancestors that raised me and my parents that we have to respect this area as 

planned for the water and the salmon and the birds and the wildlife. Also, for myself now as a 

commercial fisherman and also for future generations. My kids, I hope that someday they can 

partake of this great fishery, one of the last great salmon fisheries in the world. It is one of the 

last ones, and I feel it is very important that you guys take the appropriate action under 404(c). 

I'm also president of Levelock Natives limited, which strongly opposes the Pebble Mine. I 

appreciated you guys work on 404(c) and we will continue to do anything we can to help you 

guys along in this regard. I would tell the state that all my adult life I’ve been able to work out 

here in this region from fishing in the summer to jobs during the winter. There have always 

been jobs for the people who want to work. Even when we were not actually employed, we 

have been able to live off of the salmon and the wildlife. 

[01:27:33.16] 

Harlan Bailey 

My name is Harlan Bailey. The Sacramento River in northern California is my native river. It 

was once home 100 years ago to one of the great salmon runs of the western Pacific. Due to 

long term long term environmental changes, these fish and the people who it supported are all 
24

but gone. I fished here in BB for 41 years now. My son and daughter fish here. We have a 

home here. We pay taxes here. We buy goods and services here. We appreciate your work 

here and we thank you for being here. As far as we are concerned, the part of our federal taxes 

that is going to EPA is money well spent. 

[01:28:41.08] 

Ricky Cooke 

My name is Ricky Cooke. I have fished all the way from New England, I live in Florida and I fish 

here now. I am President of the (?) Washington Association and the Aquaculture Association in 

Florida. We fight for water quality constantly. This is the best clean thing I've seen in my whole 

life. You have created in the past to do this now. Use the history of mining to stop this and 

save what is here. 

[01:29:35.25] 

Fred Pike 

Good evening and thank you for coming. My name is Fred Pike. I too am with the AIFMA. I'm 

VP and represent the local fisherman and Alaska fisherman and fisherman throughout the 

US. I also live here in BB. In Naknek, I've been a resident here for 38 years. Prior to coming to 

AK, my wife and I grew up in the northern Minnesota iron range. I grew up around open pits 

and underground mines. I know what damage they can do and what they are doing presently. 

They have not built a containment pond that does not leach. I will just commend the EPA for 

their assessment and I urge them to continue forward and move on to the inevitable. Thank you 

for your time. 

[01:31:34.15] 

Greg Harris 

My name is Greg Harris. I am a 31 year resident and small business owner. I would just like to 

say that I'm the last person that wants to see EPA here. I am a staunch advocate of this state. 

I believe in our freedoms and think that many of us came to Alaska for that reason. It seems 

that our legislature has decided for whatever reason to issue the Pebble Mine that permit. In a 

lot of ways, I think that EPA has some things that they shouldn't be in and some things they 

wouldn't do, but I would say this. You guys are doing the right thing, that is investigating and 

analyzing and evaluating and education and for that I commend you and on this I will stand 
25

alongside you. Because the last thing I want to see is this damn mine here. It's a toxic waste 

spill waiting to happen and people in this room are here for a reason, because they want to 

continue to come here and see the sustainable and whole fishery. All it takes is about an 

eighth grade education and sixth grade reading level to do your homework to realize that this 

mine at this location is bad news. I believe in timber, mining, but this mine and this place is 

wrong. Thank you very much. 

[01:33:34.22] 

Matthew Johnson 

I want to thank the EPA for coming here and opposing the Pebble Mine. My family has been 

fishing here since 1960 and it is amazing opportunity for a young guy like myself to experience a 

fishery that has this much life and prosperity. My entire family has been coming up here for 

years, and it's been amazing the opportunity that I've personally had because of this. I want my 

children to be able to know this and I definitely don't want the Pebble Mine to destroy this 

unbelievably beautiful and natural environment. Thank you very much for coming. 

[01:34:33.07] 

Larry Vanderlin 

I have presently been in Alaska and lived and fished here for about 40 years. Altogether, with 

my kids our family has been fishing Bristol Bay for 87 years if you add it all up. We are fishing 

for tuition. My daughter now has a boat as well and I look forward to that. (hard to hear 

preface). As the earlier gentleman from Sacramento, I live between the Rogue and the Klamath 

Rivers. Those are nice rivers, but severely degraded, and they will never recover in spite of 

millions of dollars that have been thrown at recovery of the salmon that once resided there. 

They are always imperiled. We understand full well what damages are, what Pebble is 

proposing here is larger than anything that we know of. The salmon are very robust, but they 

are from a fragile environment. There are many aspects to their multifaceted environment that 

can throw a wrench into their whole survival. It is very very important that we treat any 

development, and analyze anything that we do here and be very careful. I would like you thank 

you for coming here. It is a good thing that has happened on this subject, the specter of Pebble 

is awful. Thank you very much. 

 
26

[01:36:54.23] 

Chris White 

Thanks for coming. I'm Chris White. I've fished here with my family and kids for about 35 

years. It is an experience that has been a wonderful, wonderful ride. I hope that 100 years from 

now in June, when my, and all of our future generations show up here, that they are not living 

under a giant hammer of toxic ponds upriver from us. Waiting for them to fall and ruin all we 

have. What you found in this assessment is a treasure, a national treasure on par with the 

Grand Canyon, but it is even bigger than that. Because of its uniqueness it's a planetary 

treasure and if we allow something this wild and this big and this rare to be threatened by 

something as potentially devastating as this mine, I totally believe that we have lost our way to 

the kingdom of heaven. 

[01:38:18.18] 

Nancy Morris Lyon 

Hi. My name is Nancy Morris Lyon and I too thank you for coming here. I am the owner and 

operator of (?) Alaska Sportsman Fishing Lodge, which is a sport fishing operation up here on 

the Naknek River. I have people who come from all around the world who come to my lodge to 

enjoy the wonders of Bristol Bay. People from around the world enjoy eating the fish of BB; 

they are truly the heartbeat of our area. This is America's last wild, strong native salmon stock. 

In the local economies in this entire area are built around the salmon stock of BB. As your study 

has concluded, the potential dangers from an open pit mine being developed in this area can be 

extremely lethal to these salmon resources. I believe the benefits are nowhere near the risks 

that the mine offers. I do not believe this mine is worth the risk, and I hope in my heart of hearts 

that you invoke your 404(c) authority and make sure that this mine does not take place or 

operate so that the salmon and the heart beat of this area can remain for many more 

generations. Thank you for coming and thank you for your study. 

[01:39:49.21] 

Richard Wilson 

Thank you. Richard Wilson. I've been fishing here in Bristol Bay for several generations. (poor 

audio quality). I'm here on behalf of several of the elders taking on a different angle here that 

we have heard. A lot of great conversation here and a lot of great values we are hearing. I sit 

on a federal RAC board here in the area for our region. I'm also a member of villages. Some of 
27

the struggles that we have had lately sitting down with federal agencies is that things always 

seem to be rushed. I totally agree that we want fish forever, but you talked about a need to hear 

from our tribal entities and from elders. The elders have been telling me they haven't really had 

a chance to sit down and talk about it yet. I think that out of respect for the elders and the 

indigenous people here and the land holders, that just for that reason alone we should be able 

to go over some of this stuff so that we could make great decisions. They feel like they are 

being pressured. Knowing that I have been involved with federal subsistence stuff here for 

three or four years, and the wheels turn so slow on the federal side of things, and to have the 

opportunity to get the elders together, realize that you have a deadline of July, but you also 

have the ability to revoke anything that comes your way, so it's not like you have the ability to do 

it. I ask you give us time so that our tribes and our elders can mull this over and make 

responsible decisions. 

[01:42:41.14] 

Captain Charley Gordon 

I want to thank EPA for being here. I've been a commercial fisherman here in Alaska for the 

past 41 years. I also have a degree from the Univ. of Washington in Fishery Biology. This 

certainly is the most pristine habitat on earth. This fishery supports a variety of lifestyles. My 

particular one is direct marketing of BB wild salmon. The perception of my customers, primarily 

natural foods stores and restaurants, food coops and their customers perceive the fish that 

come out of this area to be absolutely the highest in the world for salmon. There is a growing 

demand for wild salmon. The reasons are obvious. Nutritional. If the perception, such as in the 

case of the Exxon Valdez, comes that the fish are tainted, then damage is done. A mining 

operation of this level would give that perception, even if the slightest. EPA's own admission 

that even if no failure should occur there will be an impact on the river averse to the habitat and 

there go the fish. So there are most of my concerns. The other thing is that even if a small 

mine or a scaled down version of the Pebble Mine were allowed to go in the area. Other mines 

would go in the area and eventually you will have a much larger footprint. Overall of several 

mines. I am concerned about this fact as well. We have all seen across the country where local 

water quality has been affected by companies with good intentions or big mines in other states. 

That is documented, so there is no reason to ... (inaudible). 

 
28

[01:45:48.12] 

Anishia Elbie 

Thank you on behalf of Naknek and Bristol Bay. My name is Anishia Elbie, my parents are 

Trefon Angason, Sr. and (inaudible) of Ugashik. I am a 62 year resident of S Naknek. I have 

been a commercial fisherman for 40 years. Since I do not fully understand how the EPA system 

works, I have a worry. First, do comments made in person carry a bigger impact than those that 

are written? Are comments made with passion and strong emotion weighed heavier than those 

comments made in a concise and succinct manner have an impact on the conclusions? 

Second, are comments made during this comment period going to be tabulated into pro mining 

and anti mining columns, with the winning columns swaying EPA decision? There are many of 

us who don't want to get mired in the highly polarized pro or anti mining camp, so I hope not. I 

haven't read through the assessment yet, so I don't know if the science is credible or complete. 

However, from what I have seen in your summary, my comments are this. First, in the 

assessment you interview 53 elders and it looks like the data on subsistence indigenous culture 

and impact are region wide. Shouldn't your (inaudible). Who determined the list of 53 elders? 

How did your questions be determined? If you want these elders testimony included to help you 

make a decision, then why was there only one indigenous culture expert on your scientific peer 

review panel? Second, I don't believe the comment period for this assessment and the 

comment period for the questions for the independent scientific peer review panel are long 

enough. To make informed comments, both need to be longer. Please grant an extension for 

both periods. Thank you for coming to Bristol Bay. 

[01:48:35.07] 

Tim Cook 

My name is Tim Cook. I'm proud to say that I'm a commercial fisherman. I'm also an attorney. 

I was the former Director for Fisheries and the Environment for Gov. Hickel in Washington, DC. 

I am opposed to the Pebble Mine. The impact of the mine is not just on commercial fisheries, 

but it is also on subsistence lifestyle, and it is also on the culture of the area. I think the EPA 

has a duty to protect all of those. This area sits in one of the most geologically active zones 

anywhere in North America. The impact of a sizeable earthquake is unknown, especially when 

you take into consideration what happened to Japan. The best laid plans were washed away. 

As Sergie said, this fishery has been going along for 6,000 years. Your study says forever. 

Forever is a lot longer than 600 years. Thank you. 
29

[01:50:10.14] 

Mark Connor 

Hello. I'm Mark Connor. I'm a fisherman. My understanding is that this mine will require 

hundreds of millions of gallons of water to transport some 200 billion tons of crushed ore 87 

miles to the coast. Further, the mine will require hundreds of millions of gallons of water from 

the water table for settling ponds for these mines. I just want to state that I'm not sure if we 

know what our water tables are here and what they will be 25 years from now. This last 

summer I attended a lecture in King Salmon. A man came here to examine the glaciers of BB, 

specifically in Katmai NP. He was looking for - he was an archaeologist - and he was looking 

for evidence of man 3,000 years old. That has just now melted out of snowfields. He found 

artifacts in the Wrangell Mountains that had just melted out of the snowfield last season. The 

summer before last. These were 3000 year old artifacts made out of wood, and feathers that 

hadn't been exposed. Our climate is changing and the water table is changing also, so what we 

change our predictions on today may not be true 25 years from now. You can go to the 

historical society here in Naknek and look at the photographs of the old school house looking 

towards the mountains. You can see that there are no alder trees growing. One indication of 

melting permafrost level are the growing of the alders. As the permafrost melts they can put 

their roots down and they can grow. You can take a satellite photograph and you can see that 

the tundra lakes are shrinking because the subsurface layer of permafrost is melting. That is 

happening right now. You can go out and you can no longer see from the old school house to 

the mountains. It has grown up with alders. Things are variable and changing in nature and I 

don't think we can afford to risk giving hundreds of millions of gallons to a mine at this point. 

[01:53:06.16] 

Dylan Braund 

Good evening. My name is Dylan Braund. I have two young boys who are commercial 

fisherman and I am a long time Alaska commercial fisherman. I hold a law degree and a master 

of science in environmental studies. No mine has ever been turned away by the state of 

Alaska. I have personally reviewed about 67 permits that the Pebble Partnership will need for 

this project to proceed. I encourage you to use your preemptive veto to exercise your 404(c) 

authority. There is nothing in the permitting regime that would preclude development of this 

project. Thank you for undertaking this watershed assessment. Thank you for taking the 
30

harness? of this issue (poor audio quality). One aspect of this issue that gets overlooked is the 

temporal aspect of this issue. Mainly, how this issue will impact future generations. This is the 

standard that all decisions should be based on. They should see not how decisions will affect 

us, but how it will affect future generations who have no voice in the process. You alone have 

the opportunity to stand up for future generations and exercise your 404(c) authority. Make a 

decision grounded in scientific fact and law. I have read the Clean Water Act in its entirety. In 

my view, the protection of the most globally significant sockeye salmon resource on the planet is 

exactly the purpose for which 404(c) was drafted. I have a paper I wrote that I am going to 

leave with you. It's a review of 14 inches of literature relevant to the Pebble Mine and Bristol 

Bay. In my remaining time, I want to make a few remarks about the watershed assessment. 

The subject of impacts of copper on the salmon are well documented, include, but are not 

limited to the seminal effects on salmon, liver damage, retarded growth among others. 

Additionally, existing water quality standards for the state of Alaska are not sufficiently protective 

of salmon function. Therefore, the mine could meet water quality standards and still have a 

detrimental effect on the fishery. 

[01:55:59.23] 

Gary Cline 

Hello. My name is Gary Cline. I am a Bristol Bay resident, commercial fisherman and a 

subsistence harvester. I want to thank you for coming out here to hear from the local fisherman 

and cannery issues, but most of all for conducting this assessment. I think it is a crucial for all of 

us to understand the importance of our watershed, how it functions and the impact large scale 

mining will have on our fishery and ecosystem; from the surface waters and the subsurface 

waters which are critical to our salmon spawners. I'm particularly worried about the 87 miles of 

spawning streams and gravels will disappear. This is unacceptable. In particular, I'm worried 

about Chinook and Coho that reside in the Koktuli River, which branches off the Mulchatna and 

Nushagak. My family ranges from Togiak to Aleknagik to New Stuyahok and every time I travel 

the Nushagak to see my relatives we go up the Mulchatna. I am also concerned about the 

caribou, something that is often disregarded when speaking about this issue. I see the people 

on the Yukon River who are regulated on how much salmon they can put up. For me I feel 

blessed to be in Bristol Bay and we have so much salmon that we don't live like that. According 

to your assessment 40% of salmon in the western region are depleted due to human induced 

pollution. I don't want to see that or experience that here. We are lucky that this resource feeds 

thousands of families and generates 400 or 500 million a year to the economy. This will result 
31

in more jobs according to your assessment that the mine would create if Pebble is development. 

I cannot think of a more appropriate reason to initiate the 404(c). I urge you to do so and please 

don't extend the comment period. I think we have enough time to review and comment on the 

document. 

[01:58:48.22] 

Ralph Zimin 

My name is Ralph Zimin and I am a third generation fisherman here. Thank for being here. I'd 

like to make just a couple quick factual things pertaining to the watershed assessment 

proposals. Some of the items that pertain to us and fishing for example, years ago there was a 

project (inaudible) check, it was quite some years ago, both of these documents talked about 

effects, engineers, experts etc. In the early 2000's, the cost was estimated of 160 to 180 million 

dollars to process the two fish from moving and also separating the two stocks. If memory 

serves me correctly, it was one group had 50,000 spawners and the other group had 250,000, 

maybe 200,000. Of course, here in BB we have a lot more. The section that almost everyone 

is familiar with here in Alaska is Exxon Valdez. Again, the experts all put their minds together 

and said this was a safe thing. We all know what a disaster that ended up being. I am not into 

growing government, but I wonder if for example, if there was a second person at the helm to 

provide oversight and prevent that, it might have been cheaper than the billions spent. The third 

point in the same category (inaudible) - a truck got stuck under an overpass and why they were 

trying to deliberate how to solve this problem, a boy comes along on a bicycle and says let the 

air out of the tires. Problem solved. Thank you. 

[02:01:22.04] 

Bonnie Gestring 

Thank you for completing the Bristol Bay watershed assessment. It clearly highlights the severe 

and lasting consequences to mine the Pebble project. I am particularly concerned about the 

likelihood that the mine waste that is generated will become a severe and lasting source of acid 

mine drainage to the rivers and streams below the mine. I look at acid mine drainage as 

opening Pandora’s Box, because there is no fix to acid mine drainage it becomes a matter of 

trying to manage it. The assessment estimates the waste rock pile alone could generate up to 

2.8 million gallons of contaminated seepage every year and estimates the copper concentration 

in the seepage to be so high that the entire flow of Upper Talarik Creek could fail to meet water 
32

quality standards. It could contaminate the entire creek and potentially even Iliamna Lake could 

become toxic to fish. There has been talk about the quarry and the acid generating waste rock 

underwater in the tailing pond open pit after the mine is closed. I want to emphasize that it is 

not a fix. Keeping the waste rock underwater while it slows the process, does not stop acid 

generation. The experience of operating mines, particularly those that are comparable to 

Pebble, there is ample documentation that industry to indicate that all tailings ponds leak over 

time. So I think it’s very clear the choice between a sustainable fishery that continue in 

perpetuity, or the horrible pollution that would come with the mine. I think there is a compelling 

case for a 404(c). Thank you. 

[02:03:52.26] 

Eric Marble 

Hello. I come to you guys to ask for help. I am a third generation fisherman, currently attending 

Arizona State University. If I was not a fisher I would not be going to college. This is also true 

for my crew members and a lot of the other kids I go to school with. To attend college and 

come out loan free is unheard of these days. I want to continue to fish and I want my kids to 

fish. My little brother, he is 8 years old, came up for the first time last year. I assume he will 

want to continue in my footsteps and follow my dad and grandfathers footsteps. I understand 

that you guys have the ability to fight Pebble and if I did, I would, but I don't have $2 million to 

hire lawyers and stand up and go to bat against them. I hope that you will take the ability that 

you have and use it. Thank you. 

[02:05:15.12] 

Sue Flensburg 

Thank you. These are my notes. I am originally from New York, but I have lived in Dillingham 

since 1978. I commercial fished, I was a crew member for my husband for 18 years, so I know 

what it was like to experience the adrenalin, I know what it was like to fall overboard and get 

rescued, but my daughter is the director of the Bristol Bay coastal management program. Back 

in the 80's we originally did a recreation management plan for the Nushagak River and 

Mulchatna Basin. Shortly thereafter, they started putting up information on the exploration of 

Pebble and things started to escalate. Both Lake and Peninsula Borough and the coastal 

management program we did a draft proposal to the state to develop a special area 

management plan. It is one of the things they are (inaudible). The response from the state is 
33

that the two were not connected. So consequently, the opportunity to do that kind of planning 

did not happen. In my current capacity, and I should emphasize that I am speaking as an 

individual here, but my current capacity is helping generate dollars for sport fishing for 

reservations such as (inaudible). One of the things that the state of Alaska should be doing. 

Unfortunately it is very costly to do these things for reservations. To wrap this up, the state has 

a huge role in this. It is concerning the coastal management has disappeared; there is very little 

state support for reservation and tour base. Thank you for mentioning this. 

[02:07:54.08] 

END 

 

Note: This is not a certified transcript. This record of oral comments was transcribed by Judy 

Smith, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator from audio recordings taken at the EPA public 

meeting held in Naknek, Alaska beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 5, 2012. Every effort 

was made to transcribe the testimony accurately, but there may be errors or omissions because 

of background noise during the meeting or the sound quality of the recording.