Alaska’s primary industries have undergone significant changes in recent years. Regional seafood harvesting jobs declined for the fifth year in a row, according to November report from National Hunter. And National Public Radio I mentioned Last February, widespread federal job losses could profoundly impact the state’s future.
And with the announcement earlier this year that the Ambler Road project would go ahead, promised mining jobs could help make up the difference. But many wonder: What is the cost to animals, humans and nature-related jobs?
What is happening?
Associated Press I mentioned In October, the Trump administration again approved the controversial Ambler Road project. It was previously approved during his first term but was later banned under the Biden administration.
The project is scheduled to support copper mining operations by building a 211-mile road across Alaska and through its streams, rivers and forests. Construction is expected to begin in 2026.
Tristen Batty, co-owner of a wilderness guiding company in Ambler and an Inupiaq hunter, He said Both his business and his ability to provide food depend on a thriving landscape, the AP reported in follow-up coverage in December. But he also believes bringing in more jobs is a key priority that the road project can help address. His small town’s population has actually declined from 320 to 200 over the past 15 years.
“We’re losing our community. We’re literally losing it,” Patty said, as a lack of economic opportunity drives residents to look for work elsewhere.
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Patty also worked as an environmental technical supervisor at a mine, so he has witnessed environmentally friendly practices being implemented in the industry. But he told the AP: “There is always concern.”
Why is the Ambler Road project a concern?
Indigenous leaders and environmental activists more broadly say the project could prevent salmon from breeding and caribou from migrating, among other disruptions.
“We’re turning away from a lot of our native foods because some of them have become scarce. Our caribou have declined a lot,” Inupiaq Leader Roswell Shafer He said Associated Press in a video, where the news agency reported that local caribou numbers have declined about 66% over the past 20 years. “If we don’t stop what’s happening to Ambler Road, we will completely lose our culture.”
Road construction is also expected to stir up dust containing naturally occurring asbestos, which can settle in local waterways and potentially impact wildlife and residential communities.
The project has been framed by its supporters as a way to bring jobs back home, but not everyone is convinced it is the best solution to job losses, especially since many livelihoods depend on healthy ecosystems.
Meanwhile, Andrea Marston, an associate professor at Rutgers University who focuses on mining and indigenous rights, told the AP: “You can’t justify the invasion of indigenous lands with some kind of global story of climate change because that ends up replicating colonial plunder in a new way.”
“The starting point should be: it is their land to decide what to do with it.”
In early December, delegates at the Assembly of First Nations in Canada voted to call on Prime Minister Mark Carney to protect native caribou and halt oil and gas projects, called for by the Trump administration, where baby caribou are born and raised.
“We depend on the caribou,” said Johnny Jahdeli, Lutzalak-Dene First Nations delegate He said CBC News. The Jahdeli community is participating in a separate road project, in which indigenous leaders are directly involved.
What is being done?
Ambler Road Project It is said He faces lawsuits From tribal and environmental groups On the basis that it could significantly impact indigenous communities and natural habitats.
After a request for comment, Caleb Froehlich of Ambler Metals, the company behind the project, told the AP that all water would be treated and local employment would be a priority.
Meanwhile, in Canada, First Nations have agreed to lead a separate road project to support job growth and transit while protecting wildlife and habitats. Their plan — which will likely be a blueprint for projects in the United States and elsewhere — will receive priority Community feedback.
“Our members will be asked for their opinions on land views, access, environmental considerations, and economic opportunities,” Ernest Petsina, Yellowknives Dene First Nations Chief He said CBC in November, with the outlet emphasizing that the traditional knowledge of Indigenous elders would guide the effort.
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