As a glacier retreats, a gold mine advances. Why are some locals angry?

Small Canadian mining company Canagold is seeking permits and permits to resume gold mining at a remote site in northwestern British Columbia (BC). I called New Polaris mineit faces opposition from indigenous peoples, environmental nonprofits and communities downstream in Alaska.

In 1957 Tulsequa Main Mine ceased production of gold, copper, lead and zinc after a short six years of operation. Its legacy has since made it infamous: Over the past seven decades, Tulsequah's main mine has leaked rusty red, mineral-laden effluent, called acid mine drainage, into the glacial waters of the Tulsequah River. Despite repeated calls local residents and environmentalists and government promisesacid mine drainage has more to be cleansed. Against the backdrop of ongoing environmental pollution, the new Polaris mine comes onto the scene.

Like the now-abandoned Tulsequah Main Mine, the New Polaris Mine is located on the Tulsequah River, which then flows into the Taku River, crosses the Alaskan border near Juneau, and eventually flows into the Pacific Ocean. The Taku watershed extends to 18,000 square kilometers undeveloped wilderness roughly the size of New Jersey. All five Pacific species live here. salmonwhich support the rich ecosystem of the watershed and have long been a key part of the livelihoods of the Tlingit people living along the Taku River.

Canagold first announced plans to resume operations at New Polaris in March 2023. created descriptions of projects and received OK continue environmental assessment process from the British Columbia provincial government. Since January 2025, he has been preparing an application for British Columbia's environmental review, a process that can take months or even years.

Consultation with participation Indigenous peoples are included in this assessment process. For the New Polaris Mine, this includes bi-weekly conferences and meetings with the Tlingit First Nations people of the Taku River. Because it's located on their territorythe mine cannot operate without their free and prior consent. The Taku River Tlingit “are leading the way in dealing with mining companies. Consent agreements begin with our nation and our people,” said Yinik, a member of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation, in March 2023 press release.

But while Kanagold and the Taku River Tlingit were involved in the discussions, other communities downstream and across the international border did not have the same opinion. Guy Archibald, executive director of the Southeast Alaska Transboundary Native Commission, which includes representatives from 15 First Nations. tribe members across the Taku River watershed, told GlacierHub: “We're glad they're working with [the Taku River Tlingit]but we are the only downstream communities and we are not consulted properly.”

This commission is the last long a line of downstream Alaskans is fighting for greater recognition of cross-border mining pollution in Canada. Although the US-Canada border has made life difficult for gangs in Alaska efforts To be heard, mining pollution does not follow these rules.

IN era As a result of species extinction, the ecological threat posed by New Polaris is exacerbated by the potential increase in salmon fishing in the Taku River in the coming decades. One of the rare positive aspects of climate change is the melting of glaciers in Alaska and Canada, which are bringing new, valuable habitat for Pacific salmon.

2021 study projected that under a moderate emissions scenario, more than 3,700 miles of salmon habitat would be created by deglaciation by 2100. Jonathan Moorestudy author and aquatic ecologist at Simon Fraser University, said GlacierHub reports that the melting of the Tulsequa Glacier could lead to one of the largest increases in salmon habitat. Now New Polaris puts the main target of this expansion at risk.

As Archibald said, “All mines of any size near salmon habitat are destructive to salmon.” But the story of the Tulsequa Chief mine and other environmentally catastrophic events is especially important here. British Columbia mines looks big. New Polaris is “in an area prone to felsic rock drainage,” he said. Adrienne Bertholdecologist and mining impact researcher with salmon conservation nonprofit SkeenaWild, and its unstable, winding waterways make it difficult to monitor mine impacts such as pollution and habitat destruction.

To build the mine, Canagold is proposing to make 40 to 70 barge trips up the Tuck each season. But these 'barge plans' are high-risk, and an accident would damage some of the world's best wild salmon spawning grounds,” said Brianna Walker, director of Salmon Beyond Borders, in a December press release. Canagold also plans to build a mile-long airstrip in the nearby pristine Flannigan Marsh, the largest wetland in the Taku watershed.

In addition to Kanagold's plans, environmental groups also don't trust B.C.'s environmental assessment protocol. Berthold told GlacierHub, “British Columbia likes to tout its ‘world-class standards’ for environmental assessment and analysis.” But SkeenaWild found “numerous gaps” in the province's mining inspection protocol. “It is very rare for projects to be rejected during the environmental assessment process; almost all end up getting approved,” Berthold added.

The new Polaris is still facing obstacles. But opponents fear this will happen. steamroller their. British Columbia has streamlined mining permits and priority infrastructure development for critical minerals such as copper and zinc, which are key to clean energy. In January Kanagold announced its decision to also mine antimony, an important mineral used in batteries and semiconductors, at New Polaris. Although the economics have not yet been determined, Canagold is now positioning the project as a gold-antimony mine. The new Polaris may drive critical mineral waveusing this optimization to your advantage.

Many ecologists view this as appearance to push through the project. “There are real risks”fast trackingand “cutting red tape” in this era of Trump tariffs and moving priority projects forward,” warned Nikki Skews, director of the Northern Confluence Initiative and co-chair of the BC Mining Law Reform Network, in an interview with GlacierHub.

In its latest move, Canagold released feasibility studysignaling its intention to begin production. This showed how profitable the New Polaris project could be, with an after-tax cost of US$312 million at a projected base price of US$2,500 per ounce of gold. For those nearby, the eight-year project should also offer around 200 well-paying jobs. But this has not encouraged people, especially those downstream, to embrace the project. “This is a gold mine whose main purpose is vanity and greed,” Archibald said.

“Too often, environmental assessments take a wait-and-see approach,” Berchtold explained. But environmentalists and lower Alaskans have grown impatient. Propaganda groups continue to call for mining reform while the Southeast Alaska Native Commission filed human rights claim against the British Columbia government before the Inter-American Human Rights Council regarding a separate cross-border mine.

How Jennifer Angel-Amayagold mining researcher and graduate student in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, which is part of the Columbia Climate School, told GlacierHub: “Communities must be equipped with the tools, resources and support needed to protect their territory from harmful practices, play an active role in protecting their land, and promote long-term sustainability.”

Although New Polaris is just one mine, as the glaciers recede and the mineral-rich land becomes accessible For mining corporations, the tension between gold and salmon in British Columbia may only get worse, a local manifestation of the tensions that have arisen in extractive economies in the age of climate change.

This story is republished courtesy of Columbia University's Earth Institute. http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu.