The Pebble Project Newsletterjuly/august 2013

The Pebble Project Newsletter july/august 2013 | PagE 1

Although outmigration is a statewide issue, Southwest Alaska continues to experience some of the highest population declines. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, throughout a 10-year period, the Lake and Peninsula Borough experienced a 17 percent drop in Alaska Native population.

Similarly, the Bristol Bay Borough experienced

a 23 percent drop in Alaska Native population.

Research shows issues such as high living

costs, lack of economic opportunities,

limited infrastructure and school closures all

contribute to outmigration. Let’s take a closer

look at school closures.

In 1999, the Alaska State Legislature revised

a state law, reducing operational funds for

schools with fewer than 10 students. The

reductions occur throughout a four-year period,

with schools risking closure if they are not able

to meet enrollment requirements. Today, years

after the enacted law, more than 32 schools

have closed throughout Alaska, including six

schools throughout the Southwest region:

Clarks Point, Portage Creek, South Naknek,

Pedro Bay, Ivanoff Bay and Nelson Lagoon.

In most cases, schools serve as a place of

learning. However, in rural Alaska a school

serves in many different capacities.

Patty Alsworth, a founding member of the

village of Port Alsworth, was upfront about

the harsh realities of school closures. “Often

a community, if it doesn’t die, becomes

crippled,” Alsworth said. “It’s hard for a family

to continue living there without education for

their children.”

FEatuRE stORy

Rural Schools, Outmigration and Perceptions

In 2010, after Pedro Bay’s school closed due

to a fall in attendance, Karla Jensen and other

families in that community had few choices.

According to Jensen, the school closure has

made their lives more challenging, having to

either homeschool their children or send them

away in order to receive an education.

With limited educational opportunities

throughout rural Alaska, many families have

resorted to migrating into more urban areas.

However, research shows this transition can

be very disorienting and even painful for

residents.

Dewey Hoffman, a Koyukon Athabascan from

Ruby, Alaska, a small village along the Yukon,

shared his experience moving from rural

Alaska into a more urban area.

“Living in Barrow and then suddenly moving to

the land of drive-throughs and long-distance

commutes was at first unbearable,” Hoffman

said. “I later became adapted to city living,

but I am still most comfortable in a village

setting.”

A more severe case of the impacts of school

closures is Ivanof Bay, Alaska. In 2003,

when the community saw a fall in student

enrollment, Ivanof Bay School closed its

doors to residents. Today, less than 10 years

after the school closure, the total year-round

population ranges from two to six people. n

by Pebble Intern Gabriella Brune

A lack of infrastructure is a common challenge in rural Alaska, especially during long winter months.

Like many people throughout Alaska, AlexAnna Salmon is passionate about sustaining her community – Igiugig, Alaska. I’ve asked AlexAnna to share what life looks like for her in rural Alaska, a perspective worth knowing.

– John Shively, Pebble CEO

PagE 2 | july/augusy 2013

Berry PickingBy Anna Paine, Pebble Administrative Assistant

Taught by Elders from her region, Anna Paine has

picked berries for more than 20 years, a tradition

she believes is a great family-bonding activity.

Message from the President

A Slice of Rural Alaska LifeBy AlexAnna Salmon

I chose to live without routine, and spontaneously by the seasons. This is why I live in the isolated village of Igiugig, population 70, which sits on the banks of the Kvichak River and Iliamna Lake. On a daily basis, I am able to work one full, and several part-time jobs, while raising three beautiful daughters.

I work several jobs to afford a comfortable living. Paying $7.79 a gallon for oil, I set the thermostat to 72 degrees and decide whether or not to burn wood. At .80 cents per kilowatt hour, we wash 50 loads of laundry a month and use an electric dryer. We do not drink our treated well water, but pack drinking water from the pristine and crystal-clear river in gallon containers -- its taste is unrivaled in this world. I open the freezer and decide whether or not to grill the New York steaks or make caribou shish-kabobs.

My companion is an avid hunter, trapper and operator so we have a fleet of vehicles: four-wheelers, snow-machines, boats and trucks in which to embrace the landscape. We bring home berries, furs, beluga and birds. Our goal is to make available all the opportunities we had as children to our children—to teach self-sustainability, self-entertainment, community service, and tradition to the girls so that wherever they live, they will be happy with a solid sense of self and belonging.

Today, my family and I live a modernized preferred subsistence lifestyle that is leaps and bounds easier and more luxurious than our ancestors. It is the ultimate life of self-determination; I just wish it weren’t so expensive to fly to Anchorage so that we could travel the world easier. And as always, cheaper fuel would be ideal. Questions? Send to: askjohn@pebblepartnership.com.

To start, stand in one place overlooking the

tundra and identify the best place to begin. You

will need a backpack, buckets, berry picker, Ziploc

bags, snacks, mosquito repellant, water, scarf

and boots.

Typically, blackberries are the first berries to

show. They are usually found clustered together

in dry and flat portions of the tundra. Blueberries

on the other hand are found in higher areas

of the tundra with long stems and tiny leaves

surrounding the berry patch. Salmonberries are

found in the damp part of the tundra, mostly

around swamps. They are easily seen because of

their bright colors. Each salmonberry is covered

with a stem and leaf attached to the salmon

berry. Cranberries are surrounded by bright green

leaves at the end of the summer. Cranberries also

have a bright fall-colored leaf hanging close to the

berry, almost purple color.

When berry picking, always remember to be aware

of your surroundings, consistently looking out

for wildlife and bad weather. Berry picking is fun

activity that you can do with both your friends and

family.

EnviROnmEnt Q & aWhat are wetlands, and why are they important?

answER: Generally, wetlands are lands

where the soil is often saturated with

water, affecting the types of plant and

animal communities living in that area.

For example, wetlands include marshes,

swamps, fens, bogs, and, in Alaska,

permafrost.

Wetlands are important because they

support a variety of ecological functions

and human values. For example, wetlands

can provide fish and wildlife habitat, which

in turn supports subsistence resources;

wetlands can “filter” contaminants to

maintain clean water, or in developed

areas, improve degraded water; they can

store flood water to moderate flood related

damage; and wetlands can provide sites for

educational and recreational opportunities.

Wetlands can vary in their importance,

number of functions and services, and

significance.

Pebble scientists have documented and

mapped the location of wetlands across

a large geographic area that extends well

beyond the project’s footprint. Pebble

scientists are also studying wetland

functions through a process called a

Functional Assessment. Pebble will use this

information during the regulatory process to

avoid and minimize impacts to wetlands to

the maximum extent practicable, and then

offset any remaining unavoidable impacts

through compensatory mitigation.

The Pebble Project Newsletter july/august 2013 | PagE 3

Mining FactAll Alaska Native corporations benefit from the mining industry. For example, of the $124.7 million in net proceeds from Red Dog Operations to NANA Regional Corporation in 2012, $76.4 million were distributed to other Alaska Native regional and village corporations through 7(i) and 7(j) payments.

Source: http://www.alaskaminers.org/mcd13sum.pdf

Safety TipFire safety should always be a main

concern in the workplace. Here are some

helpful tips promoting fire safety: keep

your work area free of waste paper and

trash that can easily catch fire; check your

electrical cords – if a cord is damaged in

any way, replace it; keep heat-producing

equipment away from anything that might

burn; and always know your fire safety plan.

Green Star TipDid you know one of the most serious

threats to our oceans is plastic pollution?

Plastic constitutes approximately 90

percent of all trash floating on the

ocean’s surface. Please consider

recycling or reusing your plastics.

myth: Pebble will pollute the waters around it.

FaCt: All water from the mine area will be

controlled, collected and released back into

the environment only when it meets strict

water quality standards.

The Alaska Department of Environmental

Conservation has some of the most stringent

water quality standards in the nation. This

includes an anti-degradation policy, which

requires extraordinary protection of waters

with high natural quality. The quality of these

waters must be maintained and protected and

any discharges to the waters must be treated

using best available methods and to the

highest statutory and regulatory requirements.

The standards also protect Alaska’s waters

BUSTER

so that they can serve as habitat for fish and

other aquatic life, as sources of drinking water,

and for recreation and other purposes.

Pebble will work closely with the state and

federal agencies to ensure that water released

from the mine area not only meets water

quality standards, but has everything needed

to continue to provide vital fish habitat.

The Elder’s Forum began in 2009 with approximately 60 attendees from the Bristol Bay region. The initial purpose of the event: to address questions surrounding the Pebble Project. Today, the Elder’s Forum serves as an opportunity for those who want to learn more about the Pebble Project, while reconnecting with family and friends. This year at the 5th Annual Elder’s Forum, Pebble hosted more than 200 attendees from 26 communities throughout the Bristol Bay region.

Elders Forum

3201 C Street, Suite 604Anchorage, AK 99503United States of America

PAGE 4 | july/AuGust 2013 The Pebble Project Newsletter

ANCHORAGE: 907.339.2600TOll-FREE: 1.877.450.2600

www.pebblepartnership.com

EmPlOyEE sPOtlight

Meet Valerie EngebretsenA life-long Alaskan and a resident of Nondalton, Alaska

PRSRT STDUS Postage

PAIDAnchorage, AK

Permit #537

www.facebook.com/pebbleprojectwww.twitter.com/pebbleproject

www.linkedin.com/company/pebble-ltd.-partnershipwww.youtube.com/pebbleparternship

What is your position with Pebble?I’m a Community Associate for the Pebble

Partnership, serving as a liaison for information

between the Partnership and the communities in

which I grew up.

When did you start working for Pebble? My career with Pebble began in February 2012.

Tell us about your Pebble work history. Before I applied for a position as a community

associate I was pretty uninformed about the

project. I thought what better way to get more

informed then to work directly for Pebble. I

applied for the position and here I’m today as a

Community Associate. Learning as I go, I travel

and get a chance to hear from people all over my

region.

What does the Pebble culture mean to you? The environmental commitment Pebble puts forth

to the project is one of the greatest commitments

I have ever seen by a company. I can easily say

with full confidence that our area is by far the most

studied area in Alaska. Pebble is doing a great job

at keeping their promise of using the world’s best

science.

What do you like best about working for Pebble? The opportunity to engage with stakeholders in my

region and to stay informed on the Pebble Project.

What is your favorite memory from your time with Pebble? I’ve really enjoyed traveling and engaging with

communities. Also, getting together with the entire

Pebble team is a wonderful experience. Everyone I

meet has a great attitude and work ethic. n