Mining in Remote Areas Issues and Impacts - MiningWatch Canada

lar group of animals.(16)When the Omineca mine roadwas built in northern BC in the late1970s, slash barriers along the roadled fish and wildlife branch officersto dub it a “moose trap.” There wasalso concern that the piled up slashwas interfering with migration ofcaribou herds “as effectively as abarbed wire fence.” BC Wildlife Federationspokesperson Les Story cautioned,“when you break up a migrationcorridor for a herd of caribou,you’re signing its death warrant.”(18)Roads are bad news for bears, too,because they disrupt bear movementsby fragmenting their ranges,and because they introduce often -uncontrolled human disturbancesinto the area. The road slated to serviceRedfern Resources’ (now RedcorpVentures Ltd.’s) TulsequahChief mine in northern BC has biologistsworried. The historical patternsuggests that if use of the road is notrestricted to Redfern activities and issubject to unrestricted access byother users, as has been the case inmany other mine developmentsthroughout BC and North America,“bears will be killed by hunters,poachers and anyone else with a gunwho perceives himself or his propertyto be in jeopardy,” says bear expertPhil Timpany.(19)One of the greatest worriesfor First Nations is thatroads will increase accessto traditional hunting areas,which would meanthat subsistence harvesterswould then have tocompete with other users.The Taku RiverTlingit First Nation,environmental organizationsand the Alaskangovernment haveserious concerns thata road to the TulsequahChief mine willlead to increased exploitation and/ordestruction of the area’s resources.(17,22)Fish Habitat DestructionRoads affect watercourses by introducingsediments and pollutants.The compaction of the roadbed disruptsgroundwater flows and the imperviousnature of the road surfaceincreases runoff. Runoff and divertedwaters are often concentrated in culvertsand channels, which, if improperlydesigned, can burst and causeflooding and erosion. All of these factorsincrease erosion and result inincreased sedimentation and turbidityof the receiving waters. For example,during the construction phase ofthe Kemess mine in northern BC,vegetation was cleared and earthdumped into streams, leading tocharges being laid against the mine’sowner, Royal Oak Mines Inc., for fishhabitat destruction.(20) Trees werealso cleared for a powerline to theKemess mine without regard to theprovince’s Forest Practices Code,causing stream damage along thecorridor. (21)The board said an inspection inJune, 1999, revealed that Royal Oakthreatened water quality and fisheriesafter 50 fish-bearing streamswere blocked with debris and slashCaribou are one of the northern species potentially impactedby mines, particularly those involving the construction of newroadsEnvironmentalImpactsTroubled waters: the17 Taku dilemma (Globe &Mail, 08/10/98, A10)Redfern Resources, a junior miningcompany, is planning to build a 160-kmroad, “ the first ever into the wilderness,”and reopen and old mine fromthe 1950s.There are fears that the road will openup the area for further development.“Already, mining companies that havebeen dormant for years are breathinglife into their claims,” says Tlingitspokesperson Melvin Jack.Environmentalists argue that the roadwill lead to logging, more mines, andthe eventual destruction of the area.The Alaskan government is “deeplyconcerned, fearing the mine will damagea lucrative salmon fishery,” and hasasked that the International Joint Commission,a body set up to deal withtransboundary water disputes, conductan independent review of the project.Environmentalists battle18 Omineca mine road(Vancouver Sun, 08/10/78)The BC Wildlife Federation was fightingthe extention of the mine road,which cut northward from Fort St.James into remote Wilderness areas.Federation spokesperson, Les Storey,said that the costs were “astronomicalwith regard to environmental damage.”The impacts included destruction of fisheries,as well as disruption of cariboufeeding and migration corridors.Have the north’s grizzliesmet their match in19mine road? (VancouverSun, 05/19/98, A15)There may be as many as 11,000 oras few as 3,000 grizzlies in BC, butthere is presently a healthy populationin northern BC near the Taku River.Biologists are trying to determinewhat the impact of the 160-km TulsequahChief mining road will have on thebears.Biologist Tony Hamilton believes thatif the access road is restricted to industryuse the bears have a chance; but ifthe road is open to other traffic bearswill be shot. When no regulations existto protect bears, experience has shownthis to be true time and time again.Mining In Remote Areas: Issues and Impacts 5