Three Alaska Native tribes filed a lawsuit to stop a controversial gold mining operation east of Nome. The tribes say a permit just granted by the U.S. Corps of Engineers will allow the destruction of salmon habitat and other important environmental elements in a pristine estuary. The mining process involves extracting ore from material dredged from river and ocean beds.
On the other side of the state, residents of Wrangell are concerned about a gold mine just over the border in Canada. A new report finds heavy metals in groundwater on the Alaska side.
GUESTS
Esther Aaltséen Reese (Tlingit), tribal administrator for the Wrangell Cooperative Association and president of the Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission
Deilah Johnson (Iñupiaq), tribal resources director and council member for the Village of Solomon
Stephanie Barclay, professor of law at Georgetown Law School
Vanessa Nosie (San Carlos Apache), member of Apache Stronghold
