“Where the Heck is Donlin?” the movie, is now available to stream on Ground Truth Trekking. Thank you everyone who has supported this project. We hope to make these kinds of films again, in the future.
Very informative, I know a few people whom operate medium-scale placer gold mining operations up by the Moztalina Dome near Tanana, and they only operate durng summer with a short time window to bring fuel before the trails become too muddy. Presumably, the employment from the mines would only be seasonal also? Would having a power-station enable year round operation like the North Slope? It doesn’t seem beneficial to trade fishing employment, for mining employment if it is indeed an “either/or” scenario.
I packrafted the Susitna from Gold Creek to Talkeetna and saw plenty of broken-down, rusted industrial equipment along the banks(sometimes submerged) long ago leaked of fuel etc… Even though there are no roads to move the equipment out after the operation is done. Similar to the 1000s of abandoned boats along the coast, the state will probably foot the bill to clean/remove the equipment. Aside from the excavation scarring, retention dams maitenance, and water treatment, what steps are mandated for a company to account for removing old equipment in modern times? Is it possible to account for indefinately? That should make the mine prohibitive, especially since Gold prices bottomed recently. Is it cost effective to barge the wastewater out? Perhaps Geologically feasible to sequester it deep beneatht eh surface similar to natural gas drilling?
Lastly, I lived in Anchorage and it always amzed me how the majority of people living in AK don’t ever/or rarely leave the bowl for recreation or work. When the narrator mentioned most people have never heard of the Dolin, it doesn’t suprise me.