On the western shore of Cook Inlet | Tikahtnu, guarded by Mt. Illiamna and Redoubt, lies one of Alaska’s most ecologically rich regions. In and around Lake Clark National Park, tidal zones protect some of the last healthy razor clam beds in Cook Inlet. The surrounding shores, wetlands, and forests support 187 bird species and more than 550 plant species.
Nearby, Tuxedni Bay and the Chisik National Wildlife Refuge, established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1909, protect the largest seabird colonies in Cook Inlet | Tikahtnu. Tuxedni Bay is also the only known winter foraging ground for endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales, of which just over 300 remain. Inside Lake Clark National Park, a region known as the Bear Coast hosts one of the densest populations of brown bears on Earth.
This living landscape is irreplaceable — and it is now under serious threat.
The Johnson Tract Mine
The Johnson Tract Mine, spearheaded by Contago Ore, is a proposed gold, zinc, lead, copper, and silver mine at the base of Mt. Iliamna (a gigantic volcano perched on one of the most seismically active regions globally), inside the boundaries of Lake Clark National Park. While the mine site sits on a 20,942-acre private inholding owned by Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI), its impacts would extend far beyond that parcel.
Plans for the mine include:
- A 20-mile industrial access road through the park.
- An industrial deep-sea shipping port in Tuxedni Bay.
- A full-scale extraction operation within national park boundaries, focusing heavily on the gold deposits in the area.
Recent developments have heightened these concerns. Contago Ore has announced a merger with Canadian mining company Dolly Varden, nearly doubling the company’s size and expanding Johnson Tract’s potential for long-term industrial infrastructure.
What’s at Stake for Cook Inlet?
Johnson Tract could be devastating for Cook Inlet belugas — but the consequences extend much further than this one species. This is about some of what we value most about Alaska: clean water, public lands, subsistence, local economies, and the cultural heritage of Alaskan communities.
This region is both an ecological stronghold and an economic engine. Clear streams support salmon runs that power Cook Inlet’s fishery, worth tens to hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Ecotourism thrives here, with visitors drawn by the dense brown bear population of the Bear Coast and the intact wilderness. The region hosts some of the largest salmon runs in the world, providing critical spawning grounds for swarms of sockeye, chinook, coho, and pink salmon. Commercial and subsistence fishermen have worked these waters for generations, and some have built new livelihoods around ecotourism. But all of this is dependent on a healthy Tuxedni Bay.
The area is also steeped in history. In a Sierra Club article, commercial fisherman Dustin Solberg writes of finding petroglyphs etched into stone, an oil lamp carved into a natural boulder, and fossils scattered throughout the land. He describes a place with an almost “Jurassic” feel — colossal cottonwood trees, eagle nests grown massive through generations of use. All of this, from the ecological richness to the history and the economic opportunity of the region, could be lost forever if a large corporation (which, with the new merger, is only partially based in the U.S.) is allowed to sacrifice it for short-term profit.
A Bad Deal for Alaska
Why should Alaskans accept an extractive project that does little to support Alaska’s budget or long-term well-being?
Between 2009 and 2018, metal mining generated only about one-sixtieth of the revenue oil brought to Alaska’s economy. Even if mining doubled or tripled, it would barely make a dent. Most profits — and many jobs — flow out of state. Gold mining has been found to have at best a weak trickle-down effect on Alaska’s economy. Most mines operate in extremely remote regions, so nearby communities seldom benefit from increased service or labor needs. Often, mines are poor employers of local skills — the nearby proposed Pebble Mine, for example, planned to use Alaskan labor for 75% of its 1,000-2,000 person workforce — but potentially costing the state massively by damaging the Bristol Bay fishery, which employs approximately 15,000 people.
Though described as a “short-term” 5–7-year project, the infrastructure of the Johnson Tract mine also tells a different story:
- Permanent roads
- A shipping port
- Industrial development inside a national park
Once built, this infrastructure, and its impacts, rarely disappear.
The Long-Term Risks of Gold Mining
Gold mining carries well-documented environmental risks. Gold is often found alongside sulfide minerals; when waste rock mixes with water, it can create sulfuric acid and cause acid mine drainage.
This process lowers water pH (which can kill fish and wildlife), and leaches heavy metals like arsenic, mercury, and zinc out of the surrounding landscape, and contaminates streams and groundwater. These toxins do not break down. They can poison ecosystems for decades or centuries, causing fish kills, reproductive harm, and risks to people who rely on these waters.
In Alaska, where healthy rivers and coastal zones underpin subsistence, culture, and a billion-dollar salmon economy, the stakes could not be higher.
What You Can Do
Inletkeeper and our allies are taking action. We have filed a petition with NOAA to protect Tuxedni Bay — a crucial step toward safeguarding beluga habitat and preventing construction of an industrial port in this sensitive ecosystem.
But we cannot do this work alone.
Your support powers the advocacy, science, and legal action needed to protect Cook Inlet | Tikahtnu. Every donation helps defend clean water, wild salmon, subsistence traditions, and Alaska’s public lands.
Stand up for Cook Inlet’s future.
Make your contribution today and help protect this irreplaceable place — for all time.
Donate now: www.inletkeeper.org/donate