Poorman Mine
GOOD NEWS! As of Fall 2010, the mine developer is no longer putting resources into this project. SEACC's work with the Organized Village of Kaasan put an end to this destructive threat to a key subsistence area to the people of Kaasan.
The Project
The Poorman Magnetite (iron) Project is an open-pit strip mine being proposed by Eagle Industrial Minerals near the village of Kasaan on Prince of Wales Island. The mine site lies less than a mile from town.
The project plans to blast and strip 750,000 to 1,000,000 tons of low-grade ore each year for export overseas. The project will produce 6.7 million tons of waste rock over its 5 year lifespan.
Once operational, the project will consist of an open-pit mine, ore crushing facility, magnetic separation plant, conveyor belt system, several waste piles, and a large ore loading dock and facility. Two types of waste rock produced are expected to generate acid rock drainage (more acid rock here).
The Land and Fish
The site of this project contains several salmon streams that would be impacted by the development. For example, Label Creek is as salmon spawning stream and would have to be moved into a man-made channel for the duration of the operation, then moved back and restored after closure. Poorman Creek and Footbridge Creek are also within the proposed strip-mine site.
The area is pocketed by kettle ponds and is habitat for deer and bear.
The ore loading facility is located in an area important to fish, especially a newly rebounding herring population.
The People
The Organized Village of Kasaan, a federally recognized tribal government, has spoken out against this project. They have spent years planning and developing a sustainable culture-based tourism economy that would be incompatible with a major strip mine nearby. Many of the residents use this area for customary and traditional food gathering.
