Good News for the Chilkat Watershed: American Pacific Dumps the Palmer Project!

May 7th, 2025

Over the last several years, you’ve helped us defend the Chilkat Watershed from the threat of a dangerous sulfide mine being developed at its headwaters. The Chilkat Watershed is not only important brown (coastal grizzly) and black bear habitat, but also the most biologically diverse watershed in Alaska, unparalleled salmon habitat, and home to the communities of Klukwan and Haines. A mine in the upper watershed would threaten all of that with acid mine pollution that would require active water treatment forever—long after the mining companies have pulled up stakes.

Last week, American Pacific, the Canadian mining company that owns the Palmer Project under its subsidiary, Constantine Mining, announced that it is walking away from the project.

KHNS-FM News cited “local dynamics” as a major challenge to developing the mine. That means us. Whether you responded to one of our action alerts, shared our messaging on social media, made a donation, or sent us kind words of encouragement, you were part of running yet another international mining company off from the Chilkat Valley. Thank you.

Click here to read the KHNS-FM article.

This is not a permanent win, of course—we will still have to guard against potential buyers, make noise so they know we will not back down from protecting the Chilkat Watershed, and ultimately seek long-term protections under the leadership of the Chilkat Lingít—but this is something to celebrate. Last November, we succeeded in running off DOWA, the Japanese smelter company that financed the Palmer Project, and now we’ve given American Pacific the boot.

There will be no drilling program this summer. 2025 will go down as another year we have prevented the Palmer Project from advancing to underground exploration—a point of no return for acid mine pollution.

Thank you for your part in this victory! Something to celebrate!

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