Representatives of Canada's First Nations and Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission members take a group photo during a conference March 13 at the Tulalip Conference Center in Washington. More than 30 participants discussed concerns with transboundary mining activities that would likely adversely affect the ecosystem shared by the two countries. Fourth from the right in the middle row, Wrangellite Tis Peterman participated as SEAITC coordinator.
A free showing of a documentary highlighting the hazards of mining on transboundary rivers drew a pretty decent crowd Monday evening, with seats at the Nolan Center filling up fast.
Released last year, "Uprivers" is the first film made by Matthew Jackson, of Ketchikan. Jackson previously has spent time in Wrangell working with the Alaska Crossings program, and his presentation of the film is part of a broader tour of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia.
Prior to showing his 30-minute work, Jackson explained the issue of Canadian mining and its impact on water quality on salmon-producing rivers in the region became a concern for him in the summer of 2014. Shortly thereafter, disaster struck at the Mt. Polley mine, a large open-pit concern on the Fraser River system. In August 2014 millions of cubic yards of toxic-tainted tailings were released when its earthen dam failed. Much of the slurry made its way into the adjoining river.
The issue struck close to home for Jackson, due to proposed projects upstream of Ketchikan's Unuk River.
"It was really sobering for me. I was really afraid for my home town," he said. The issue inspired him to do something to help, which manifested itself as an idea for a film.
As he learned more about the issue, Jackson found there were already people "on the front line" of the issue. He thought it more appropriate to make a film about their efforts instead, focusing on two women on either side of the border and their families.
His subjects were Carrie James, also of Ketchikan, and Jacinda Mack, who belongs to the Secwepemc and Nuxalk in British Columbia. Both women have become leading voices in the effort to control mining projects along shared river systems.
"I was fortunate to capture their story on camera," he said.
His film was three years in the making, highlighting the lives and activities of both women, and their deep ties to their rivers.
On film, Mack described the impact Mt. Polley had had on subsistence users, who after the disaster were provided tinned salmon in lieu of fresh fish to catch. It was a paltry substitute.
"Salmon is more than protein on a plate," Mack explained.
Following the catching, cleaning and canning process of salmon by James' family, the film showed how subsistence is a way of life and a way for generations to bond.
Meeting other characters along the way, "Uprivers" charts both women's paths toward political involvement and their push for the establishment of an International Joint Commission to oversee and regulate transboundary mining activities along the American and Canadian border. Such bodies have been bilaterally formed to resolve issues along Canadian borders with Montana, Idaho, and the Great Lakes states.
In a question and answer session afterward, Jackson pointed out the IJC process had been making some progress before the firing of State Secretary Rex Tillerson earlier this month. With no one at the department's helm until a new appointment is made, the effort may have lost ground.
"We've hit a little speedbump. But we're not going to stop," said Jones, who accompanied Jackson for the viewing. Mack was absent, but had previously attended Wrangell's anniversary remembrance of Mt. Polley in 2015.
Beyond the film's scope, Jackson noted there were groups leading the charge on the effort to clean up Canadian mining. Salmon Beyond Borders and the recently-renamed Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (formerly United Tribal Transboundary Mining Work Group) have been active in seeking out legislative and gubernatorial support on the Alaska side of the issue, while reaching out to First Nations counterparts on the Canadian side.
In an unprecedented step, SEAITC met with indigenous Canadian counterparts earlier this month to coordinate a joint response to the issue. The meeting's participants say that mining companies must be held financially responsible for the safe design and operation of their concerns, and that large-scale operations should be avoided altogether in areas of sensitive habitat.
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