Mining and Watersheds Meeting

2019 Workshop Summary

During late October 2019, the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station hosted a workshop titled, Advancing scientific knowledge of mining impacts on salmonid-bearing watersheds.

Thirty-nine science and policy experts from academic institutions, state/provincial and federal agencies, indigenous governments, and non-governmental organizations gathered to participate in the collaborative workshop. Those in attendance included representatives from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Washington, British Columbia, and Ontario.

Read the full workshop blog post here.

2019 workshop participants next to Flathead Lake

This web page will serve as the repository for information produced from the workshop and future related products. Workshop products below will be hyperlinked as they become available:

Workshop agenda

Attendee contact list

Plenary presentations

Sonia Nagorski, Minerals, mining, & impacts (link to Prezi, advance using arrows)
Greg Knox, New Fisheries and Environmental Assessment Acts
Sarah O'Neal, Pebble Mine: a case study in science and policy
Mark Connor, The Taku River Tlingit Land Use Plan
Erin Sexton, A Tale of two rivers
Genny Hoyle, The Kootenai(ay) River: a brief overview of selenium and nitrogen trends
Ric Hauer, Effect of mining on gravel-bed rivers and why you should care

Focus group summaries

Ecotoxicology
Hydrology/Water Quality
Salmonids
Policy-Science Interface

Post-workshop products from attendees

Juneau Empire editorial: Mining decisions need better science
The Conversation: Mine waste dams threaten the environment, even when they don't fail
Letter to the journal Science: Canada's mines pose transboundary risks
Media coverage:  Anchorage Press, CBCFlathead Beacon, Juneau EmpireUAFUM, UW, Sierra ClubWestern News, Western News editorial
The status of environmental monitoring in shared Alaska-British Columbia watersheds
The Alpine Clube of Canada, State of the Mountains: Mining in the Mountains
Review in Science Advances: Risks of Mining to Salmonid-Bearing Watersheds
Media coverage in many sources, including: The Globe and Mail, Daily Inter Lake, Juneau Empire, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and Mining.com
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