A chat with Gemini about the ‘Eskay Creek Revitalization Project’ (it needs to be revitalized?’ Some are concerned about insults to, and long term degradation of, salmon fishing around Wrangell.
I prompted Gemini for a couple of answers;
Gemini-The Eskay Creek Revitalization Project is a major gold-silver mining project in northwestern British Columbia’s “Golden Triangle”. Currently in the construction phase, it is on track to begin initial production by Q2 2027.
Current Status and Timeline
Permitting Complete: As of February 2026, Skeena Gold + Silver secured all final provincial and federal regulatory permits.
Construction: Major construction is officially underway as of March 2026.
Production Start: Initial production and cash flow are expected in the second quarter of 2027.
Mine Life: The project is designed as an open-pit operation with an estimated 12 to 13-year lifespan.
Key Project Details
Location: Situated approximately 83 km northwest of Stewart, B.C., at the site of the former Eskay Creek underground mine (which operated from 1994 to 2008).
Production Scale:
Forecasted average annual output of 320,000 ounces of gold-equivalent.
Expected to be the largest silver producer in Canada during its first five years, averaging 9.5 million ounces of silver annually.
Economic Impact: The project represents a $713 million investment and is expected to create over 1,000 jobs during construction and more than 750 during ongoing operations.
Indigenous Partnership: It is the first project in Canada to achieve an environmental certificate through a Section 7 consent agreement with a First Nation (the Tahltan Nation), marking a historic shift toward collaborative resource development.
Infrastructure and Environment
Power: The mine will utilize clean energy from the nearby Coast Mountain Hydroelectric Facilities and the main hydroelectric grid.
Logistics: Concentrates produced on-site will be transported to port facilities in Stewart for shipping.
Concerns: Some downstream Southeast Alaska tribes have expressed environmental concerns regarding potential impacts on shared watersheds like the Unuk River.
Would you like to see more details on the feasibility study results or information regarding the Tahltan Nation’s specific role in the project?
Gary– Will the mine have heavy metals leached by much rainfall and create a superfund situation comparable to open pit copper mines? WIll it harm fishing?
Gemini– While the project has received environmental certification, it faces significant scrutiny regarding heavy metal leaching and risks to downstream fisheries, particularly from Alaska Native tribes and conservation groups.
Heavy Metal Leaching Risks
The mine’s geology contains potentially acid-generating (PAG) rock, which can create acid mine drainage if exposed to air and water.
Rainfall Impact: In this high-precipitation region, rainfall can accelerate the leaching of metals like selenium, copper, cadmium, and zinc.
Containment Strategy: To prevent a “Superfund-style” scenario, the project plan relies on storing waste rock and tailings underwater permanently to block oxygen and stop acid production.
Model Predictions: Environmental models predict some metals may still exceed British Columbia water quality guidelines at discharge points, presenting potential risks to the immediate environment.
Potential Harm to Fishing
There is a sharp divide between regulatory findings and the concerns of downstream communities:
Regulatory Conclusion: The B.C. Environmental Assessment Office concluded that with strict mitigation—including water treatment and seepage controls—significant adverse effects on fish and fish habitat are not expected.
Tribal and Fishery Concerns:
The Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (SEITC) and other Alaskan tribes argue the mine threatens the Unuk River, a critical habitat for all five species of salmon and eulachon (ooligan).
Critics highlight that current research estimates 15 tons of dissolved metals may flow out of the site annually, which could cause long-term declines in fish populations downstream in Alaska.
Concerns exist that tailings dams, which must be maintained “forever,” could eventually fail, leading to catastrophic downstream contamination.
Gary– The mine is plainly environmentally harmful to the environment and will exist simply to extract silver and gold. Gold has industrial utility. Its value is inflated because of the economic values given to it by economic structures not based in environmental sustainability; and that tends toward being inimical and counter-productive to human life on Earth in the long run- even as AI renders many jobs obsolete.One day robots may replace the thousand humans thought to be employed at the mine
Gemini-You’re pointing out a fundamental tension in modern resource extraction: the clash between speculative economic value and ecological survival.
Your observation about gold is technically accurate. While it is vital for high-end electronics and aerospace, roughly 75% of global gold demand is driven by jewelry and investment (bars and coins). In this sense, the massive environmental footprint at Eskay Creek—including the permanent management of toxic tailings in a sensitive watershed—is being traded for a “store of value” rather than a functional necessity.
The “Economic vs. Ecological” Calculation
The Superfund Risk: You mentioned “Superfund-style” scenarios earlier. These often happen when the economic value of a mine is exhausted, the company dissolves, and the public is left to pay for water treatment in perpetuity. Critics of Eskay Creek argue that “permanent underwater storage” of heavy metals is a high-stakes bet against geological time and climate change-induced flooding.
AI and Automation: You’re spot on about the jobs. The mining industry is one of the fastest adopters of autonomous haulage and AI-driven sorting. While the project claims 1,000 jobs today, the “human benefit” often shrinks over the mine’s 12-year life as more tasks are automated to keep the “all-in sustaining cost” (AISC) low for shareholders.
The Long-Term Conflict
The “economic structures” you mentioned prioritize short-term GDP and quarterly returns, which rarely account for the “ecosystem services” a healthy Unuk River provides (like salmon runs that feed people and forests for free, indefinitely).
Garrison Gibson: books and blog 
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