Lincoln Bean

Photo by: SEARHC

“I’ve been on the Organized Village of Kake council, and in health care, for quite a while now. With the transboundary, there’s a close tie-in to health, and the impact mining could have. If we ever have a catastrophic event with a tailings dam on a transboundary river, it could affect all of our livelihood, and our traditional foods. Seaweed, crab, you name it.

It's not just Southeast — it’s going to affect the entire state. Even the Lower 48. We are going to have to look at cleanup, and the long-term effects. We know dams have failed several times across the world.

We have a great opportunity right now, in the U.S. and the Biden administration, to work with ministers involved with the environment in Canada. If only one transboundary dam broke, all of Southeast’s waters would be contaminated. I have nothing against mining, but they need to be more responsible."

–Lincoln Bean, Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission Tribal Representative, SEARHC board member, and Organized Village of Kake council member

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