CONTINUED FROM PAGE 57
Q: What has been your role in the project?
Clawson: I’m a habitat biologist with ADF&G, and our section issues fish habitat permits. Any development activity that takes place within water that could affect fish habitat requires a permit from us. In this case, we issued Donlin Gold’s Snow Gulch reclamation project fish habitat permit in 2018. People don’t always realize how complex it is to restore habitat. Trying to replicate what nature did is surprisingly difficult. But it has been exciting to see this start to come to fruition, with outlet and inlet channel construction completed, fish sampling underway, and signs of juvenile fish using the new habitat.
From exploration to production, we have decades of experience serving the mining industry in all stages of operations. Streamline your camp services with NMS, an Alaska Native-owned company. RUNNING ALASKA’S REMOTE CAMPS SINCE 1974
Q: Tell us what your team saw during fish sampling.
Clawson: To give you some context, Owl Ridge, natural resource consultants for Donlin Gold, had caught juvenile coho salmon in the pond in fall 2024, but this spring we caught coho again, which means they overwintered. That’s a huge success! They even looked like they were about to smolt and head down- stream to the ocean. We also caught juvenile Dolly Varden, slimy sculpin, and nine-spined stickleback. Slimy sculpin, in particular, are a great indicator because they don’t tolerate low pH levels. Q: That’s exciting to hear about signs of juvenile fish using the new habitat. What conditions are needed for them to thrive? Clawson: Anadromous fish like salmon move between fresh- water and saltwater, and their needs change at different life stages. Adults need clean gravel and flowing water all winter long to ensure their eggs don’t freeze or suffocate under sediment. Young salmon will rear in freshwater for one to three years, so they need food, cover (like woody debris to hide in), and safe places to overwinter. That means ponds deep enough not to freeze, with enough connectivity so fish can move in and out in the fall and spring. All of these condi- tions exist at Snow Gulch, which is why we were hopeful to see successful overwintering of the coho salmon that were sampled in fall 2024.
Juvenile coho salmon sampled in spring 2025 at Snow Gulch. ADF&G photo
45 offices worldwide and a global network of af liates.
Let’s Talk Bradley Berberich Strategic Account Manager 907.982.2533 Bradley.Berberich@nana.com
No matter where you are in the world, chances are we’ve got your project covered.
Q: What should people know about this work at Snow Gulch?
Clawson: The main thing I want people to know is how complex it is to get things back to nature. It might seem simple, but it’s actually very involved if you want it to last and truly achieve the spirit of compensatory mitigation. It’s been exciting to see the progress so far, and I’m looking forward to what the next couple of years bring as the fish habitat reclamation project phases move forward. When you see a company putting as much time and thought into it as Donlin Gold has, it really increases the likelihood of success.
.com
nmsusa.com
58
59
THE ALASKA MINER - THE MAGAZINE OF THE ALASKA MINERS ASSOCIATION
FALL 2025 | ALASKAMINERS.ORG
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator