Developing meaningful relationships with residents in Arctic development.

• Author: Bell, Susan
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Alaska Native Business

As we promote development of the Arctic--and its myriad energy resources--it is imperative that local residents have meaningful opportunities to participate in and benefit from development.

Traditionally, living in the Arctic required well-honed survival skills and significant cooperation with family and community members. This is still true today. Many Alaskans maintain traditional ways of gathering food and their culture.

Particular Resilience

People living in the Arctic have demonstrated a particular resilience, despite abrupt or intrusive changes in national sovereignty, technologies, national defense strategies, introduction of diseases, and more. In the last century, many Arctic communities have experienced dramatic losses in population, cultural traditions, language, and access to traditional lands.

Yet, many Alaskans have seen significant improvements in economic opportunity and quality of life. The Red Dog Mine, recently celebrating twenty-five years of operations, is an excellent model of how to work effectively in an Arctic environment and ensure residents have opportunity.

The zinc, lead, and silver mine is located in the DeLong Mountains about ninety miles north of Kotzebue and about fifty-five miles from the Chukchi Sea. Located on property owned by NANA Regional Corporation, the mine represents unique relationships between private landowners, developers, and state government.

The deposit was discovered in the late 1960s. Construction began in 1986 and production commenced in 1989. Much coordination was required at local, state, and federal levels to achieve mine operations. Importantly, development of this mine generated profound changes in the region.

The Northwest Arctic Borough was incorporated in 1986, two years before mine production. The mine provides the tax base to support schools, public safety, and other public services in the region.

Regional Growth

A world-class deposit, Red Dog was also the most capital-intensive mining project in Alaska. The state of Alaska, through AIDEA (Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority), constructed a fifty-mile access road and port in exchange for guaranteed repayment over the life of the mine. Mining activity takes place year round. Ore concentrates are stored until shipments can be made during the ice-free summer months.

Much of rural Alaska has experienced steady outmigration. Not this region. In 1980, the Northwest Arctic Borough had about 4,800 people; by 2014 it had...