Eva Sheldon offers a local perspective as to the positive, long-term economic impact of the Ambler Access Project. In her op-ed, published in the Greatlander Bushmailer October 2023 edition, she presents the generational benefits of projects that allow residents to remain in their home villages, while earning a living and maintaining their rural lifestyle. Eva Sheldon is a NANA Shareholder and an enrolled member of the Kobuk Tribe. Read Eva’s full published opinion piece below.
The Ambler mining district is a large prospective copperzinc mineral belt, with deposits of cobalt, germanium,
gallium, palladium, gold, silver, and platinum. These metals are the building blocks for green technologies, renewable energies, and innovations of tomorrow.
OPINION: A Road Helps Maintain Rural Communities and Our Lifestyles By Eva Sheldon Growing up in Ambler in Northwest Alaska, I heard stories of minerals and precious metals in our region. First it was the Red Dog Mine. As a child, I remember the community meetings held discussing the discovery near Noatak and Kivalina. I remember the concerned faces of the community members, especially the elders. After significant discussions and evaluations, NANA moved forward with a partnership with Cominco for the development of the mine.
Red Dog has now been in operation for 34 years. The benefits this mine has brought to the NANA region and Alaska through the 7(i) program, are great; the mine continues to provide financial security to individuals, families, and organizations. I have personally benefited from employment at the mine, and through various scholarships provided, I was able to obtain my
Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in 2017. Red Dog offers numerous opportunities, some requiring formal education and degrees and other jobs available through on-the-job training or various skill certificates. The training programs available have also led to great opportunities outside of the mine as well, such as the Alaska Technical Center located in Kotzebue which designs programs to fill the training needs with certifications required for jobs at the Red Dog Mine. The AAP and the potential mines in the region present opportunities for residents to remain in our home villages while also earning a living just like Red Dog does.
This is critical -- the current price for gasoline and heating fuel is $18 per gallon in Ambler, in Shungnak it's $13 per gallon, and in Kobuk it's $14.64 for gas and $13.58 for heating oil. The road will lower these costs through enabling overland shipment, where currently most goods must be air shipped, contributing to higher costs. Aside from the benefit of lower cost of goods and fuel, other opportunities include employment, training programs, business opportunities, community programs, and improved or new infrastructure.
A road actually helps maintain rural communities and our lifestyles. Future generations will see the benefits of this development - much like we have seen with the Red Dog Mine. Being involved in, and leading the Tribal Liaison Program for this project gives me great confidence in its success based on the work being done and what we have learned from the past and current operations. I am looking forward to the AAP's future opportunities.
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