In its quest to development a massive copper-gold-molybdenum deposit located in the Bristol Bay Region of Southwest Alaska, The Pebble Limited Partnership has undertaken an extensive community outreach program that is having a remarkable effect on the lives of local residents.
The partnership, a 50-50 co-venture of Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. and AngloAmerican plc, has invested millions of dollars in developing the Pebble Project, including numerous educational, training and business development programs in the region.
Perhaps the most remarkable of these initiatives is the Pebble Fund, a 5-year, $5 million commitment to help develop sustainable communities in rural Southwest Alaska. Though the mine companies have contributed nearly $1 million to the fund annually since 2009, they have exerted virtually zero influence over how the money has been spent.
Managed by the Alaska Community Foundation, the Pebble Fund’s grants are reviewed and approved by a 10- to 12-member advisory board of Bristol Bay-area residents that considers applications twice yearly for grants ranging from $5,000 to $100,000.
As the fund’s five-year commitment draws to a close, Foundation CEO Candace Winkler said her organization is attempting to determine the extent of its impact on Bristol Bay communities.
“What’s been so powerful is that (the mining companies) have given those funds and stepped back and let the community decide how the funds are spent,” Winkler said. “And the advisory board members have set aside the varying politics of the individuals involved and focused on the community’s needs. It’s certainly had an impact. We’ve seen some appreciation from the tribal groups and communities.”
DeWayne Constantine, chairman of the Pebble Fund advisory board, said the panel “stringently” followed guidelines established by the foundation, and even though about 75 percent of the applications did not receive money, the fund had a substantial impact on the community.
Six-fold impact
“About $3.8 million or $3.9 million from the Pebble Fund has enabled the villages to secure or match more than $26 million in state and federal funds for their projects,” Constantine said.
The grants helped to fund a variety of civic and community projects, everything from restocking an elder food bank, to relocating a sewer line on a beach, to purchasing an X-ray machine and a firefighting truck and equipment. Among the more unusual projects: Rebuilding and renovating local churches, purchasing wind turbines to power a community greenhouse and installing an FM radio tower.
“Without the Pebble Fund, a lot of these communities couldn’t secure state or federal funding for these projects, especially the smaller villages that have no tax base,” said Constantine. “Even the small grants like for vehicle purchases make a big difference.”
The village of Kokhanok, for example, was able to buy a truck with a plow that it uses to maintain its utility right-of-ways.
The fund’s impact was felt perhaps most profoundly in these villages where unemployment and underemployment is epidemic and local residents were hired to operate the heavy and specialized equipment required to complete the various infrastructure projects. The Pebble Fund also paid for the training that made it possible for the locals to do the work.
“The first year, a lot of people thought the Pebble Fund was bribing the communities to support the Pebble Project,” Constantine said. “By the next year, the communities realized that they could maintain their stance against the (mine) project and still apply for grant money.”
