Dear Alaska Department of Natural Resources,

I am writing to ask you to act in the best interests of the Chilkat Valley, the Alaska Bald Eagle Preserve, and the downstream communities of Haines and Klukwan and reject Constantine's 5-year Plan of Operations and Application for Permits to Mine in Alaska (APMA J20245690) on the grounds that it threatens the Chilkat Watershed's clean water, biodiversity, and the people of Klukwan and Haines' subsistence-based ways of life.

I am concerned about the impacts of water withdrawal from creeks, some of which are fish-bearing, and some of which run dry in drought conditions. I'm also concerned about potential erosion, sedimentation, and contaminated run-off from road-building and clearing of forest to build new roads and drill pads. I'm concerned about the effects of seismic blasting, helicopter use, and heavy equipment on the area's wildlife, and on tourism and recreation activities. Most of all, I am concerned about Constantine/American Pacific Mining its joint venture partner, DOWA's stated intention to study and develop these lands at the confluence of the salmon-bearing Glacier Creek and the Klehini River for tailings storage. Glacier Creek and the Klehini River flow into the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, and these activities threaten the biodiversity and water quality of the world's only bald eagle preserve, home to the largest seasonal concentration of bald eagles, all five species of wild Pacific salmon, and myriad wildlife species including black and brown bears.

Constantine's application lacks meaningful data on natural baseline conditions that would make it possible for the Department to take a "hard look" at the proposed activities and their direct and cumulative impacts on wildlife and downstream communities. Although the application materials indicate that the Department has had this application since November, the Department has only given the public 14 days to comment on over 300 pages of technical documents. Further, American Pacific's senior vice president, Peter Mercer, told the public that the deadline to comment is April 26, two days after the actual deadline, disenfranchising the public's ability to participate in decision-making. On these grounds, I ask the Department to issue a 30-day extension of the public comment period, in the public interest.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment. The Chilkat Watershed is a treasure, one of the most biologically diverse watersheds in all of Alaska. I ask the Department to act in the best interests of the watershed and its communities by rejecting this permit.