The Taku, Stikine, and Unuk Rivers are three of the largest salmon producing rivers that originate in so-called British Columbia and flow into Southeast Alaska. However, in a climate of weakened environmental regulations and lack of enforcement, a gold rush continues to unfold in B.C. with new mining projects proposed every year. These transboundary rivers breath vital nourishment, cultural vibrancy, and economic sustenance into this region, yet there are no enforceable policies to protect wild salmon, clean water, or the many jobs and lifeways they support from mining projects upstream. In this special, in-person interview with Jill Weitz, we take a closer look at the corporate mining sector and transboundary watersheds, following wild salmon in their path across borders to find common ground in the issues that unite us all.   

Salmon Beyond Borders campaign director Jill Weitz loves living in the Tongass National Forest of Southeast Alaska, where Juneau has been her home for more than a decade. Jill’s interests involve water, from the mountain tops and wild rivers to frozen hockey rinks. She’s worked in Southeast Alaska communities as an AmeriCorps member, from Prudhoe Bay to Ketchikan as a Compliance and Enforcement Officer for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and now works in communities throughout the Alaska/British Columbia transboundary region.

In this intimate, connective conversation with Ayana and Jill, listeners will learn the ins and outs of issues playing out at the transboundary, such as the toxic legacy of tailings disasters, the complexities of management and enforcement on the ground, the polluter pays principle, and the golden triangle in B.C. We’re enlivened by Jill’s passion for this work as well as her deep love and dedication to salmon, adding to a rich lineage of community leaders, Tribes and First Nations, fisherfolk, and activists who have defended this region for generations. This episode holds what is most important at its center — the endurance of our ancient salmon runs — and ultimately sets our collective compass towards integrity as we move through the waters of organizing, decision-making, and partnership. 

♫ Music by Eliza Edens, Bird by Snow, Treya Lam

Take Action & Learn More

Visit Salmon Beyond Borders’ website to sign up for action alerts and to take action in defense of the shared transboundary salmon rivers of Northwest British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. 

Watch Salmon Beyond Borders’ films Salmon Is… & Xboundary. 

Listen to For The Wild’s episode InTheField: NUSKMATA (Jacinda Mack) on the Gold Rush That Never Ended to hear more about mining issues in B.C., Indigenous sovereignty, and the salmon way of life. 

Check out this reading list to learn more about the issues discussed in this episode:  
‘The border is this imaginary line’: why Americans are fighting mining in B.C.’s ‘Doughnut Hole’ (The Narwhal) 
A report called “Mineral Tenure” by BC Mining Law Reform that looks at the Mineral Tenure Act, exploration permits, and free entry system. 
“We back-country paddled to the Tulsequah Chief, B.C.’s most infamous abandoned mine” The Narwhal) 
The salmon way is worth fighting for (Juneau Empire) & Amy Gulick’s The Salmon Way 

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