NEWS RELEASE
 
Kinross Alaska partners with Trout Unlimited for Alaska Abandoned Mine Restoration Initiative
Commits US$540,000 in support of restoration of Resurrection Creek in collaboration with United States Forest Service
 
Fairbanks, Alaska – For Immediate Release – Kinross and Trout Unlimited are pleased to announce their partnership on the joint Alaska Abandoned Mine Restoration Initiative. The Company has made an initial commitment of US$540,000 over the next three years in support of the initiative, which will target the restoration of waterways, lands and fish habitats impacted by historic mining in the state, starting with Resurrection Creek.
 

Alaska Abandoned Mine Restoration Initiative

 
The Alaska Abandoned Mine Restoration Initiative is the first partnership of its kind in Alaska, with a major mining company and a conservation organization working alongside federal and state land-management agencies to restore the environment and mitigate the impact of historic mining operations.
 
This initiative will expand restoration efforts in Alaska, where anecdotal information and initial mapping analysis reveal that hundreds of streams have been impacted by historic mining activities. Many of these locations are now abandoned and harm fish and pollute waterways.
 
This new program will be modeled after Trout Unlimited’s successful Abandoned Mine Clean-Up programs in Montana, Washington, Colorado and Idaho.
 

Resurrection Creek Restoration

 
The Alaska Abandoned Mine Restoration Initiative’s first project will help to restore a 2.2-mile segment of Resurrection Creek, which is located on the northern end of the Kenai Peninsula, near Hope, Alaska, on Chugach National Forest. The area was home to one of Alaska’s first gold rushes during the 1900s to 1940s.
 
Kinross’ US$540,000 donation will allow for the continuation of on-the-ground restoration efforts at Resurrection Creek in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service. The planned restoration area also includes 74 acres of riparian habitat and will build on the work completed by the U.S. Forest Service in 2007, which significantly improved fish habitats in the area.
 
The project is expected to restore the main channel of Resurrection Creek and its floodplains, construct new spawning pools and add vegetation to areas surrounding the stream, and enhance a popular sport fishery used by local communities. The restoration work will run from May through July for the next three seasons.
 
“We are very pleased to partner with Trout Unlimited to support the Alaska Abandoned Mine Restoration Initiative, and to work alongside the U.S. Forest Service on this important project,” said Jeremy Brans, Vice- President &  General Manager, Kinross Fort  Knox. “This initiative demonstrates our commitment to

responsible resource development for the benefit of the Alaskan economy while caring for the waterways, lands and fish that are so important to our communities and future generations.”
 
“Kinross has long been one of Trout Unlimited’s most valued partners,” said Rob Masonis, Vice President for Western Conservation. “This initiative demonstrates what’s possible when conservation and business interests team up to care for the resources we all value, and will create a lasting legacy of healthy salmon and trout streams in Alaska.”
 
“The Resurrection Creek restoration project is a shining example of how the Chugach National Forest partners with both nonprofits and the private sector to manage for multiple uses. The Forest Service is excited to build on the success of the first phase of restoration to establish 2.5 additional miles of stream corridor that will better support salmon spawning, wildlife, vegetation, and other natural ecosystem functions,” said Tchelet Segev, Project Coordinator, U.S. Forest Service.
 
This new initiative is the next step in a long-standing partnership between Kinross and Trout Unlimited. The partnership’s accomplishments include restoration projects in Nevada, and the 2017 donation of water rights representing approximately three billion gallons of water to permanently protect vital fish habitat in tributaries of the Yellowstone River in Montana after the successful reclamation of the Company’s Mineral Hill mine. In 2019, Kinross was awarded Trout Unlimited’s Corporate Conservation Award to recognize its commitment to conservation efforts, the first mining company to receive the award.
 
The Alaska Abandoned Mine Restoration Initiative is another example of Kinross’ long history of commitment to the environment in the state, which includes a partnership with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in managing a major restoration project in the Fish Creek valley, and its successful reclamation of the True North mine, with the land returned back to Alaska for future public use in 2020.
 

Celebration Event

To commemorate the restoration of Resurrection Creek, Kinross Gold, Trout Unlimited and the U.S. Forest Service will host an event on August 13, 2020 from 12:30 p.m. AKDT to 2:00 p.m. AKDT in Hope, Alaska.
Speakers will include Senator Lisa Murkowski, and leadership from Trout Unlimited, Kinross Gold and the
U.S. Forest Service.
For further details, contact Brenna Schaake at brenna.schaake@kinross.com.

About Trout Unlimited

Trout Unlimited, the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization, is dedicated to caring for and recovering America’s rivers and streams so our children can experience the joy of wild and native trout and salmon. Across the country, TU brings to bear local, regional and national grassroots organizing, durable partnerships, and science-backed policy muscle on behalf of trout   and   salmon   fisheries, healthy waters and vibrant communities. In Alaska, we work with sportsmen and women to ensure the state’s trout and salmon resources remain healthy far into the future through our local chapters and offices in Anchorage and Juneau.
For more information contact:
 
Austin Williams
Alaska Legal and Policy Director
907-227-1590
austin.williams@tu.org