After my arrival in Nondalton, I floated down the Newhalen river to fly out of the town of Iliamna. The fate of the Pebble Mine project is anything but decided. Northern Dynasty won’t even apply for permits until 2008. There’s a lot of money behind them, but a diverse and growing opposition is working hard to fight the plan, including a number of local villages, a commercial fisherman’s association, sport fishermen and lodge operators, and many concerned citizens.

All photos copyright Erin McKittrick - 2005