Filmmaker talks digging into proposed Chilkat Valley mining project

‘Rock, Paper, Fish’ takes a skeptical, nuanced look at proposed Palmer Project

Colin Arisman and Connor Connor Gallagher work on “Rock, Paper, Fish” a movie about a proposed mining project in the Chilkat Valley near Haines and Klukwan. (Courtesy Photo | For “Rock, Paper, Fish”)

Colin Arisman and Connor Connor Gallagher work on “Rock, Paper, Fish” a movie about a proposed mining project in the Chilkat Valley near Haines and Klukwan. (Courtesy Photo | For “Rock, Paper, Fish”)

Chilkat Valley residents surprised Colin Arisman, when he set out to help make the movie “Rock, Paper, Fish.”

The 23-minute film captures community response to a exploration of a potential mining project in the Haines Borough near Klukwan known as the Palmer Project. The Palmer Project is a mining prospect in the advanced exploration stage, according to the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. The Project is operated by Constantine North Inc. Previously, the tribal government of Klukwan sued the Bureau of Land Management in connection to the project.

However, Arisman said the people he talked to were not as polarized as he expected.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“I think we assumed that the divide between pro- and anti-mining would be pretty black and white, but in small Alaskan communities people are very thoughtful in how they express themselves,” Arisman said in an email after a phone interview with the Capital City Weekly. “There’s a lot at stake — for the watershed, for economic security and for the well-being of the community — but yet neighbors are neighbors, and folks are respectful of each other’s perspectives. At the same time, we became more aware of how limited the opportunities are for the average person to engage with the development process for mines in Alaska, especially when they are on private land.”

The documentary premiered in Klukwan earlier this month and was shot off and on over the course of two years. It is now making its way around Southeast Alaska. It was shown in Juneau and Skagway last week and a screening is planned for April 7 in Sitka.

Arisman took time to talk to the Capital City Weekly this week about the Palmer Project, the movie he co-directed with Connor Gallagher and his takeaways from making “Rock, Paper, Fish,” which he said will be available to stream online at RockPaperFish.com this summer.

For people who aren’t familiar with the project, can you describe it in a nutshell?

The Palmer Project is in advanced exploration. It’s about 35 miles upstream of the community of Haines. Klukwan is between Haines and the Palmer Project, and basically it’s an exploratory project evaluating the prospects of a large-scale hard rock mine. The actual site was discovered several decades ago, and over the last decade, Constantine, which is a Canadian-owned mining company in partnership with Dowa Metals, which is a Japanese-owned corporation that’s invested in the project, they’ve been stepping up their efforts to explore the deposit and bring on more investment as they work on developing a full-blow hard rock mine.

After making your film, what are your thoughts on the project?

We definitely bring a skeptical perspective to the project as folks with a background in ecology and natural resource planning. That being said, we’re really interested as filmmakers in why some folks in the community are supportive of the project. We definitely, in the film, explore multiple perspectives, and we’re not trying to say our perspective is right or it’s the only perspective. That being said, we talked to a lot of folks who were concerned about having foreign-owned mining corporations working in the Chilkat Valley with a loose regulatory environment.

Is there anything you learned while making the movie that really stood out to you?

It’s a challenging creative prospect to tell a story from multiple perspectives. I think it’s less likely in today’s media environment to really dig into the complexity of different perspectives that might see the world in really different ways. Everyone in the film loves being in the Chilkat Valley and wants to continue living up here. Some folks feel that an economic influx of a mine is critical to them being able to survive and stay here, and other folks can’t imagine being able to survive and stay here if a big mine does go in. That’s a really complicated thing. People are here and want to be here for similar reasons, but people are really seeing the future in different ways.

Anything else I didn’t ask about that you want to add?

One of the efforts we’re trying to support is the community of Klukwan in collecting their own baseline water-quality data on the river and also supporting them in government-to-government consultation. We hope folks if they’re inspired by the film will go to Chilkat.org and consider supporting Klukwan as they do this really important work to ensure the long-term health of the Chilkat Valley.

Eagles fight over fish in the Chilkat Valley. (Courtesy Photo | Brian Rivera Uncapher)

Eagles fight over fish in the Chilkat Valley. (Courtesy Photo | Brian Rivera Uncapher)

A brown bear wades through water the in Chilkat Valley. (Courtesy Photo | Adam Saraceno)

A brown bear wades through water the in Chilkat Valley. (Courtesy Photo | Adam Saraceno)

Filmmaker talks digging into proposed Chilkat Valley mining project

A brown bear wades through water the in Chilkat Valley. (Courtesy Photo | Adam Saraceno)

More in News

The Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team conducts a training mission in Seward, Alaska in 2024. Photo courtesy of the Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team
Anchor Point fundraiser to benefit Alaska rescue and recovery group

Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization established in 2016.

Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic staff (left to right) Angie Holland, RN; Jane Rohr, Sonja Martin Young, CNM; Robin Holmes, MD; and Cherie Bole, CMA provide an array of reproductive and sexual health services. (Photo provided by KBFPC)
Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic releases report on STI trends on the Kenai Peninsula

The report pulls from data gathered from 2024 to early 2025.

Pool manager and swim coach Will Hubler leads a treading water exercise at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Swimmers, parents call on Kenai to support Kenai Central pool

The KPBSD Board of Education last week said communities will need to step up and take over administration of pools within the next year.

Traffic passes by South Spruce Street in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai drops effort to rename South Spruce Street

The resolution would have changed the name to make it clear which road led to North Kenai Beach

Gov. Mike Dunleavy compares Alaska to Mississippi data on poverty, per-pupil education spending, and the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress fourth grade reading scores during a press conference on Jan. 31, 2025. Alaska is highlighted in yellow, while Mississippi is in red. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Dunleavy calls special session for August

Lawmakers on Wednesday said they were surprised by the move.

A makeshift coffin decrying the risks of Medicaid funding cuts is seen on Thursday, June 26, in front of the Blazy Mall in Soldotna. The cuts were included in legislation passed by the U.S. Senate early Tuesday morning. (Photo by Jonas Oyoumick/Peninsula Clarion)
Ahead of Senate vote, Soldotna protesters defend Medicaid funding

Cuts to the program were included in legislation passed by the U.S. Senate early Tuesday morning.

Board President Zen Kelly speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Peninsula Borough school board to finalize budget

The new budget designed by the committee will be considered at a public hearing during the full board meeting on Monday evening.

The Russian River Sanctuary Area is seen in the area labeled B in this map provided by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. (courtesy)
Strong sockeye run prompts early open of Russian River Sanctuary

In regulation, the confluence is expected to be open from July 15 to Aug. 20.

The Swan Lake Fire can be seen from above on Monday, Aug. 26 on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Alaska Wildland Fire Information)
Burn suspension lifted for Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak

The public is asked to remain vigilant while burning due to minimal available resources.

Most Read