A citizen group fighting what could be the state's largest coal strip mine in the Chuitna River drainage near Tyonek dropped off more than 4,800 comments supporting their water-rights petition with the state on Tuesday.
The event was timed to coincide with Tuesday's designation of the Chuitna River as "endangered" by a Washington, D.C., environmental nonprofit that releases an annual listing of waterways considered threatened by activities such as dams, industry or development.
Members of the Chuitna Citizens Coalition hauled three boxes of comments to the Alaska Department of Natural Resources office in Anchorage, said Judy Heilman, the Beluga resident who founded the group and serves as its president. The group in 2009 filed a series of water-rights applications for Middle Creek, a waterway that mine developer PacRim Coal LLC wants to divert to access coal below. PacRim filed for water rights in 2013.
Only one applicant will prevail, state officials have said. A comment period on the coalition water rights applications closes Thursday. None has yet been set for PacRim's application.
Tuesday morning, American Rivers pronounced the Chuitna one of "America's Most Endangered Rivers of 2015" based on the mine proposal. Others on the list included the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, the Columbia River and the St. Louis River.
Heilman said some of the comments she dropped off Monday came in the form of emails but many were cards people signed in Southcentral Alaska, including at sports shows and two screenings of a film opposing the mine.