Vital bird stopovers, traditional ways of life, traveler havens—these are Alaska things. Threatening development projects, surprising agency decisions, and disregard for subsistence users—these are also, unfortunately, Alaska things.

In Western Alaska, tucked along the southern coast of the Seward Peninsula, about 25 miles east of Nome, is Safety Sound. Formally recognized by National Audubon Society and the American Bird Conservancy as an Important Bird Area (IBA), this 98,000-acre site is an ecologically unique habitat of great importance to both birds and people. This area’s global significance to migratory birds draws birders and photographers from around the world, creating meaningful economic activity while being culturally irreplaceable to Alaska Native peoples. The area is used for subsistence fishing, berry picking, and waterfowl hunting, among other traditional activities.

Last year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) reversed a 2022 decision on a controversial mining project led by Las Vegas-based IPOP, LLC. A permit for a gold dredging project (essentially a vacuum that extracts minerals from water and gravel) was awarded after IPOP adjusted its plan to reduce its environmental impact by 33 acres in the Bonanza Channel, which feeds into the Safety Sound IBA.

Now, what started as a pitch for a gold mining reality television show has morphed into a battle for the Bonanza Channel. Here’s a breakdown of Safety Sound’s …

Importance to Subsistence Users

The City of Nome was formed in 1901, but “Sitnasuaq is known among Alaska Native peoples of the region as a historically permanent community,” according to Kawerak, Inc., a nonprofit serving about 20 Iñupiaq and Yup'ik tribes in the Bering Strait region. Unearthed structures have been radiocarbon dated as 250 to 400 years old, but, according to the Nome Convention and Visitors Bureau, “the Inuit people have lived in this region as an identifiable culture for at least 4,000 to 6,000 years,” and “the earliest documented evidence of human habitation dates back 10,000 years.”

Today, Nome/Sitnasuaq’s population is approximately 3,600 and is comprised of Iñupiaq, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, Central Yup’ik, and non-Native people. Tribes in the region include the Solomon Traditional Council, King Island Native Community, and the Nome Eskimo Community—the area’s federally recognized Tribe.

And, according to Kawerak, “subsistence activities are prevalent in the community.”

The productive Safety Sound estuary begins about 15 miles east of Nome and stretches for 20 miles along the southern coast of the Seward Peninsula. The area is irreplaceable to Nome’s subsistence users because it yields “Eskimo potatoes, seal, moose, bear, fish, berries, Tundra tea, birds, eggs,” says Deilah Johnson, Tribal Resources Director for Village of Solomon. “There really isn't anything that has not been a part of the traditional lifestyle of the people that have been living there for decades and decades.”

Safety Sound is also one of Alaska’s nutrient-rich coastal estuaries that provides essential fish habitat for species to complete their life cycle and support the surrounding ecosystem.

“There's no doubt that salmon and grayling and other important freshwater species migrate up and down that channel,” says Charlie Lean, Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation (NSEDC) fisheries consultant and retired Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) fisheries biologist. The area provides a lifeline for spawning salmon, plus Arctic Grayling, Humpback Whitefish, Dolly Varden, Northern Pike, and more.

But that ecosystem and the surrounding region is delicate. The southern Seward Peninsula has been experiencing a salmon crisis for more than five years.

“The changes in climate specific to warming temperatures of the water and the flooding and erosion have created a ton of runoff into the freshwater, which is where salmon are spawning going back for migration cycles,” Johnson says, “and due to that, we have seen a decline in salmon population.”

However, community members rely heavily on this area. In a press release last spring, Kawarek stated, “There are approximately 10 Native Allotments and over 100 campsites all along the Bonanza Channel area due to its prime location for hunting, fishing, and gathering, helping to ensure food security.”

Importance to Birds and Wildlife

Allow Kate Persons, retired ADF&G wildlife biologist and coordinator of Nome’s Christmas Bird Count, to paint a picture of Safety Sound for you:

Five rivers feed freshwater into the estuary where it mixes with salt water from two inlets, creating a nutrient-rich environment that supports a terrific diversity and abundance of aquatic plant and animal life. A gravel road to Council travels the length of Safety Sound through beach grass, low mats of tundra vegetation, and dunes. The route runs along a narrow, sandy beach ridge that lies between the protected waters of Safety Sound and the open, sometimes dramatic marine environment of Norton Sound––a stark and interesting contrast in habitats and their inhabitants, on each side of the road. Safety Sound is a place of stunning natural beauty with a backdrop of the impressive Kigluaik Mountains rising to the north. When conditions are right at sunrise and sunset, the low-angled sun can turn the sky into astonishing colors of gold, pink, and orange that reflect in the still waters of the sound.

In addition to its beauty, the importance of Safety Sound to birds is also extremely apparent.

David Krause, Vice President of the Alaska program for National Audubon Society, saw “hundreds and hundreds of Tundra Swans on the water near Bonanza Channel and also lining the hill on the tundra above the water,” during a recent Labor Day trip to Nome. “It’s one of these amazing places of great ecological and cultural connection,” he says. “It's definitely a unique ecosystem within the region, and I think that's why it's such a magnet for migratory birds.”

Safety Sound, also an important part of our global Pacific Flyways, supports numerous species of seabirds, shorebirds, and migratory waterfowl, including species listed as declining on Audubon Alaska’s Watchlist and others formally listed under the Endangered Species Act (like Spectacled and Steller’s Eiders). Along with Bristol Bay and the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Safety Sound hosts some of North America's largest congregations of waterfowl, including the only nesting and breeding sites for the Emperor Goose—an important species for subsistence.

However, one major species of conservation concern is the Aleutian Tern. In fact, Safety Sound was first identified in 1981 as a state IBA because it houses colonies of nesting Aleutian Terns. The species utilizes Safety Sound and Bonanza Channel to nest and rear their young before migrating for the winter to the seas off the Philippines and Indonesia. However, a 2015 paper assessing the breeding distribution and population trends of Aleutian Terns found that there has been a large decline observed in known colonies.

The area is also formally classified as an estuarine and marine wetland tidal habitat that supports various submerged aquatic vegetation types. It’s part of the extensive lagoon system on the Seward Peninsula where many different marine mammals are known to utilize the waters in and offshore during the ice-free season, according to Gay Sheffield of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program. Think ice seals, beluga whales, walruses. “The sheltered waters of lagoons especially provide young spotted, ringed, and bearded seals an area of calm, protected waters to swim in, sandbars to haul out on undisturbed, small-bodied fishes and other fauna to consume, and an area free of predators such as orcas,” she says.

Finally, Safety Sound is also an important area for moose, muskox, Arctic fox, Arctic ground squirrel, and other mammals.

Importance to Birding

Thanks to all this wildlife, Safety Sound is also a hotbed for non-consumption use—namely birdwatching. Since the 1980s, Nome has been a famed destination for birders (and, of course, bird photographers) from Alaska, the United States, and the world.

“The unique draw of Nome is the ability to see northern North American species seldom seen elsewhere, Asian and other long-distance migrants that come here to breed, and the exciting chance to see unexpected vagrants that pop up here with regularity,” Persons says. “Of all the places on the Nome road system, Safety Sound, and especially Bonanza Channel, are the most rewarding for birders. No other road-accessible place in the region offers such a diversity of species or sheer numbers of birds to wow bird enthusiasts.”

Nome is described by Aaron Lang, a renowned birding guide, owner of Wilderness Birding Adventures, and Audubon Alaska advisory board member, as “perhaps the most important and well-known birding site in Alaska.” Based in Homer, Lang often travels to Nome with birds to view Safety Sound—Bonanza Channel in particular. He describes the area as “the jewel in the crown of Nome birding.”

Carol Gales is a local birding guide and owner and operator of Roam Nome. She’s booked for 2025 and already getting asked about 2026. She says part of the reason birders flock to Nome is for the chance to see species nesting in breeding plumage, which therefore “look a lot cooler.” Many birds spotted here have the bulk of their population in Asia, but some have established areas in Safety Sound, like the Bluethroat, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, and more. “So if you want to check those off in the United States, this is a good place to come,” Gales says.

Some rare birds blown off course show up here, too. “The great fun, I'm sure, for most of these birding groups, is picking out these oddballs that show up,” Gales says. In recent years folks have seen Common Ringed Plover, Redneck Stint, and Common Greenshank.

While nearby St. Lawrence Island is famous for birding, it is a spendier option, making Nome a lot more accessible, thanks especially to its extensive road system. “If you can afford [St. Lawrence Island], that's cool, but if you're on a budget, Safety Sound’s the place to go right on the mainland,” says Lean.

And these birders—with all their lodging, meals, guide fees, and maybe a little shopping—create meaningful economic activity for Nome.

Importance to Tourism

Nome gets a healthy amount of tourists thanks to its rich Alaska history, summer recreation, and its serving as the finish line to the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Based on the Alaska Travel Industry Association’s Alaska Visitor Profile for 2022–2023, 7% of visitors surveyed visited Southwest Alaska, with ~1% visiting Nome. Plus, increases in cruise ship frequency and vessel sizes indicate an increase in passenger traffic and the associated recreation and tourism activities, according to the City of Nome. And birding is a big part of this.

According to a 2022 study released by Audubon Alaska and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, "nearly 300,000 birdwatchers visited Alaska and spent $378 million supporting approximately 4,000 jobs" in 2016. That same report—"Small sight–Big might: Economic impact of bird tourism shows opportunities for rural communities and biodiversity conservation"—states that Western Alaska (which encompasses Nome) and Southeast Alaska see a “a high proportion of spending in the tours and activities category, indicating that these two regions may have relatively well-developed bird tourism sectors compared to the other regions in Alaska.” Nome is also a larger community in this region, “with existing infrastructure that can support a growing birding industry such as lodging.”

This means Nome emerged from this report as a hot spot for birder spending while showcasing the economic benefit of communities like itself investing in nature-based tourism infrastructure.

“Birding brings a reliable and continued economic benefit to Nome with room to grow,” Persons says. But only, of course, “if the birds that bring birders continue to reliably return.” Noise and activity could disturb breeding birds, prevent nesting or cause abandonment, and force migrating birds to bypass Safety Sound—preventing them from feeding in the most productive area of the estuary where they traditionally refuel.

Lean says birding brings major dollars to Nome on an annual basis, and Safety Sound is the premier site for these visitors. “It's easily accessible; diverse habitat; lots of different birds,” he says. “The last thing you need is an industrial site … out there stirring up the muck and killing habitat that fisheries and birders depend on.”

Krause agrees. “Nome is a global destination for birding and definitely an economic engine for the region, and Safety Sound is one of the most accessible places to experience world-class birding,” he says. “A gold mining proposal that would benefit only a few would compromise the values of many stakeholders, rights holders, and visitors to the region.”

IPOP's Impact in the Community

The Nevada-based company arrived in Nome in 2018 with mining equipment but no permit or track record of mining in Alaska. The group initially pitched the operation as part of a gold-mining reality TV show, “Rivers of Gold.” IPOP’s permit application was denied by the Army Corps’s Alaska District in September 2022 because the dredging project did not present the least environmentally damaging alternative.

However, the Army Corps reversed its decision last year, and the permit was awarded in March 2024 after IPOP adjusted its project to reduce its environmental impact by about 33 acres. IPOP’s initial plan would have impacted 192.5 acres of vegetated shallows and mudflats in Bonanza Channel and Safety Sound. Presumably, the new plan will impact 159.4 acres.

This new phase of the project has garnered concern and opposition from multiple entities, including Kawerak, Bering Straits Native Corporation, the City of Nome’s Common Council, USFWS, NSEDC, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Village of Solomon—the closest affected community.

Johnson says the Village of Solomon reached out to IPOP, including their law firm, during the first application process for a conversation. “We wanted them to know who we were,” she says. “We're the closest community that would be impacted. We are literally right there. We go fishing and canoeing right at that bridge, which is where they would be located.”

Communication with Nomeites has also been spotty. There were two public comment periods in summer 2024, but they were ill-advertised and short-lasting, according to multiple community members present at the one online information session held on August 1, 2024—and even that almost didn’t happen.

After a months-long back and forth between the State of Alaska and Village of Solomon, Johnson was told a public hearing would be held in mid-August before the comment period's end. But then all went silent, and the deadline was approaching. “At this time, I felt as though they gave us hope,” Johnson says. “None of us were prepared to submit the public comments within that [period] because we were told it was going to have a public hearing and a public information meeting in person.”

When Johnson reached out to the State for an answer, “They basically said there wasn't enough interest for a public hearing,” she says. “And I stated there is plenty.”

From this, the State granted the virtual public information meeting within a few days. Despite the short notice, more than 50 people were in attendance on Zoom, some doubling up on camera. The meeting lasted over two hours. Many folks from that session requested an in-person public hearing held in Nome, but that was denied.

IPOP needed to obtain a wastewater management permit from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to comply with the Clean Water Act, which was issued in October 2024 (and appealed by Kawerak in December 2024). IPOP also received the mining permit from the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.

Gales says it was a big shock to learn the Army Corps reversed its decision. “I don't understand the system that allows a probably pretty questionable mining proposition to take precedence over the needs and values and knowledge of the people who live here,” she says. "Especially since IPOP has also claimed that the wetlands they want to mine are not important for wildlife or subsistence."

Gales explains how this statement seems partially based on a “visit during the middle of summer, during the middle of the week, during the middle of stormy weather, where they observed no birds, no birders, and no hunters, and therefore concluded that the project wouldn't have a very big impact,” she says. “It just seems wrong that a random mining company from Las Vegas has more weight to what they want to do than the entire community of Nome, whether they're a bird watcher or a subsistence gatherer or just an appreciator of nature.”

Persons says the threats to Safety Sound that were recognized by Army Corps in comments by the USFWS and other agencies “when they originally and wisely denied IPOP the permit” include impacts to shorelines, mudflats, and shallows where shorebirds feed on those invertebrates in the intertidal zone.

Plus, the loss of submerged aquatic vegetation. This is important.

Submerged aquatic vegetation is essential food for Brant and important during migration and nesting periods for many other waterfowl species. It also includes habitat for benthic invertebrates and fish, which many birds in Safety Sound and Bonanza Channel feed on.

There would also be impacts on submerged aquatic vegetation from increased turbidity, a measurement of how cloudy or hazy a fluid is. The project has proposed “a silt curtain doorway around their containment system” in an attempt to contain the turbidity, but there are a slew of other problems, Lean says. Everything from bending navigable water rules to IPOP seemingly having the wrong equipment to reach the bedrock. But a bigger issue is disregarding the Clean Water Act.

“All the federal agencies came out against mining Safety Sound mostly because of the Clean Water Act, mostly because of the destruction of valued estuarine habitat, particularly submerged aquatic vegetation,” Lean says. “The Corps did not consider local knowledge nor the biological experts of federal agencies [during the reversal], although the original decision did depend heavily on those same people.”

What’s Next?

“We will continue to advocate and want a seat at the table as a community because this is where our heart is. This is where we're from,” Johnson says. “This is where we continue to spend our time, raise our children.”

Johnson says this years-long fight has been exhausting for the Village of Solomon, but “the one thing that has been consistent is the sense of pride that we have … that we want to continue to culturally thrive, that we are not going to allow agencies or companies to continue to diminish who we are.”

The Village of Solomon is partnering with organizations, corporations, and community members to protect Safety Sound. For now, follow facebook.com/StopIPOP or learn more at protectbonanzachannel.org.