One hundred and twenty years after the first miners began panning for gold in the Yukon River, RESOLVE, a solutions-focused NGO, announced the launch of Salmon Gold, an innovative approach to sourcing gold responsibly and restoring fish habitats in Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and British Columbia, with its partners, Tiffany & Co. and Apple.
Gold from the project is now in the supply chains of Tiffany & Co. and Apple.
Salmon Gold targets streams and habitat impacted by historical tailings, the residue left over from old placer gold mining sites, which can prevent fish like salmon and grayling from migrating and spawning.
The initial phase of Salmon Gold focused on re-mining and restoring part of Jack Wade Creek, a tributary of the Fortymile River in Alaska. RESOLVE worked with a local placer miner and government agencies to test restoration methods, process recovered gold, and establish a chain-of-custody for the first batch of Salmon Gold from the mine to manufacturers.
By producing gold that supports restoration, Salmon Gold meets the needs of manufacturing and retail companies that responsibly source minerals for their products. After the pilot phase, RESOLVE will work with partners to expand Salmon Gold’s impact and turn it into a self-sustaining social enterprise that achieves restoration and revitalization of fish habitat at scale.
