Donlin Gold is committed to a positive and open relationship with the people of the Y-K region. It is one of top our priorities to create a mine that will enrich the lives of those who live in the area for many years to come.

Donlin Gold has participated in a variety of community and regional programs such as clothing drives to help provide winter gear for school children in Bethel, regional cultural events, programs that provide safety services to the Y-K region and the annual Backhaul program that removes harmful e-waste from Y-K communities. Donlin Gold also supports programs throughout the region that benefit education, community wellness, cultural preservation and environmental stewardship.

Donlin Gold is a Principal Partner of the Iditarod and is privileged to support local mushers Pete Kaiser and Mike Williams, Jr. Donlin Gold is also a Premier Sponsor of the Iron Dog Race and has provided support to many teams with ties to the region, including: Barney Anselment, Amos Cruise, Tyler Samuelson, Jonathan Egrass, Robert & Forrest Strick and Steven Boney. We sponsor the Donlin Gold Classic Basketball Tournament, bringing dozens of Y-K high school basketball teams together for sport and community gatherings. Another significant benefit to the region is the Kuskokwim River Ice Road which Donlin Gold is pleased to support for the health, safety and connectedness of the connected communities. We also sponsor a wide range of scholarships and job-training programs that are designed to provide opportunities for Yukon-Kuskokwim residents to get work-ready – whether that work is at our project or elsewhere.

Here are some of the great causes and events Donlin Gold supports:

• Distributing buckets filled with safety gear and life vests in the Y-K region while educating communities on the importance of water safety
• Sponsoring Excel Alaska’s Academic Decathlon and other Excel programs
• Supporting search-and-rescue programs with Bethel Search & Rescue and other organizations 
• Supporting Rural Cap’s Elder Mentor program that brings Elders into the schools to support student learning
• Participating in multiple regional summer festivals and fairs
• Participating in Clean Up, Green Up initiatives in nearly every Y-K village
• Sponsoring both Alaska Federation of Natives and the First Alaskan’s Institute Elders & Youth Conference
• Supporting summer internship programs
• Hosting the Bethel Clothing Extravaganza
• Sponsoring the Iditarod and Iron Dog races 
• Sponsoring the Donlin Gold Classic Basketball Tournament
• Supporting the Best in the West Small Business Competition
• Providing support for Calista Education and Culture and TKC scholarship programs
• Sponsoring the “In It for The Long Haul” Backhaul Program to remove household & e-waste from the region
• Sponsoring the construction and maintenance of the Kuskokwim River Ice Road
• Providing food, water, PPE and sanitation supplies during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

Because the Donlin Gold project is on land owned by The Kuskokwim Corporation (surface) and Calista Corporation (subsurface), all shareholders of those corporations will benefit from the mine. Donlin Gold has committed to prioritize local hire and to invest in supporting communities throughout the region, all residents of the region will benefit from the project directly or indirectly.

Everyone who lives in the Y-K region can proudly say, “This is OUR mine.”

To learn more about the opportunities, over the last 10 years, and to hear about the project and engage, download our handout here.

What the region is saying

Donlin Gold values input from the community, which help us shape the direction of the project. We have been listening to the people of the region since exploration began over 21 years ago and have been putting their thoughts and concerns into action. For example, after hearing our initial project proposal, many people in the region encouraged us to seek alternative methods for powering the project. This resulted in Donlin Gold studying the feasibility of a natural-gas pipeline as the primary source of power for the project.

As the project moves through the permitting phase, we look forward to hearing more from the people of the Y-K region to help us better develop a mine that serves as a model for responsible mine development.