July 23, 2025 — The Kenai Peninsula’s Cook Inletkeeper joined a lawsuit last month opposing the proposed Johnson Tract gold mine project on the west side of the Cook Inlet in Southcentral Alaska. Also listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit are the Center for Biological Diversity, the Chickaloon Village Traditional Council and an unnamed local stakeholder who fishes in the adjacent Tuxedni Bay.
The project site is located at the headwaters of the Johnson River, on nearly 21,000 acres of land privately owned by Native corporation Cook Inlet Region, Inc. within Lake Clark National Park. According to Cook Inletkeeper, however, should the mine project move forward, it will adversely affect both surrounding wilderness areas and long-time businesses owned and operated by local stakeholders. At risk are the Johnson River itself, subsistence harvesting grounds in Lake Clark National Park, the largest seabird nesting colony in the Cook Inlet, and critical habitat areas for the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale population.
Johnson Tract past and present
CIRI acquired the Johnson Tract inholdings in the 1976 Cook Inlet Land Exchange, prior to the establishment of Lake Clark National Park via the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980. In addition to mineral and surface rights, in January CIRI was also granted port and transportation easements, in agreement with the National Park Service, across adjoining parkland for mineral extraction and development. Exploratory mining on the tracts was conducted from 1982-1995 by different companies, until the project reverted back to CIRI in the late 1990s.