Lynn Canal Conservation (LCC)

LCC has co-signed a letter to President Joe Biden opposing the use of nuclear power. ⁵ In March 2025, LCC co-signed a petition opposing the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act. ⁶

History

Lynn Canal Conservation’s website states it has been working for 50 years on preserving Alaska lands. ² The current LCC board treasurer describes joining the organization in 1981. ⁷ However, it did not gain independent tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status until 1990. ⁸

Activities

Opposition to Nuclear Energy

Lynn Canal Conservation was a co-signer on an April 2021 letter to President Joe Biden that asked the administration to promote weather-dependent wind and solar power systems and “end the fossil fuel era.” The letter also advised the President to “Phase out nuclear energy as an inherently dirty, dangerous and costly energy source.” ⁵

Nuclear power plants produce no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions, and from 1990 until 2021, accounted for 20 percent of American electricity production—the largest source of zero carbon electricity in the United States. ⁹

Opposition to Mining

Lynn Canal Conservation opposed the Palmer Project, a proposed sulfide mine located upstream in the headwaters of the Chilkat River. LCC contends that the toxic nature of the mine would damage the downstream environment, arguing that the project is an unnecessary risk to the valley.  ¹⁰ Earthjustice filed an appeal in the Alaska Superior Court on behalf of LCC, Rivers Without Borders, and the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, seeking more protective standards for wastewater discharge from mineral exploration conducted by Constantine Metal Resources Ltd, a subsidiary of the Vancouver, Canada-based American Pacific Mining. ¹¹ In May 2025, the American Pacific Mining Corporation, which had taken over ownership of the project, abandoned the project. ¹²

In March 2025, LCC co-signed a letter addressed to Congress expressing opposition to the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act (MRCA), arguing that it would weaken the 1872 Mining Law. ⁶ Proponents of the MRCA argue that legislation would not weaken the law, but restore necessary clarity and precedent, including a predictable regulatory framework to increase investment, protect the supply chain, and grow American jobs. ¹³

Funding

Between 2014 and 2024, Lynn Canal Conservation received nine grants from the Chilkat Valley Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Alaska Community Foundation. ¹⁴

From 2015 to 2024, LCC received grants from the Clif Family Foundation, ¹⁵ ranging from $35,000 in 2023 ¹⁶ to $2,500 in 2020. ¹⁷

Patagonia Org, the philanthropic arm of the apparel company Patagonia, awarded LCC $25,000 in 2023 to support its environmental projects. ¹⁸

In 2022 and 2021, the Alaska Conservation Foundation awarded $10,000 ¹⁹ and $15,000 ²⁰ to LCC for the purpose of the Alaska Defense Fund. In March 2017, the Alaska Conservation Foundation launched the Alaska Defense Fund in a more aggressive grantmaking effort. ²¹ According to the Alaska Conservation Foundation’s 2019 annual report, LCC was the recipient of a grant that year. However, after reviewing the Alaska Conservation Foundation’s tax documents, there was no evidence of a grant allocation to LCC during that time. ²²