Alaska Clean Water Advocacy (ACWA)
Alaska Clean Water Advocacy (ACWA) is an environmentalist activist group that advocates increased protections for the Chilkat River in Haines, Alaska against the construction of proposed copper and zinc mines. ACWA is one of 61 financially-sponsored projects of the Earth Island Institute, an environmentalist advocacy organization. 1 2
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History and Background
Alaska Clean Water Advocacy (ACWA) was founded in 1992 as the Alaska Clean Water Alliance to promote state-level conservation policies related to water quality, fish-habitat protection, and human health. The group claims to have played a “key role” in preventing pollution by several local pulp mills, strengthening Clean Water Act implementations, blocking the application for a 6.5 mile long “mixing zone” for pollution in the Wulik River, and litigating against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to strike a federal regulation to apply unapproved Water Quality Standards in discharge permits. 3
In 1998, the organization renamed itself to the Campaign to Safeguard America’s Waters and became a fiscally-sponsored project of the Earth Island Institute. Following this, the organization claimed to have played a role in passing the Great Whale Conservancy that creates the “world’s tightest restrictions on discharges from cruise ships.” 3 In 2016, the organization reverted its name to Alaska Clean Water Advocacy. 3
Activities
A primary focus of Alaska Clean Water Advocacy’s (ACWA) activism is opposing the development of a copper/zinc mine near the Chilkat River in Haines, Alaksa by the Japanese company Dowa Metals and Canadian company Mines and Constantine Metals Resources. ACWA argues that the mine would release “harmful chemicals and heavy metals” into the river system and cause “irreparable harm to the entire Chilkat Valley watershed.” 4 In November 2024, Dowa announced that it was divesting from its share of the potential mine. 5
In October 2025, ACWA was one of 3,700 nonprofit groups to sign a letter organized by Human Rights Watch (HRW) opposing a memorandum issued by the Trump administration to investigate nonprofits and charities over allegations of connections to “political violence.” 6
Partner Organizations
As of March 2026, Alaska Clean Water Advocacy (ACWA) listed its partner “allies” including parent company the Earth Island Institute, Lynn Canal Conservation, Trustees for Alaska, and Earthjustice. 7
Funding
As a fiscally sponsored project of the Earth Island Institute, Alaska Clean Water Advocacy (ACWA) does not publicly disclose its funding levels. 1
In 2017, the Earth Island Institute received a $2,000 grant from the Alaska Conservation Foundation intended for ACWA. 8
Leadership
Gershon Cohen is the project director for Alaska Clean Water Advocacy (ACWA), holding the role since 1992. During his tenure, he also co-founded Ultimate Civics, another Earth Island Institute project, in 2009 and co-founded the Great Whale Conservancy in 2010. 9 10