Chapter Twenty-Two
T uesday evening’s meeting with the Koyukon corporation elders, Yukon Valley town leadership, and Ray Mountain landowners left Deirdre fighting not to bite her nails. The nerves had little to do with the topic and her presentation. It had everything to do with the tall frame of the quiet man next to her who radiated both strength and tension.
Calvin and his parents took chairs next to Deirdre and Mav with murmured hellos. She tried to ignore a few craned necks as participants peered at them.
“Hello,” Calvin said.
That one whispered word was all it took for Deirdre’s toes to tingle. The impact of his low voice right next to her ear the other night, at times murmuring appreciation and then shouting his own release, hit her hard enough to momentarily knock the wind out of her.
He flexed and released his hands on the thighs of his dark brown canvas pants. She couldn’t stop staring at those hands. The same hands that had drifted over her, strong but gentle. How those long fingers twined with her own as he drove deep, time and again, until her vision sparkled with her release. She licked her lip but froze at Calvin’s sharp turn of his head.
She scanned the room. Tuli Sampson and his grandmother, Ruth Sampson, sat a few seats down. Ruth, an elder, was looking much better. A few months back, she had been hospitalized with lung problems. Tuli looked better, too, though he walked with a limp and used a cane. She shuddered at the memory of Tuli almost bleeding out in the ED. She glanced at Calvin who had caught Tuli’s eye and lifted a brief hand in greeting.
Tuli and his grandmother sat together, murmuring.
EMT Louise Wright entered with her father, elder Steve Wright. He took a seat next to Yukon Valley’s mayor. Louise seemed to fade into the group, sitting a row back, though Tuli’s head swiveled to follow her movements. Louise settled next to one of the other Ray Mountain landowners who Deirdre vaguely recognized.
Various other elders and town council members sat around the table, along with the local traditional chief. An informational piece of paper lay in front of each person.
After the mayor and the traditional chief gave introductions, the meeting began.
The fifty-year-old elder Steve cleared his throat and adjusted his brown leather vest, the intricate bead patterns of swimming salmon gleaming in the light of the Yukon Valley community center meeting room. “We’re here to discuss the concern regarding prospectors trying to gain access to our lands in the greater Yukon Valley area. Maverick and Deirdre Steen, could you share your information, seeing as the speculators targeted your property first?”
“Happy to.” Mav sat forward and presented, as he and Deirdre had agreed, given that he had dealt with the outsiders more than she had. “We own several hundred acres west of town, which backs up to a portion of the Ray Mountains. Our property is at the tail end of the range, bordering BLM land. Because of a misfiled Department of Natural Resources survey years ago, our family never knew that there were any provable minerals on our land. Luckily, our original property deed included subsurface mineral rights. Per the information we were given, there may be a vein of gold.” He paused and smiled as several faces lit up. “I know. Alaska gold. Everyone wants it. Besides that, and maybe more importantly, the DNR survey assesses that rare earth elements are there.”
“What does that mean?” Steve asked.
Several participants took notes.
Deirdre held up a paper as Mav motioned to her. “According to the survey, allanite and monazite, which I had to research. As of a few weeks ago, I had zero idea what these were and why they’re important. The names sound strange.” Several chuckles popped up. “These are rare earth elements that have a wide range of applications including medical equipment, magnetic properties, and use in nuclear reactors.”
Ruth raised her hand. “Do all of the parcels have this ore?”
Deirdre smoothed her button-down navy shirt, aware of all eyes on her, including Calvin’s quiet, assessing presence. “Maybe. The DNR survey data in front of you shows the range of likely product is in a roughly east to west vein, north of Yukon Valley proper. The presumed area includes land owned by us, the Garretts, Avilas, Becks, Zieglers, and the corporation.”
“Can we make money off of this?” one balding participant asked. Craig Beck. The thirty-something man and his family were third- and fourth-generation Alaskans.
Mav rocked from his heels to the balls of his feet. “We believe that making a profit comes with a price not just in dollars but also in impact to the corporation and our town. It’s a big decision that we should carefully weigh, which is why we’re all meeting together,” he paused. “Extracting the minerals requires access through our lands. Large equipment will be one issue. The other issue is the effect on the landscape. Extraction requires removal of surface land. It won’t look the same afterward. Finally, there are environmental concerns.”
The traditional chief spoke up from the front. “The corporation and the town have been working on tourism development. Cultural and outdoor tourism. No pun intended, but mismanaging ore extraction could undermine our efforts.”
“However, mining could pay for much-needed local infrastructure for tourism and beyond,” the mayor said. “More funds for schools, museums, lodging, restaurants.”
Many heads nodded.
“There will be a lot of hands out, hoping for a piece of the pie,” Steve said. “From my earlier days, I know about the impact of gold mining with mercury and arsenic in high amounts in the water supply. As stewards of our land, I don’t want to do anything to risk the unique beauty of this area or the safety of everyone living here. What about those other minerals? Are they safe to mine?”
Deirdre continued, “Allanite, depending on the form, has radioactive properties. This is not uncommon in rare earth elements. From what I was able to find out, excavating radioactive material could contaminate the land and waterways.” She rustled the paper. “Granted, I am not an expert in radioactive minerals or rare earth elements.”
A heavy silence fell on the room. This group of people lived off the land and respected the waterways, whether for cultural, recreational, or commercial reasons. No one here wanted to risk ruining their home. Yet, the promise of money was a strong motivator, and it could improve people’s lives in other ways.
“So, the question is twofold,” the mayor said, folding her hands in front of her. “First, do we want the prospectors to come here, and if so, how many and for what price? Or could we prospect on our own and benefit more directly? Second, if we do grant them access to our land, how can we guarantee the safety of our water, preserve the tourism economy, and still get something in return to help our town?”
Chatter rose and fell around her. Calvin remained silent.
“What if we leave it be?” Bruce spoke up. “A DNR assessor was sniffing around our place recently. I mean, look what that other guy tried to pull on Maverick to get his land.”
Mav added, “My guess is that the speculators will keep trying to gain access to one or more parcels of someone’s land that abuts the Ray Mountains.”
“It’d be nice if they gave up,” Bruce grumbled.
Calvin’s voice cut through the room as he leaned forward. “They might give up. For a time. When they return in a year or two or more, then what?”
Ruth sat forward. “What if our land’s value can benefit our town and our children and grandchildren?” She patted Tuli on the leg and he sheepishly smiled.
“That’s a valid possibility,” Steve said.
Deirdre held very still, Mav and Calvin doing the same on either side of her. It wasn’t one person’s decision. The implications of having a large mining company here could have ramifications, both positive and negative.
Steve turned to Mav and Deirdre. “You’ve dealt with these people. What did you think?”
“Honestly, my opinion is not fit to be printed,” Mav said as everyone laughed. “Randy Nelson tried to bankrupt us and steal our property. About as dishonorable as a person can be.”
Deirdre added, “They were real jerks. I wouldn’t trust them farther than I could throw them.”
Calvin looked at her for a beat, then raised his hand. “I recently spoke with the lead guy, Randy, to get more information. Let’s say, he wasn’t pleasant to deal with.”
Funny, his words versus her recollection of Calvin and Randy shaking hands… those two things didn’t jive. Deirdre held still, straining to hear everything he said, every nuance, every intonation. Her neck itched. Something didn’t quite add up.
Calvin leaned forward. “Is there a guaranteed way we can protect the land for future generations? Or is it best to go ahead and grant access but control the impact? They are going to eventually get in there one way or another.”
Lots of murmured yesses.
The mayor held up a hand. “That’s one option for how we approach this situation.”
Steve frowned and tapped his pen on the table. “Whatever we do, it should be together. That’s hard, because in a room of people, that’s how many opinions there are. Any wavering in our plan, those people will come in and exploit our weakness, regardless of what most of us want.”
Deirdre said, “Mav and I have decided we won’t let go of our land or grant access, especially to Randy and his team. Any chance other property owners will stand with us?”
Craig Beck piped up, “I wouldn’t mind getting money for my kids’ college fund, but I’ll hold off for now until I see how we can all benefit from these minerals.”
Then the Avilas, the elders, the Zieglers, and the Garretts all agreed to pause any decisions to allow access for now.
Ruth said, “Motion to create a working group of involved and interested parties to study this question further. Recommend that we agree to proceed as one voice in the future.”
The future. Deirdre glanced at Calvin while those in the meeting discussed the subcommittee. She hadn’t given much thought to what her own future might look like. Not since Elijah died. Burying herself in work, and now helping Mav with the lodge, kept her too busy to do much more than tread water.
Calvin glanced over at her with a smile that looked both heated and regretful. Then he looked away.
How easy had it been to envision a future, working together with him and helping to care for the place she loved—both with respect to the mining potential on her property and with local healthcare.
That personal future—the one with Calvin as a partner building a life with her—she couldn’t even consider that possibility.
Actually, she had considered that possibility more than once. It scared the hell out of her.
It wasn’t the possibility that scared her. It was the chance of losing her future again. Deep in thought, she zoned out through the remainder of the discussion.
After the meeting ended, Calvin turned toward her and murmured, “Good to see you.”
A shiver slid up her back. “You, too.”
“Still up for dinner tomorrow night?”
“Is it fake or real?” she said, low enough that only he could hear.
“Depends on what you want.”
Her face heated as the people around them—Bruce, Aggie, and Mav—sat way too quiet and still. “Send me the details.”
Maybe this was the right person. Maybe she could trust herself to take a risk and see if a future could happen for her and Calvin, after all.
“Will do.” He briefly touched her arm, then dropped his hand and turned toward his parents and the other people present.