Alaska Tribal Coalition Points to Important Lynx Habitat at Donlin Gold Mine Site

Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition urges Panthera Board of Directors to listen to Indigenous concerns and address conflicts of interest with Panthera’s wildcat conservation mission

BETHEL, ALASKA —The Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition has asked Panthera, a global wildcat conservation organization, to address why multiple board members are invested in a gold mine that would harm the habitat of the Canada Lynx in Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

The coalition’s letter, delivered privately on June 8th, 2026 to Panthera’s Board of Directors, including Thomas Kaplan, Panthera founder, Chairman of Donlin Gold and owner of Novagold, outlined what it describes as a “serious contradiction” between Panthera’s public mission to protect wildcats and habitat connectivity and the active involvement of several of its board members in large-scale mineral exploration and mining ventures that threaten Indigenous homelands and intact ecosystems essential for lynx.

Among the concerns raised were the leadership and financial ties of Panthera board members to mining projects including the proposed Donlin Gold mine and Flat Gold project in Alaska — industrial developments opposed by numerous Tribal governments and Indigenous organizations across the Yukon-Kuskokwim region. The mine could compromise habitat for Canada lynx, Alaska’s only wildcat. 

“Panthera speaks about protecting connected landscapes for wildcats, yet members of its own governing board are advancing industrial projects that fragment precisely those landscapes,” said Sophie Swope, Executive Director of the Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition. “The contradiction is impossible to ignore.”

The coalition’s letter specifically noted that Canada lynx habitat overlaps with regions targeted for industrial mineral development. The Donlin Gold Environmental Impact Statement (page 3.12-25) itself identifies Canada lynx as common within the proposed mine area and abundant throughout the transportation corridor. Conservation scientists widely recognize that roads, industrial infrastructure, and long-term habitat fragmentation pose risks to wide-ranging carnivores dependent on intact ecosystems.

“Connected habitat is exactly what lynx still have in our region,” Swope stated. “Industrial extraction permanently changes those landscapes.”

The coalition also emphasized that many of the projects tied to Panthera board members are opposed by affected Indigenous communities and Tribal governments, raising concerns about violations of free, prior, and informed consent and broader failures to respect Indigenous stewardship and self-determination.

The original letter called on Panthera to:

• publicly disclose mining-related financial interests held by board members,

• adopt stronger conflict-of-interest policies,

• require divestment from extractive mineral enterprises during board service,

• and formally commit to Indigenous consent standards.

The Panthera Board of Directors never responded.

“We submitted our concerns privately and respectfully because we hoped Panthera would engage in good faith,” said Mother Kuskokwim co-founder Beverly Hoffman. “Instead, local voices were ignored.”

The Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition says the silence is especially troubling for an organization that brags about partnerships with Indigenous communities while failing to respond to Indigenous community leaders directly affected by board-linked industrial projects.

“Conservation organizations do not demonstrate leadership solely through branding or fundraising campaigns,” Hoffman said. “Leadership is demonstrated through governance, accountability, and whether an institution’s actions align with its stated values.”

“How can one protect wildcats while destroying the homes of all who live off the land and water? Why are some lands worth destroying and others worth saving?” Ashlynn Simeon, Mother Kuskokwim’s Deputy Director concluded. “Panthera can claim to be doing great things but when there is such a blatant disregard for the mission by their leaders, how can we believe them?”  

List of Tribes formally opposed to Donlin Gold by adoption of resolution includes: Orutsararmiut Native Council, Native Village of Eek, Kasigluk Traditional Council, Native Village of Kwigillingok, Chuloonawick Native Village, Native Village of Kongiganak, Native Village of Tununak, Chevak Native Village, Native Village of Napakiak, Chefornak Traditional Council, Nightmute Traditional Council, Native Village of Nunapitchuk, Kwinhagak Tribal Council, Tuluksak Native Community, Organized Village of Kwethluk, Holy Cross Tribe.