Chickaloon, Alaska – State approval is the only thing keeping a Canadian company from exploring for coal in Chickaloon. Full Metal Minerals is leasing more than 21,000 acres at a cost of $4 an acre.

The money raised pays for mental health services in the state. But Chickaloon residents worry their quiet way of life could come to an end.

Chickaloon residents say they live in the area for peace, quiet and an escape from city life. But if coal is found, it means a huge chunk of change for people living with mental illness.

Lisa Stevenson lives down the road and up the mountainside. Her full-time job is keeping Chickaloon as it is.

“I’ve put in very bit of energy into seeing our community can continue like this for our grandkids,” she said.

While Stevenson may own her home here and the property, the Alaska Mental Health Trust Office owns the mineral rights to more than 22,000 acres in Chickaloon and leases the land at a cost of $4 per acre.

If coal is found, it could mean big bucks.

“If there is development — and that is a big ‘If’ — the trust will receive a 5 percent gross sales on the coal,” Wendy Woolf, a director of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Office.

Canadian company Full Metal Minerals is leasing more than 21,000 acres for the next two years.

The money raised is used to help people with mental illness. It’s a benefit for one group, if coal is found, that also means a possible life change for another.

“We’ve built everything here from the ground up. Who’s going to want to live in the middle of a strip mine?” Stevenson said.

“The rental income from the lease is income and it will be used to support mental health programs throughout Alaska,” said Woolf.

The Department of Natural Resources has to approve the lease before exploration can begin. If the vote is yes, life in Chickaloon is sure to change. And so might life change for people living with mental illnesses as well.

Public hearings are scheduled Wednesday night at the Chickaloon Community Center.

The Trust Office says it only owns the mineral rights to a few places that are privately owned. The areas being leased surround most of the community on the Moose Range.

Source: www.ktuu.com