The Tangle Lakes country contains some of the most accessible wild lands in Alaska. Located in the southern foothills of the Alaska Range at the eastern end of the Denali Highway, it features wide, open tundra meadows, gentle ridges, clear lakes, and the upper portion of the Delta Wild and Scenic River system. It is home for moose, fox, bears, ptarmigan, and grayling; seasonal habitat for caribou and migratory birds, and a favorite destination for Alaskans and visitors. Hiking, hunting, paddling, fishing, berry-picking, sight-seeing, birding, dog mushing, and snowmachining are just some of the ways people enjoy and benefit from the land and its biological resources.

The region is also home to the Tangle Lakes Archeological District. To quote from the Bureau of Land Management, “This Archeological District is the largest in the North American subarctic and contains the densest grouping of early prehistoric archaeology in Alaska, with over 600 sites documented.” The Ahtna Athabascan Native Americans feel a special connection to this region.

Unfortunately, this place of unique beauty, cultural artifacts, and recreational and subsistence values has repeatedly been explored for nickel, copper, and platinum-group metals. A Canadian mining company holds over 200 square miles of hardrock mining claims and leases on state lands, mostly on the north side of the Denali Highway. Thus, Tangle Lakes and the surrounding country are threatened by the sights, sounds, and disturbances of mineral exploration, and possible future hardrock mining. If an economic ore body is found, the resulting mine would scar this landscape, pollute air and water (if it follows the pattern of virtually all existing hardrock mines), limit public access, and infringe upon wildlife and those who use these wild lands for recreation and subsistence.