Eight Alaska Native village corporations joined a lawsuit over the state's approval of exploration permits for a massive copper and gold mine.

The corporations are located in Bristol Bay. They say the Department of Natural Resources violated the Alaska Constitution by granting the permits without seeking public comments.

"We have to protect this resource we have survived on for a thousand years or more," said Bobby Andrew, a spokesperson for the corporations, the Associated Press reported.

The Pebble Mine would be located in southwest Alaska, near several villages. One Native village resident who is also part of the lawsuit said he has seen a decline in caribou and other animals since exploratory work started.

Get the Story:
Coalition sues to block Pebble mine permits (The Anchorage Daily News 7/30)
Lawsuit says permits violate state Constitution (AP 7/29)

Related Stories:
Opinion: Alaska Natives take stand against big mine (4/13)
Village 'ticked off' with Gov. Palin over mine (10/22)