 Opposition to the project was based on three separate objections to its construction : ecological , human , and financial . Conservation groups opposed the dam 's construction because it would flood the Yukon Flats , a large wetland area that provides breeding ground for millions of waterfowl and habitat for game and fur @-@ bearing animals . Alaska Native groups objected to the project 's human cost — the need to relocate more than 1 @,@ 500 people and 9 villages — and Native groups outside the reservoir area objected to the potential devastation of the Yukon River salmon population . The third objection to construction of the dam stemmed from its high cost and the belief that cheap electricity would not be enough to attract industry to Alaska . 
