Mining and the White Mountains

[cleary]

Here's our last chance to comment on the extraordinarily bad idea of opening White Mountains Rec. area to mining.

Chuck

A public meeting on the revised alternative, which is not the BLM's preferred alternative for the White Mountains, is scheduled for 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center in Fairbanks. An open house about the idea will be held 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the center.

http://www.newsminer.com/news/local_new ... 0f31a.html

[mit]

I don't mind it being open to mining.

[john]

That would depend on the type of mining they open it to. If its open pit mining I'd hate to see the area destroyed, its a great riding and recreation area as it is.

I must be missing something though, why are they having meetings in Ft Yukon, Eagle, and Chalkyitsik. Unless they have concerns about down stream contamination from the type of mining their considering.

[dragonman]

There's a lot more area than the White mtns
Beaver Creek, Black River and further north
I went to the first meeting mosthy greenies showed up
to comment

[cleary]

That would depend on the type of mining they open it to. If its open pit mining I'd hate to see the area destroyed, its a great riding and recreation area as it is.

I must be missing something though, why are they having meetings in Ft Yukon, Eagle, and Chalkyitsik. Unless they have concerns about down stream contamination from the type of mining their considering.

It is "Load" mining so it will be "Open Pit". This is a supplement to the Eastern Interior Plan so I guess that's why they included some of the towns not close to here. I stopped by before the hearing and talked to the BLM Folks. I picked up some handouts as well as a DVD that I haven't looked at yet. I can't imagine open pit mining along the Quartz Creek Trail http://www.clearysummit.com/trails/quartz/trail.htm, the Champion and Little Champion Creek drainage's, Mt. Prindle, Ophir Creek, Campgrounds, the Cache Mountain, Crowberry, Richard's and Moose Creek Cabins.

I am not anti-mining as I see the Fort Knox Pit every time I look out our living room window. This is a project that Margaret and I supported and I still work with them about trails as I helped them during the permitting process. What I fear is that the Rec Area will end up just like Cleary/Chatanika area is now. The Fairbanks Creek Road is being plowed which is limiting access to the Circle Trail and Chatanika. The Iowa Ridge Road that is part of the Cleary/Chena Hot Springs Road Trail is now being used by Fort Knox to access their Gil Deposit. The Little Eldorado Creek Road that we use to get to Margaret's Trail is now down to the dirt. The Orange Trail, one of the main routes to Chatanika has been lost to the True North Satellite Mine belonging to Fort Knox. All of these incursions are legitimate and the mining community has every right to do it. There is no doubt in my mind that opening the Whites to mining will result in the same thing there.

Chuck

[john]

And that Chuck is my concern. The White Mtn's already has off limit areas to motorized use, if this turns out to be like Ft Knox and the impact it has had on the Cleary/Chatanika area we'll lose more riding areas and trails for it.

As a general rule I have no objection to and even support mining, however I'm not to sure allowing that type of mining in a Recreation area is wise.

If you look at the loss of Trail Creek, Mckay Creek, US Creek and Nome Creek trails, as shown on the map in this, then we've possible lost all our access into the White Mtn's from the Steese Hwy side.

To me this isn't a Mining -v- No Mining issue, it's a mining -v- our trails and access issue.

[cleary]

Hey John,

I should clarify that the incursions on Margaret's Trail and the Fairbanks Creek Road are not Fort Knox, but other mining interests. As I said these are legitimate uses by the mining community and I am not criticizing them for it. Just saying that what is happening here, can, and I believe probably will happen in the Whites if they are opened to mining.

Chuck

[john]

Agree and I should of clarified the Ft Knox comment as I knew it wasn't them that caused the issue with Margaret's trail. But they did plow the road on Iowa Dome towards Hillbilly hwy to dirt in years past.

I know as a rule Ft Knox has been willing to help and work with us, and for that I'm appreciative and thankful for their support, but it's to bad that we have to coordinate and work with 3rd party entities to make sure we can even access trails we use to just be able to maintain and ride on. And depending on who is doing the mining, if its open, that working relationship may not exist as the problem with Margaret's trail has shown.

[dragonman]

What BLM told us last meeting that this is at least 20 years down the road
Also if there was enough payload there the miners would have mined this area 50 years ago when the restrictions were a lot less. To actually get some one in there will take a lot of money and time. With the restrictions today the pay back isn't there . They are basically going through a process so there
has been a provision presented for mining.
If you get a chance to go to one of the meetings in the future go there is a lot of information out there. They have tons of topo maps on the affected areas.

[cleary]

What BLM told us last meeting that this is at least 20 years down the road
Also if there was enough payload there the miners would have mined this area 50 years ago when the restrictions were a lot less. To actually get some one in there will take a lot of money and time. With the restrictions today the pay back isn't there . They are basically going through a process so there
has been a provision presented for mining.
If you get a chance to go to one of the meetings in the future go there is a lot of information out there. They have tons of topo maps on the affected areas.

I'd take what BLM said with a grain of salt. 50 years ago gold was 35 bucks an ounce. Fort Knox is processing ore that has 24 thousandths of an ounce of gold per ton of ore. I sent my comments in yesterday. After several attempts at using their comments form I gave up and emailed them.

Chuck

[billy6384]

Rode the Whites yesterday out of Elliott mile 57. Did a 84 mile loop, Colorado creek cabin, Borealis cabin, caribou bluff cabin, windy gap, wolf run cabin and back. Snow was decent, a few rough overflows between caribou bluff and windy gap cabins. Almost all cross country skiers out there. Beautiful day out there!