Panther Minerals Inc. has announced the commencement of permitting activities for its 2024 summer exploration program at the Boulder Creek property, located about 30 miles north of Elim, Alaska. The company submitted a “Notice of Operations” to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Anchorage and plans further submissions for state claims and a proposed field camp.
Panther Minerals also announced the hiring of Jack DiMarchi of Core Geoscience LLC to manage the permitting process. The news comes about a month after the Canadian mining company announced they had acquired 140 State of Alaska mining claims. With each claim being 160 acres the footprint of the property now totals 22,400 acres.
The exploration work set to begin this summer includes diamond drilling to extract core samples. The samples will then be tested to determine uranium grade levels.
News of the summer exploration program made waves on social media, with a link to the story shared to KNOM’s social media channels reaching over 8,000 accounts.
Approximate Boulder Creek Site
“They are disgusting for doing this to the native peoples of the land whose lives depend on to survive. Many people still use these lands to get them thru winter. We are humans! The native peoples lives here matter!”
Sarah Aukon comment on a KNOM Facebook post.
The exploration program comes as a surprise after protests in 2008 seemingly staved off interest in the mine then owned by Triex Minerals Corporation. Notably, uranium was trading for approximately $90 per pound in April 2008 when Triex last conducted surveys. Following a decline in prices over the decade that followed, prices are surging with uranium once again trading at $90 per pound.
KNOM has reached out to Panther Minerals as well as Jack DiMarchi for more information on their plans for the summer. We have also submitted a public records request to the BLM Anchorage office for a copy of the Notice of Operations submitted by Panther Minerals. A public records request for permit applications submitted to the Alaska Division of Mining, Land, and Water on May 7 returned no results and a new request has been submitted.
What We Know
- Panther Minerals has initiated the permitting process for its exploration program by submitting a “Notice of Operations” to the Bureau of Land Management’s Anchorage Field Office.
- The Boulder Creek property is known to contain uranium with core samples returning varying grade levels.
- Panther Minerals has hired Jack DiMarchi of Core Geoscience LLC as a consultant to oversee permitting activities.
- Panther Minerals plans to arrive in Nome in June with field work set to begin in July. Plans to build of a 15-20 person camp have been stated by the company.
What We Don’t Know
- What measures Panther Minerals will put in place to mitigate environmental hazards.
- The precise timeline for permit approval and the commencement of exploration activities.
- What “exploration activities” Panther Minerals will conduct at the site besides diamond drilling.
- The validity and reliability of historic resource estimates without results from more modern testing methods.
- Potential environmental and regulatory challenges that might arise during the permitting process.
This story will be updated as we learn more.
