Alaska Gold Company (AGC) was recently recognized by the State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for the reclamation of Rock Creek Mine. The Bering Straits Native Corporation’s (BSNC) subsidiary received the 2016 Reclamation Award from the DNR on November 8th.
In favor of environmental stewardship, reclaiming land involves restoring it to its former, natural state. Dan Graham, the vice president of corporate development for BSNC, explains the effort that went into the reclamation process of the Rock Creek Mine site.
“We had to perform a lot of heavy civil work, including dewatering of a large pond or lake, almost, and we had to get rid of all the man-made infrastructure, and then re-contour the site to a stable environment and then re-vegetate with local growth. That was the idea to get it back to a long term, stable environment,” explained Graham.
Six miles north of Nome, muskox and other native species have learned to call the site home. When exploring the option to restart the mine, Graham says it was not feasible.
“You know, when BSNC had bought that mine, it was because someone else had failed in making it profitable in a gold producing endeavor, and we just evaluated it and decided that, in the near term, the best move for Bering Straits was to reclaim the land and get the mine back to a stable environment…” said Graham.
DNR commissioner Andy Mack said in a press release that Alaska Gold Company won this award for “their excellence in responsible stewardship and for exceeding reclamation standards as required by the State of Alaska.”
According to Graham, this award is evidence of a healthy relationship between BSNC and the DNR going forward into the future.
“It shows that BSNC is putting their best foot forward towards working with the DNR and creating sustainable habitat and environmental improvements in the region,” stated Graham.
BSNC purchased Alaska Gold Company and its interests, including Rock Creek Mine, back in 2012. Alaska Gold Company finished the reclamation process in 2015 and 2016 using a construction firm owned by Kawerak, which BSNC says benefitted at least 30 shareholders.
