spective, the geography was inhos- pitable. The Channel is shallow, and as is the case throughout the area, the water freezes to the bottom every winter, then scours it clean at breakup. Getting a spud dredge in and out of the channel requires equipment that has not been gen- erally available in the Nome area. IPOP has designed and built a system that makes suction dredg- ing in this location feasible while predictably leaving no permanent trace on the ground and creating virtually no environmental impact when operating. For instance, all of its mechan- ics will be powered by a generator housed on a tethered barge which has a complex noise attenuation system that will keep the ambient noise below 70 decibels, roughly the noise created by an automobile engine. Likewise, every piece of equipment will be computer driv- en, allowing the dredge-master to control not only every aspect of the dredging operations but also the tailings disposal, so that the con- tour of the intake area will be rep- licated by the contour of the pro- cessed tails. But the big secret associated with IPOP’s proposed operation is in the concentration system. It is axiom- atic that in order to make mon- ey dredging for gold a miner must maximize his throughput. IPOP will be processing at least 3,000 cubic yards of material through its six proprietary concentrators per 12-hour day. Furthermore, its re- covery methodology has the prov- PYNL[LMTWT_dZQNL[_`]TYR_SPʭYP^ down to at least 400 mesh, so very little gold will be lost overboard. ,W_SZ`RS _SP OP_LTW^ L]P NZYʭ - dential at this point, limited testing of the resource within its 32 State of Alaska upland mining claims suggest that the ground will yield in excess of 1 Troy ounce per Ton, which means the project will more _SLY [Ld QZ] T_^PWQ bT_STY _SP ʭ]^_
season. Initially, the mining pro- gram will be limited to about 37 acres per season, so it will also be a low visibility project; however, over time it may be expected to expand. IPOP is very proud of it plans to bring mining to the Bonan- za Channel. It is thoroughly familiar with the existing val- ues to be found near its claim block and is especially sensitive to concern its Inuit neighbors have about any possible impact on subsistence commodities. IPOP has pledged to leave the Bonanza Channel a better hab- itat that it has ever been. Nu- merous outreaches have been made to the people of Solomon and the Nome Eskimo commu- nity in this regard. IPOP has already spent more than $3 million dollars in Nome through Beau Epstein and Da- vid Sao Marcos for goods and
services, and expects to expend a lot more as the project comes to life. The company appreci- ates and supports the fact that L ^TRYTʭNLY_ [L]_ ZQ _SP 9ZXP community depends on rev- enue from birdwatchers who visit Safety Sound for the op- portunity to photograph rarely seen migratory waterfowl in- cluding some which generally limit their range to the Russian side of the Bering Strait. IPOP is working hand-in- glove with the Alaska De- partments of Fish and Game, Natural Resources and Envi- ronmental Conservation and the Army Corps of Engineers to ensure that all the regulato- ry “i’s” are dotted and all the “t’s” are crossed so that IPOP can be seen as not just a pos- itive member of the Alaska NZXX`YT_d M`_ LY Lʯ]XL_TaP contributor to the general en- vironment as well.
SHIP BEYOND THE RAILS. FROM RAIL TO SEA TO ROAD, WE DO IT ALL. The Alaska Railroad does more than you might expect. We ship freight to and from anywhere in North America. Even places without rail access. And we handle all the logistics along the way. So whatever it takes to get it there – barge, train, truck - you only need to deal with one point of contact and one invoice. Call for a free quote today: 800.321.6518 | AlaskaRailroad.com/freight
July 2019
The Alaska Miner
41
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