Department of Natural Resources honors Ajax Mining
The State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources annually selects a locatable mineral exploration or min- ing operation that demonstrated outstanding mine rec- lamation. The Department of Natural Resources each year rec- ognizes an operation that has exceeded state reclama- tion standards, highlighting the hard work, responsible stewardship, and pride miners take in conducting rec- lamation. At the 2019Alaska Miners Association Annu- al Mining Convention, the Ferguson family owned cor- poration, Ajax Mining Alaska, Inc. (“Ajax Mining”) were recognized as most deserving recipients of this year’s Reclamation Award. Ajax Mining began placer mining operations in the Walk- er Fork Drainage of the Forty-mile River near Boundary, Alaska in 2008. The DNR Mining Section has conduct- ed site inspections before and after reclamation. The Alaska Legislature, in adopting the Statewide Recla- mation Standard in AS 27.19.020 provided that mining operations shall be reclaimed as contemporaneously as practicable with the mining operation to leave the site in stable condition.
Ajax Mining’s operation takes the prize for exemplifying contemporaneous placer mine reclamation at a level that stands out statewide. Ajax’s mining practice is to reclaim as they work through an area to keep the total surface disturbance to a min- imum at any given time. They mine relatively long and narrow strip using a progressive method of mining and reclamation utilizing a floating wash plant. This meth- od of mining is ideal for its efficiency and achieving the goal of ongoing reclamation making this method highly prized. The Ferguson family, including Ajax President Kim Fer- guson are very experienced with employing and excel- ling using this unique method of mining, having more than twenty years of experience in New Zealand and the Yukon. DNR recognizes that Ajax Mining takes great pride in their work, in both the approach to and practice of mining and reclamation. The State of Alaska would like to again thank all the past DNR Reclamation Award recipients for their responsible stewardship of Alaska’s resources and for exceeding the reclamation standards required by the State of Alaska.
Roadless Rule: Deadline Dec. 17 for comment
Alaskans serving Alaskans
AMA members have just a few days to comment on pending Roadless Rule action. Currently the U.S. Department of Agriculture, within its agency the U.S. Forest Service, is undergoing a propos- al to exempt the Tongass National Forest from the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which prohibits tree harvest and road construction in our nation’s forests. Last year, the State of Alaska petitioned the USDA to exempt the Tongass from the national roadless rule. The USDA responded, directing the Forest Service to initiate steps to examine a state-specific roadless area management direction for the Tongass. The agen- cy developed a draft environmental impact statement and proposed rule after extensive work that included recommendations and comments from State officials, Alaska Native groups and corporations, organizations, and individuals. The DEIS prepared under the Nation- al Environmental Policy Act, provides an analysis of six alternatives to roadless management in Alaska. The alternatives range from no action to the removal of the Tongass from the 2001 Roadless Rule. The USDA has identified Alternative 6, which is a full exemption, as the Preferred Alternative. You can comment by December 17 using RDC action alert at www.akrdc.org.
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December 2019 I The Alaska Miner I www.alaskaminers.org
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