Archer Cathro plan spurs controversy

Mineral exploration plans in the Killerman Lakes region of south Yukon have been delayed by concerns about their impact on caribou and other wildlife.

But Doug Eaton, exploration project manager with Archer Cathro & Associates (1981), says he is optimistic that all sides can be accommodated. “We’re going to make every effort to make this as environmentally sensitive as possible,” he said.

Archer Cathro applied in April for a federal land use permit to walk a wide-pad Caterpillar 225 excavator onto its Killer Gold project for trenching purposes.

Eaton said he expected a decision by June, but environmental groups, the local outfitter and First Nations became worried.

There were incorrect public reports that Archer Cathro wanted to build a road, fueling fears of damage to the wilderness.

Eaton said he thinks many of the inaccuracies have been cleared up thanks to meetings and numerous letters. However, letters of opposition continue to appear in local newspapers. A permit decision is expected shortly. Application interveners also included the Yukon Department of Renewable Resources. Renewable Resources biologists are in the middle of a scientific study of the declining Aishihik caribou herd, whose low numbers led to a government wolf kill.

But Renewable Resources staff now say they’re prepared to support the land use permit under certain conditions: they don’t want Archer Cathro working on the deposit during caribou rutting season in October, they don’t want a road built, they want ground disturbance minimized, and the company must give notice before moving equipment in.

Eaton said his crew would be frozen out by October, anyway, on the approximately 70 claims, located 60 km northeast of Haines Junction at elevations up to 2,000 metres.

He said Archer Cathro will bend over backwards to be environmentally responsible while working its claims, although it is not required under the Yukon Quartz Mining Act.

He said in most cases the company will far exceed regulations proposed by the Yukon Mining Advisory Committee, which haven’t become law yet. For example, Eaton said if the permit is granted, his crews will refill and revegetate trenches not more than three days after they’ve been dug. “That’s not normal policy for any place in Canada, certainly not in the Yukon,” he said.

Only hand-trenching will be done on ball sheep lambing cliffs, he said. Mechanized trenching would only be undertaken on a plateau that’s not visible except by air, he added.

Eaton said Archer Cathro would have given up by now if the claims, which a Yukon prospector has optioned to Cash Resources (VSE), were not so promising. “It’s an exceptional project for the level which it’s at, which is a grassroots project,” he said.

Grades up to 3.5 oz. gold per ton has been found, he said, but specific targets have not yet been identified. The claims’ Taku geological terrain also hosts the Juneau gold mine in Alaska, said Eaton.

Archer Cathro has spent $150,000 this season on grassroots exploration at Killer Gold, and plans to spend another $100,000 if the permit is granted.