North of 60 Mining News - The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North

ATAC Resources Ltd. March 5 reported that the Yukon government and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun have filed a joint document that allows the company to move forward with its plans to build a 65-kilometer (40 miles), private, all-season tote road to the Tiger gold deposit at the western end of the company's expansive Rackla property in the Yukon.

The proposed tote road would branch off the Hanson Lake Road west of Keno City and is envisioned as a gated, single-lane and radio-controlled road suitable for vehicles supporting the company's exploration and other activities at the Rau project, which encompasses the Tiger deposit.

An exploration program carried out at Rau last year improved the understanding of existing targets at the project, evaluated untested soil anomalies and provided a greater understanding of the broad controls on mineralization within the district.

"The 2017 regional exploration program was very successful in confirming that the Rau project is a fertile district with the potential to host multiple gold and base metal deposits in a number of sediment-hosted and intrusive related settings," said Rob Carne, technical committee chair, ATAC.

It is expected that a road would not only support further exploration and development at Rau but could provide a staging area in support of exploration being carried out by ATAC and Barrick Gold Corp. on the Orion and Osiris projects to the east.

ATAC Resources Ltd.

The receipt of the decision document represents completion of the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board review process, enabling ATAC to obtain key permits and proceed with a submission to the Yukon Water Board.

"The receipt of a positive joint decision document between the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun and the Yukon Government is a major de-risking milestone for the company and all three projects within the Rackla gold property," states ATAC President and CEO Graham Downs. "We want to thank Na-Cho Nyak Dun, Yukon Government and YESAB for their hard work and valuable feedback throughout the review process."

ATAC said it looks forward to continuing to engage with Na-Cho Nyak Dun and Yukon government officials in developing an industry leading access management plan in advance of road construction.

–SHANE LASLEY