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

Donlin Gold LLC, Calista Corp. and The Kuskokwim Corporation are seeking the perspectives and local knowledge of people living in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region when it comes to subsistence and the proposed Donlin Gold Mine project.

Calista, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act regional corporation for the Yukon-Kuskokwim area of Southwest Alaska, owns the subsurface rights at Donlin, and TKC, the ANCSA village corporation that owns the surface lands covering the 39-million-ounce gold project, are encouraging shareholders to sit on this and other Donlin Gold committees.

"Community residents, who are largely our shareholders, can have an important voice and presence in the development of this project and its future operations," said Calista President and CEO Andrew Guy. "By serving on a committee, our people have direct input on the project and a direct line of communication to its oversight group."

One such communication line is the Subsistence Community Advisory Committee, one of series of committees being launched by the Donlin Advisory Technical Review and Oversight Committee, or DATROC.

"This is our home. Our families have been the caretakers of this area for generations and will continue to steward these lands for generations to come. These community advisory committees provide a way for people of the region to have input, a critical voice of the potential project," said TKC President and CEO Andrea Gusty.

With members from Donlin Gold, Calista and TKC, DATROC was established to discuss environmental protections, cultural resources, subsistence uses, reclamation and potential impacts on communities.

This technical oversight group is seeking direct input from communities in proximity to Donlin and the Yukon-Kuskokwim area transportation corridor that will be used to deliver equipment and supplies to the proposed mine being advanced under an equal partnership between Novagold Resources Inc. and Barrick Gold Corp.

"We are continuing to gather input from those residing closest to the project site out of respect for the land and its people's traditional subsistence practices," said Donlin Gold General Manager Dan Graham. "This is an exciting opportunity to share ideas and have solution-oriented dialog and discussions."

The formation of the subsistence committee was envisioned during the project permitting stage. Its launch, however, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with a vaccine widely available, the DATROC will be accepting applications for this committee in April and the first meeting is expected to be held in the fall.

Prior to this meeting, members selected for the subsistence committee will receive information on the proposed Donlin Mine, including operations and monitoring activities.

Author Bio

Shane Lasley, Publisher

Over his more than 16 years of covering mining and mineral exploration, Shane has become renowned for his ability to report on the sector in a way that is technically sound enough to inform industry insiders while being easy to understand by a wider audience.

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