Laserfiche WebLink
prevent anyone from accidentally rolling off a shear drop. We do not anticipate any improvements with <br />the "parking area" at this time. <br />Excavator Safety Protocols <br />The mining will occur with a Volvo Low Clearance Excavator which runs on diesel fuel. No fuel will be <br />stored on the mountain, refueling will occur each day from tanks brought up from off the mountain. Any <br />fuel spills will be cleaned immediately and soiled ground removed from the site. The excavator will dig <br />only into the previously determined sites. When cutting on steep slopes the excavator operator uses the <br />bucket to create a berm on the downhill side being careful to not knock any large rocks down the slope. <br />When digging the uphill side any large boulders are carefully let down to add to the berm. This berm is <br />the reclamation pile to be used to fill-in the cut after collection of gems and or specimens. The main <br />controls here are the excavator and operator, the permafrost and the solidity of the rock face. When <br />finished the berm will be pulled back up to establish the original slope before mining took place. Note <br />that for many years many holes have been dug throughout the planned mining areas and we also repair <br />damage not done by us but that which is reachable by the machinery in a safe fashion. <br />Actual Cuts in mining areas. <br />The proposed size and locations of actual cuts will vary with the rock as it is exposed. We will follow <br />"stringer type" pegmatites along a fine line which undulates through the rock. The miriolitic zones will be <br />treated as the same as a large pocket in the pegmatite. If a pocket zone is found all material from said <br />pocket zone will be placed aside to be screened with 1/4' to 1/8th inch metal fabric. All gems will be <br />recovered and specimens examined for value. This material, if rich enough, will be brought down to the <br />mill site for rinsing and further evaluation. Once we have lost the pegmatite or time or circumstance <br />prevents further excavation the area will be reclaimed using our reclamation piles. The original slope will <br />be reestablished and the area returned to the best possible state for further recreational pursuits. <br />Time line. <br />Expected time spent actually mining from previous years' experience would be from 5 to 14 days with a <br />maximum of 21 days allocated allowing for bad weather and other unforeseen disruptions. A Toyota <br />4Runner, Hummer 3, four wheeler and excavator will be the motorized equipment. A working crew of <br />three to four people will help identify, collect, sort, wrap for transport and pack the vehicles. The mineral <br />specimens and gems will be removed and water washed and sorted at the mill site. The scale of this <br />operation is not expected to be large. A typical pocket of aquamarine is fist to basketball sized so <br />recovered specimens and gems account for only a very small portion of the dig. Most of the dig will be <br />over burden which will be placed aside for reclamation. Once the mining has ceased, the overburden will <br />be replaced and the surface restored to its original grade. Chris Welker of the U.S, Forest Service will <br />inspect the reclamation. <br />NOTE! <br />Remove any reference to "site C" from consideration. We will refile at a future date for this area. <br />Thank you. <br />