YESAB recommendations 'sterilize' miner's Dawson City claims, says agent

Yukon's environmental assessors say a Dawson City miner should be allowed to work his gold claims alongthe Dome Road, but not disturb the community's cross-country ski trails.

But a spokespersonfor miner Darrell Carey says that's simply not possible and that Carey's claims are largely worthless if the recommendations from the YukonEnvironmental and Socio-economicAssessment Board (YESAB) are accepted.

"It's a bit of a shame. It would have been better, Ithink, if YESABhad just said notto allow mining in the area. Their recommendations are the equivalent of that," said Carey'sagent, RandyClarkson.

Carey himself declined an interview withCBC.

Careyhad applied to the assessment boardto operate a placer mine over 34 claims on the east bench of the Dome. YESABhad already recommended against an earlier application from Carey, saying in 2016 that hisproposal would interfere with the community's cross-country ski trails.

Carey re-submitted his bid with some changes, and YESABhas recommendedthe new planbe approved with some conditions, including a mandatory 50-metre buffer zone around all ski trails, where "no mining activity of any kind shall take place."

It also recommends a 150-metre buffer around any settlement lands, or surveyed land parcels.

Clarksonsaidtheconditions amountto "sterilizing" Carey's claims.

"Some of that 50-metre buffer extends into his existing workings," Clarkson said."YESAB basically has denied Mr. Carey the right to mine on his claims."

"I feel very sorry for the man, because he has invested all of his life's savings in mining both the eastern and western side of the Dome Road and now he's basically out of luck on the eastern side here."

'You might be a little upset'

Clarkson said the ski trails likely wouldn't even be where they are, if not for Carey's claims. He says they were developed on old exploration trails, and now seem to be considered "sacred."

"You can imagine if you owneda farm, and someone started a ski trail on the corner of your farm you'd probably think nothing of it. But when you wanted to expandand make that into a field of potatoes, and suddenly you weren't allowed to, you might be a little upset."

Dawson mayor Wayne Potoroka, however, thinks YESAB'srecommendations are fair and reasonable. He saidthe ski trails are an important community resource that need to be protected.

"We don't have an undisturbedflatarea that we can drive to for that sort of recreation activity. It's there, and that's it. So when it's gone, it's gone," Potorokasaid.

YESAB's recommendations now go to Yukon's minister of energy, mines and resources. The government can accept, reject or amend the recommendations.