Shamrock Mining Plan of Operations and Environmental Assessment Released for Public Review and Comment

Date: May 31, 2013

Copper Center, Alaska – Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve has released the public review version of the Shamrock Mining Plan of Operations and Environmental Assessment. The National Park Service (NPS) is considering approval of a mining plan of operations (MPO) which was submitted by Thomas and Kathryn Lamal (Lamal) for the purpose of accessing and conducting a suction dredge placer gold mining operation on the Shamrock Group unpatented mining claims located in the Gold Hill area within the preserve of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (WRST).Lamal, the claimant and operator of the claims, submitted a Mining Plan of Operations (MPO) in November 2012 after consultation with NPS geologists, as required by Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 9A, Section 9.9, detailing their proposed means and methods.

The environmental assessment (EA) examines and analyzes the proposed mining operations and reasonable alternatives to ensure that it satisfies the requirements of 36 CFR 9.10, and would not injure or adversely affect federally owned land.

The EA has been prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, regulations of the Council of Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1508.9), the Mining in the Parks Act of 1976 and its implementing regulations (36 CFR 9A), as well as ANILCA 1110(b). The EA considers two alternatives and considers the environmental consequences from implementation of those alternatives.

The EA is available for public review and comment for one month.All comments must be submitted by July 3, 2013.Public comments will be addressed in the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) that will accompany the final Shamrock Mining Plan of Operations and Environmental Assessment.

The document can be accessed in several ways, including the following:

·Electronically through the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment website at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=21&projectID=44300&documentID=53789

·Request a hard copy by calling 907-822-7276 (Bruce Rogers) or e-mailing e-mail us

You can submit comments in the following ways:

·Electronically through the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment website at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=21&projectID=44300&documentID=53789

·By e-mail to Bruce Rogers at e-mail us

·By mail to the following address:Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve; ATTN:Bruce Rogers; P.O. Box 439; Copper Center, Alaska; 99573.

For more information contact Bruce Rogers at 907-822-7276.