A proposed placer gold mine on Congdon Creek along the border of Kluane National Park has been given the thumbs down by YESAB.

The Haines Junction office of the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board recommended last Friday the project be rejected by the Yukon government.

The government has 37 days from Aug. 22 to accept, reject or alter the assessment board’s recommendation, says the document issued by the Haines Junction office.

The recommendation for rejection says the placer mine would have a negative impact which could not be managed.

Contacted by email Tuesday, Al Dendys of TIC Explorations said in a written reply he hadn’t heard of the recommendation for rejection until that day, as he’s in the bush placer mining.

Not until he’s had an opportunity to review the assessment board’s reasons will he be in a position to comment, he said.

Mining co-ordinator Lewis Rifkind of the Yukon Conservation Society said the society is pleased with YESAB’s recommendation, especially given the society’s long-standing relationship to the park.

The conservation society, said Rifkind, was founded in 1968 specifically to push for the creation of the national park.

“One would like to think we have a bit of a protective interest in the park,” Rifkind said.

“We have a history with Kluane National Park, so it was a bit of a touchstone-type subject for us.

“YCS hopes that YG (the Yukon government) follows the YESAB recommendation.”

Rifkind explained the society’s primary concern was about the potential impact on wildlife, particularly grizzly bears that use the creek as a corridor, and recreational hikers, as the Congdon Creek trail is popular and well-used.

The Kluane First Nation also opposed the proposal, citing several concerns over wildlife, heritage resources and increased erosion and sediment.

“Kluane First Nation is not in support of this project proceeding and we have determined that the project will have significant impacts to the environment, wildlife, Kluane First Nations Rights under our Final Agreement and may potentially impact known and unknown heritage resources,” reads the First Nation’s submission.

“This project is within the Kluane Wildlife Sanctuary and borders Kluane National Park Reserve.

“At this time there is not a management plan in place for the Wildlife Sanctuary and KFN would suggest that that needs to be in place prior to any mining commencing.”

Several individuals also made submissions objecting to the project, suggesting there would be a negative impact on wildlife, recreational hiking and the nearby Congdon Creek Territorial Campground.

Rifkind said it’s highly unusual, if not unheard of, for the assessment board to reject placer mining applications.

He suspects that’s because most applications are for mining existing placer mining creeks, he said.

Rifkind did point out, however, the board’s Dawson City office also recently rejected a placer mining proposal by Viking Mining for the Lower Sixty Mile River south of Dawson City.

In its recommendation for rejection, the assessment board wrote:

“A key finding during the course of this assessment was that the proponent did not adequately take the proposed project activities and the sensitivities of the project location into consideration.

“The proposal that the Designated Office was presented with and the successive changes to the project in response to raised values that would be affected demonstrated to the Designated Office that there was a significant level of uncertainty with how the project was to be undertaken.”