Comment window opens on McCumber Creek placer mine application near Delta Junction

A public comment window is open on a mechanical placer mining application for McCumber Creek near Delta Junction. Written comments are due by 5 p.m. on July 21, 2026.

Noah Fisk, Kaitlyn Fisk, and Doug Fisk filed the application, identified as APMA F20269908-A and named the KND project, to operate in Sections 9 and 10, Township 14 South, Range 11 East, Fairbanks Meridian. Proposed operations would run through Dec. 31, 2026. The application seeks a Plan of Operations approval and a Reclamation Plan under 11 AAC 86.800. After adjudication, DNR may issue a Miscellaneous Land Use Permit with stipulations. The application is not yet an approval.

McCumber Creek sits within the Delta River Mining District, a historically gold-bearing area that Bureau of Land Management geologists evaluated for placer potential in a 1999 mineral assessment of east-central Alaska.

Permit Background

Conservation groups including Trout Unlimited have documented that mechanical placer mining can increase turbidity, mobilize sediment, and alter stream channels in ways that affect fish habitat, particularly in headwater creeks. The Alaska Resource Development Council notes that the multi-agency APMA process involves over 60 individual permit requirements across 11 state and federal agencies and provides ongoing public input opportunities.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reviews APMAs and may separately determine whether federal authorization is required for work affecting the stream or adjacent wetlands under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.

The source notice describes the likely impact as localized to a particular creek corridor and nearby land users. The exact creek reach, access routes, and final extent of disturbance are not detailed in the notice.

How to Comment

Written comments should be directed to Michelle Corrigan at the Fairbanks Mine Permitting Office by 5 p.m. on July 21, 2026.