Hardrock drilling proposed at Canyon Creek near Delta Junction; comment deadline July 15

Fairbanks Gold Mining Inc. and Tower Exploration LLC have filed a hardrock exploration application with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources to drill and excavate trenches in the Canyon Creek area of the Richardson Mining District near Delta Junction. The public comment deadline is July 15, 2026, at 5 p.m. Alaska Standard Time.

The application covers Sections 15, 22, 23, and 27 of Township 7, Range 6, Fairbanks Meridian. The requested authorization would run from the date of issuance through December 31, 2031, unless extended under state regulation.

DNR's notice states the agency "may issue an authorization with stipulations for the activity" after review and adjudication. That review could result in Miscellaneous Land Use Permits, an Approved Plan of Operations, and Reclamation Plan Approvals.

The Northern Alaska Environmental Center has raised concerns about a prior hardrock exploration proposal in the same district, known as the Tower Project under an earlier application number. In a web article, the organization said "community members have raised questions about how the proposed exploration could affect water quality and salmon habitat, as well as recreation opportunities along the Tanana River," and questioned whether the state's application process provides adequate transparency. Those concerns were directed at a different application. Documented impacts specific to this application have not yet been established.

The Northern Alaska Environmental Center has noted that residents who fish, hunt, or rely on subsistence harvests in the Tanana River drainage have a stake in hardrock exploration proposals in the Richardson Mining District. Whether this application advances to a production mine is not determined at the exploration stage.

How to Comment

Written comments must reach the Fairbanks Mine Permitting Office by 5 p.m. Alaska Standard Time on July 15, 2026. Send comments to Willow-Creek Feighery at the Division of Mining, Land and Water, 3700 Airport Way, Fairbanks, Alaska 99709, by phone at (907) 458-6885, by fax at (907) 451-2703, or by email at [email protected]. The full application packet is available through Feighery's office on request.