Our Industry

As placer miners, we look for sedimentary deposits in stream beds where erosion has moved thousands of tons of rock downstream and has left the gold behind.

We study every clue that the earth leaves us and then we dig the treasure-laden gravel.

We mix it with water in the right balance and let it tumble and fall over an artificial stream of just the right gradient and proportions.

We test the ground to ensure it is economic and assess the gold to ensure we can recover it. Then we — and the economy of the territory — are rewarded.

Our industry adheres to strict regulations to ensure environmental stewardship, reclamation and site restoration.

Quick Facts

• Yukon placer mines use only water and gravity to recover gold. Harmful chemicals – such as mercury or cyanide – are not used in placer gold recovery.
• Regulation of the placer industry requires two primary permits: a Water License and a Mining Land Use Permit.
• Reclamation is mandatory and a plan must be approved before any license is issued.
• Stringent standards oblige placer miners to settle the silt out of their discharge water. Silt collected in ponds re-vegetates rapidly – usually with willow growth that provides food for moose.
• Where ponds remain as wetlands, migrating water fowl find useful habitat.
• All placer mines are inspected for compliance.