Snowline earns second Leckie in stewardship

For the second consecutive year, Snowline Gold Corp. has been awarded the Robert E. Leckie Award for Excellence in Environmental Stewardship. Presented by the Government of Yukon during the 2024 Yukon Geoscience convention in Whitehorse, this acknowledgment highlights the company’s dedication to progressive reclamation and the cleanup of historical remnants near its flagship Rogue project.”We are grateful and excited to receive the Robert E. Leckie Award for Excellence in Environmental Stewardship for our second consecutive year,” said Snowline Gold CEO Scott Berdahl. “I would like to thank the awards committee for the recognition, and I would especially like to thank our contractors and other collaborators involved in the first phase of clean-up efforts at Plata, including of course our team at Snowline.”Named after Robert “Bob” E. Leckie, a geographer and mining inspector who moved from Alberta to serve in Yukon’s Mayo Mining District during the late 1980s and 1990s, the award honors his dedication to innovation, collaboration, and the development of progressive land use practices for mining and reclamation. Leckie’s work laid the foundation for responsible mining practices that balanced resource development with environmental care.Presented annually in up to three categories, the Robert E. Leckie Award recognizes excellence in socially responsible practices, environmental stewardship, and innovation in mining within Canada’s Yukon Territory. The awards committee includes representatives from the Council of Yukon First Nations, the Yukon Chamber of Mines, the Klondike Placer Miner’s Association, and the Yukon government.In 2023, Snowline was recognized for its efforts in progressive reclamation, optimization of drill pad sites, and collaborations with the Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation on environmental projects such as revegetation initiatives and a solar-powered camp at its Rogue project. Snowline Gold Corp. Debris prior to cleanup – remains of a burned-out trapper’s cabin at the site.This year, the company expanded its stewardship efforts through the first phase of a cleanup at the historic Plata mine staging area, located roughly eight kilometers (five miles) west of the Rogue project. Once used for small-scale silver mining operations during the 1980s, this site includes the remnants of high-grade underground workings on the nearby, third-party “Plata” and “Inca” projects.The cleanup, overseen by Yukon-based contractors Archer Cathro & Associates Ltd., involved documenting, inventorying, stockpiling, and the limited removal of abandoned equipment and materials from historical mining activities. Snowline staff, a local trapline owner, and logistical contractors involved in the company’s primary exploration efforts also supported the initiative. Consolidated materials have been prepared for future removal during the second phase of cleanup, which will use the Plata winter trail for site access. Snowline Gold Corp. Abandoned vehicles, mining equipment and other non-combustible debris brought in along the Plata winter trail were inventoried and organized for removal during a planned second phase of the cleanup.Snowline’s efforts to clean up the Plata Airstrip – a site not even located on the company’s claims – underscore the lengths to which the company has gone to demonstrate its commitment to environmental stewardship. “The winners help show that mineral exploration and mining can be conducted in a socially and environmentally responsible way,” said Yukon Minister of Energy, Mines, and Resources John Streicker during the awards presentation.Other recipients of the 2024 Leckie Awards include Schmidt Mining Corp. for environmental stewardship in placer mining and Fireweed Metals Corp. for innovative exploration using low-impact muon tomography surveying technology.Meanwhile, Snowline’s 2024 environmental initiatives included pre-disturbance botanical surveys, the establishment of native seed banks for revegetation, hydrology and water quality monitoring, and progressive reclamation of exploration sites.”This award is a testament to our company’s culture and our commitment to environmentally sound exploration and development,” said Berdahl. “It also demonstrates the important secondary benefits that can stem from sound, robust projects moving forward in the exploration and mining space. We hope to continue building on this legacy as we advance our Valley discovery and ongoing regional exploration.”

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