****THIS RESOLUTION WAS RESCINDED BY

THE ASSEMBLY ON SEPTEMBER 11, 1994****

DENALI BOROUGH, ALASKA

RESOLUTION NO. 94-20

A RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE OPENING OF LANDS TO MINERAL ENTRY

IDENTIFIED BY DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES MINERAL OPENING

ORDER #695, AND RECOMMENDING THE OPENING OF OTHER LANDS WITH

DEMONSTRATED MINERAL POTENTIAL.

WHEREAS, Governor Walter Hickel has announced that approximately 550,000 acres of State land, previously closed to locatable mineral entry, would be reopened during 1994; and

WHEREAS, development of locatable minerals is beneficial to the State economy; and

WHEREAS, the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Land proposes to open to locatable mineral entry, certain State lands previously closed, that were identified for possible disposal under the State's public land offering program and other land identified for possible exchange with the Federal Government or inclusion in a State program for park purposes; and

WHEREAS, the State Division of Mining recommended closing these lands, which had been open to both Federal and State mineral staking, to further mineral entry in 1975, under Mineral Closing Order No. 65, after determining that a "review of the mining claim records in the Division of Geological and Geophysical Survey files shows no active mining claims in the area and the area is not generally considered as a mineralized area" (see attached memo dated May 28, 1975); and

WHEREAS, the State Division of Mining has not identified any significant mineral deposits within these lands which warrant reopening them to mineral entry; and

WHEREAS, the Tanana Basin Area Plan has identified the best use of these lands to be wildlife habitat, recreation, and settlement; and

WHEREAS, the Denali Borough Assembly has previously passed resolutions in favor of tourist development within these lands; and

WHEREAS, many of the approximately 165 landowners within the opening area have expressed opposition to this mineral opening; and

AND WHEREAS, the State Division of Tourism, Park, Forestry, and Agriculture have not been asked to develop a cost-benefit analysis of the effects of mineral entry upon other valuable uses of these lands;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: the Denali Borough Assembly hereby opposes the opening to mineral entry of those lands specified under Mineral Opening Order #695 at this time, and recommends that the State Division of Mining identify lands for mineral entry which have demonstrated mineral values.

PASSED and APPROVED by the DENALI BOROUGH ASSEMBLY this 10th day of July, 1994.

SIGNATURE ON FILE

Mayor

ATTEST: SIGNATURE ON FILE

Borough Clerk