ENVIRONMENT – Alexco Resource Corp. Jan. 27 said it appointed Jim Harrington president of its environmental arm, Alexco Environmental Group. The group provides technical and environmental management expertise and water treatment services to a broad spectrum of mining industry and government clients. Harrington, whose technical expertise is focused on groundwater-related remedial technologies and water treatment, has worked for the environmental division since 2007 in the capacity of vice president, engineering and technical services. Alexco Resource also owns the Keno Hill Silver District in Yukon Territory and is currently engaged in construction of the Bellekeno Mine Project, which is expected to become Canada’s only primary silver producer when commissioned later this year.

COPPER-GOLD – Copper Ridge Explorations Inc. Jan. 22 reported that REC Minerals Corp. is planning a $550,000, 2,000-meter diamond drill exploration program at Copper Ridge’s Yukon Olympic property located in the Dawson Mining District of Yukon Territory. Yukon Olympic is an iron oxide copper-gold prospect with similarities to the giant Olympic Dam deposit in Australia. REC’s drill program will focus on the Blackstone target that consists of a strong, roughly circular magnetic anomaly, greater than 2 kilometers, or 1.24 miles, in diameter, with a partially fringing gravity anomaly up to 2.5 milligals in strength. The southeastern portion of the gravity anomaly correlates with known, copper-bearing hematite (iron oxide) breccia in Spectacular Creek. The drilling will specifically target coincident gravity and induced polarization (chargeability) geophysical targets. The work is expected to begin in June. REC has an option to earn up to a 65 percent interest in the Yukon Olympic project from Copper Ridge.

GOLD – Valley High Ventures Ltd. Jan. 26 said it signed an option agreement with Valdez Gold Inc. in which Valdez has been granted the right to earn a potential 75 percent interest in Valley High’s Flume property located in the White Gold District of Yukon Territory. The Flume property is located 60 kilometers, or 37 miles, southwest of Dawson City, Yukon and 30 kilometers, or 22 miles, northwest of Underworld Resources Ltd.’s White Gold discovery and comprises 191 mineral claims totaling about 3,900 hectares, or 9,633 acres. The claims cover the headwaters of Ten Mile Creek, a well-known placer mining location, as well as the headwaters of Sestak Creek. Valley High entered into an option agreement with Phelps Dodge Corp. of Canada, Ltd., a subsidiary of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., in June to acquire a 100 percent interest in the Flume Property. Under terms of its agreement with Valdez Gold, Valley High granted the junior the right to earn a 51 percent interest in the Flume property by incurring C$1.5 million in qualified expenditures over a four-year period, with a minimum commitment of C$200,000 of qualified expenditures by June 24, 2011 and subsequent annual cash payments to Valley High. If the earn-in is achieved, Valdez would further have the option to increase its share to 65 percent by spending another C$5 million and making further staged cash payments totaling C$500,000 during the ensuing three years. Valdez would then have the option of increasing its share to 75 percent by the end of year nine by completing a feasibility study and making a cash payment of C$1 million. Phelps Dodge retained a 2 percent net smelter return royalty, of which one-half can be repurchased by Valley High for C$1 million. Phelps Dodge also retains the right to share in the proceeds derived from the sale or option of the property to a third party in the amount of 50 percent of proceeds received during the first year and 25 percent of the proceeds in any subsequent year.