The proposed Snafu/Tarfu Special Management Area (SMA) consists of 733 km2 in southern Yukon. The Snafu and Tarfu lakes area was selected as a SMA by the Carcross/Tagish First Nation, with the current proposal designating the area as a Natural Environment Park with no up-front mineral withdrawal upon signing the Final Agreement. In 2001, the Yukon Department of Economic Development carried out a regional mineral assessment, which reviewed the geologic data for SW Yukon and ranked the tracts. The proposed Snafu/Tarfu SMA lies within Cache Creek Terrane and is composed of a complex succession of Mississippian to Permian basalt, shallow water carbonates, chert and greywacke, overlain by Triassic to early Jurassic interbedded chert and greywacke. Prior to fieldwork a compilation and study of available data identified a total of ten targets for follow-up of which all but two were examined in 2002. Fieldwork entailed the collection of rock, soil and stream sediment samples, in conjunction with geological mapping and prospecting and examination of the mineral occurrences within the area. The east-central portion of the mineral assessment study area, and the extreme southwestern corner of the proposed SMA ranked the highest relative mineral potential. Anomalous geochemistry and unexplained geophysical signatures within the area currently mapped as Triassic ribbon chert/greywacke, led to the area being ranked relatively highest. A mapped intrusive body (of the same suit as those located in the Atlin area) on the southwest side of the proposed SMA ranked also ranked relatively highest.

The proposed Pickhandle Lakes Special Management Area (SMA) consists of 50.2 square kilometers in southwestern Yukon on NTS map sheet 115F/16. The Yukon and Canadian governments and Kluane and White River First Nations agreed to create a SMA, to be designated as a Habitat Protection Area, which covers Pickhandle Lake and the surrounding wetlands. The Habit Protection Area designation does not require the withdrawal of the area from mineral staking and withdrawal has not been requested in the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Governments of Canada, Yukon and the First Nations. The purpose of this report is to present the results of the detailed mineral assessment of an approximately 281.7 km2 area that encompassed the proposed Special Management Area. This enlarged area was included to provide some relative context for the assessment. The proposed SMA area has no known mineral occurrences and fieldwork conducted during 2002 did not identify any mineral resources. As the proposed SMA is a wetland in the overburden covered Shakwak Trench no rock exposures were found within the SMA in 2002 and conventional soil and stream sediment sampling were determined to be ineffective. The detailed mineral assessment is based on the mineral potential of the geology as identified by a panel of industry experts. The resulting detailed mineral potential map indicates that the belt of Wrangellia Terrane rocks, on the southwest side of proposed SMA, have the highest relative mineral potential. Due to insufficient information the detailed assessment panel did not establish any applicable potential mineral deposit models for the proposed SMA area. This resulted in the tract containing the proposed SMA having the lowest relative mineral potential. The assessment panel determined that the Wrangellia Terrane has potential for hosting gabbroic nickel-copper, volcanic massive sulfide volcanogenic type, gold-quartz vein and copper skarn deposits. The Nasina Assemblage rocks on the north east side of the SMA were considered to have potential for hosting gabbroic nickel - copper, volcanic massive sulfide Besshi/Cyprus and gold-quartz vein deposits. Field work in 2002 located outcrops with anomalous gold, arsenic and antimony values in quartz veins in the tract bounding the northeast side of the proposed SMA. No further evaluation work is recommended for the proposed SMA area at this time. It is recommended that land use planners take into account the relatively high mineral potential of the area surrounding the proposed SMA.

Yukon Government and the White River First Nation agreed to create a 512.4 square km Special Management Area, designated as a Habitat Protection Area along Scottie Creek. The purpose of this report is to present the results of the detailed mineral assessment of an area of 1248 square km that encompassed the proposed Special Management Area. This enlarged area was included to provide some relative context for the assessment. The proposed area has no advanced mineral properties. The assessment is based on the mineral potential of the geology as identified by a panel of industry experts. Results shown on the detailed mineral potential map indicates that the southern portion of the proposed Special Management Area has the highest relative mineral potential. This area is underlain by Paleozoic aged metamorphosed sedimentary and volcanic rocks and has potential for hosting economic sedex or VMS type base metal deposits. The plutonic rocks of the northern portion of the proposed Special Management Area have potential for gold and porphyry type deposits. Further evaluation work is recommended for the higher elevations where there is potential for rock formations to outcrop.

The Yukon and Canadian Governments and White River First Nation agreed to create a 530.30 km2 Special Management Area designated as a Habitat Protection Area that cover Wellesley Lake and the surrounding wetlands. It is currently proposed that Selkirk First Nation will add this SMA to their Final Agreement. The Habitat Protection Area designation does not require the withdrawal of the area from mineral staking and withdrawal has not been requested in the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the governments of Canada and Yukon and the First Nations. The purpose of this report is to present the results of the detailed mineral assessment of an approximately 1094 km2 area that encompassed the proposed Special Management Area. This enlarged area was included to provide some relative context for the assessment. The proposed area has no known mineral occurrences and although it was not the focus of the 2002 fieldwork, work conducted during 2002 did not identify any new mineral resources. The detailed mineral assessment is based on the mineral potential of the geology as identified by a panel of industry experts. The detailed mineral assessment map indicates that a belt of rocks crossing the northwestern portion of the proposed Special Management Area has the highest relative mineral potential. This area is underlain by Windy McKinley Terrane (WMT). The WMT is composed of an oceanic assemblage of ultramafic rocks, greenstone, chert, carbonate, and metamorphosed equivalents. The WMT was determined to have the highest relative mineral potential by the assessment panel conducting the detailed mineral assessment of the Wellesley study area. The assessment panel determined that the WMT has potential for hosting volcanic massive sulfide volcanogenic type, gabbroic nickel-copper and gold-quartz vein deposits. The Carmacks volcanic rocks in the southern portion of the proposed Special Management Area have potential for epithermal type deposits. Field work in 2002 located an area with anomalous gold, arsenic and antimony values in soil and stream sediment samples in the WMT just outside the proposed SMA boundary. Two soil samples collected from within the proposed SMA, from an area underlain by Carmacks Group basalts, yielded weakly anomalous gold values. Further evaluation work is recommended for the higher elevations where there is potential for rock formations to outcrop.

The Government of Yukon, Government of Canada, the Kwanlin Dun First Nation and the Carcross Tagish First Nation agreed to create a 20.02 square kilometres Special Management Area designated as a Habitat Protection Area surrounding the Lewes River Marsh wetland below and including the lower end of Marsh Lake. The Government of Yukon, Government of Canada and the Carcross/Tagish First Nation agreed to create a 4.62 square kilometer Special Management Area designated as a Habitat Protection area along the Tagish River including the delta deposits in upper Marsh Lake. The northern portion of the proposed Lewes Marsh/McClintock Bay Wetland Special Management Area is within the Traditional Territory of the Ta'an Kwach'an Council. The purpose of this report is to present the results of the detailed mineral assessment of an area of 310 square kilometers that encompassed the two proposed Special Management Areas. The proposed area has no advanced mineral deposits. The assessment is based on the mineral potential of the geology as identified by a panel of industry experts. Results shown on the detailed mineral potential map indicate that the highest relative mineral potential lies in the tracts east of the Alaska Highway beside the proposed Lewes Marsh/McClintock Bay Wetland Special Management Area. The western tract boundary of the highest ranking coincides with the trace of the Marsh Lake Fault Zone. The Marsh Lake Fault Zone has been identified as gold bearing over a 500 m strike length at the Rossbank property Creek Zone (Minfile 105D 102). Mid-Cretaceous aged mafic to intermediate volcanic rocks, limestone and chert that have the potential for hosting significant economic metal deposits underlie the tracts of relative highest mineral potential.