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Alexco's operations turn five

Alexco Resource Corp. has completed over five successful years of exploration, mining and environmental operations in the Keno Hill Silver District, Yukon.

Alexco Resource Corp. has completed over five successful years of exploration, mining and environmental operations in the Keno Hill Silver District, Yukon.

The employees of Alexco, including myself, owe a debt of gratitude to all Yukoners for making our journey such a success.

Along with the rejuvenation of mining activity in this historic silver-producing district in 2010 (an accomplishment, which is certainly the better known part of our story), we have also been working hard on environmental stewardship in the district.

In both our businesses - mining and environmental services - we want to recognize the support and efforts of not only our employees, but perhaps more importantly of the citizens and government of the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun, the staff of numerous government agencies, the political leaders of the Yukon and all of our many suppliers and contractors.

With all of this help and support, we have become Canada’s only primary silver producer and through our environmental efforts we have reduced millions of dollars in taxpayer liability at old mine sites while creating more than 150 well-paying jobs.

To date, we have invested approximately $20 million to offset taxpayer liability in the cleanup of the Keno Hill environmental legacy. This includes the permanent removal of over half a million kilograms of zinc and other heavy- metals pollution from water that continues to discharge from historic adits - an effort which has resulted in a 75 per cent reduction in the concentration of zinc entering Christal Creek alone.

We’ve also removed hazards such as open shafts and collapsing buildings to make Keno Hill a safer place for the public and tourists, and we expect to see continuing significant savings to taxpayers in the future as we continue our work at Keno Hill.

We’re proud of our work here in the Yukon. We are humbled by the generosity and interest of Yukoners in our businesses and we look forward to working together for many years to come.

We are not simply content to sit back and reflect on our accomplishments as today. While we continue to develop new methods to clean up the old mine sites, we’re actively exploring for new silver mines.

We believe that the Yukon and in particular the Keno Hill Silver District is the best place in the world to be working.

Thank you again to Yukoners for your help and support.

Clynton Nauman

President and CEO

Alexco Resource Corp.