Project Grant A23AP00108

EKLUTNA INC. SUBMITS THIS APPLICATION FOR 421,005 IN GRANT FUNDING FROM THE BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS ENERGY AND MINERAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (EMDP) FOR THE EXPLORATION, IDENTIFICATION, AND ANALYSIS OF SAND, GRAVEL AND HARD ROCK RESOURCES ON EKLUTNA INC. LAND. THIS PROJECT WOULD PROVIDE A REPORT WHICH WILL DEFINE POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT TARGETS FOR THE NEAR FUTURE AND FOR THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS. IN ADDITION TO THE REQUESTED FUNDS WHICH WILL BE USED FOR CONTRACTED WORK, EKLUTNA INC. WILL CONTRIBUTE ALL GRANT ADMINISTRATION AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT.EKLUTNA INC., AN ALASKAN NATIVE CORPORATION FORMED UNDER THE ALASKA NATIVE CLAIMS SETTLEMENT ACT (ANCSA), REPRESENTS MORE THAN 170 ALASKA NATIVE SHAREHOLDERS AND SUCCESSFULLY MANAGES A VARIETY OF INVESTMENTS FOR THEM INCLUDING SAND, GRAVEL, AND ROCK MINING AND SALES. IT PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN THE ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE OF ALASKA AND MAINTAINS CRITICAL ECONOMIC VALUE FOR ALASKA NATIVE PEOPLE, PARTICULARLY IN THE ANCHORAGE AREA. THE MOTIVATION AND GOAL FOR THIS PROJECT ARE TWOFOLD. EKLUTNA INC. WISHES TO EXPAND ITS BUSINESS AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE RECOVERY OF THE ALASKAN ECONOMY BY SUPPLING THE SAND, GRAVEL, AND ROCK THAT ARE KEY COMPONENTS TO MANY INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. NEW SOURCES OF PRODUCT, IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE PROJECT REPORT, WOULD ALLOW EKLUTNA INC. TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY OF ALASKA BY MEETING THE SHARPLY ESCALATING DEMAND FOR ITS PRODUCTS IN THE ANCHORAGE AREA AND BEYOND. THIS PROJECT WOULD BUILD ON EKLUTNA INC.S EXISTING AND SUCCESSFUL SAND, GRAVEL, AND ROCK BUSINESS. THE PROJECT REPORT WILL IDENTIFY AND ANALYZE THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF SAND, GRAVEL, AND HARD ROCK RESOURCES ON ELEVEN PARCELS OF LAND, ALLOWING EKLUTNA INC. TO MOVE FORWARD WITH MINING AND PRODUCTION. THIS PROJECT WOULD BE COMPLETE BY OCTOBER 31, 2022. MINING AND PRODUCTION ARE SCHEDULED TO BEGIN AS EARLY AS SPRING OF 2023. SALES OF NEW RESOURCE, IN THE SPRING OF 2024, WILL SUPPORT NEW TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS INCLUDING ROADS, BRIDGES, HARBORS, AND HOUSING AND COMMERCIAL BUILDING SITES.SPECIFICALLY, THE REPORT WOULD PROVIDE INFORMATION REGARDING: TYPE OF RESOURCES AVAILABLE, QUANTITY OF EXISTING RESOURCES, DIFFICULTY OF ACCESS TO THE RESOURCES, AND DISTANCE TO TRUCKING OR RAILROAD FOR MATERIAL TRANSPORT. FROM THE REPORT, EKLUTNA INC. WOULD BE ABLE TO DETERMINE THE COST PER TON OF THE AVAILABLE RESOURCES, AND IT WOULD USE ITS EXISTING BUSINESS MODEL TO PRIORITIZE PARCELS FOR MINING AND PRODUCTION.EKLUTNA INC. IDENTIFIED POTENTIAL RESOURCES ON ELEVEN AREAS OF ITS LANDS AND ADJOINING LANDS IN TOTAL THAT WOULD BE EVALUATED FOR THIS PROJECT. NINE OF THE PARCELS ARE OWNED BY EKLUTNA INC. TWO SITES ARE LOCATED ON MILITARY JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON. UNDER THE NORTH ANCHORAGE LAND AGREEMENT, EKLUTNA, INC. IS ENTITLED TO THESE LANDS IF BASE OPERATIONS CEASE OR THE MILITARY MAY LEASE THE LANDS TO EKLUTNA, INC.IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE REPORT FOR THIS PROPOSED PROJECT, EKLUTNA INC. WOULD RETAIN THE SERVICES OF NORTHERN GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING, INC. TERRA FIRMA TESTING (GEOTECH). TO ACCOMPLISH THE PROJECT PURPOSE, GEOTECH PROPOSES TO CONDUCT A SUBSURFACE EXPLORATION PROGRAM ACROSS THE PORTIONS OF EACH PARCEL WHICH ARE BOTH ACCESSIBLE VIA CONVENTIONAL SUBSURFACE EXPLORATION EQUIPMENT METHODS AND OR HOLD PROMISE OF PROFITABLE DEPOSITS OF EITHER SAND GRAVEL OR SHALLOW BEDROCK (OR BOTH). THE SUBSURFACE EXPLORATION EFFORTS (TEST PIT EXCAVATION, HOLLOW-STEM AUGER BORINGS AND OR BEDROCK CORINGS) WOULD BE TAILORED TO SUIT EACH PARCEL AND THE EXPLORATION OBJECTIVES: SAND, GRAVEL, AND OR ROCK. FOUR TASKS WOULD BE UNDERTAKEN: RESEARCH PLANNING, SITE RECONNAISSANCE STAKING, SUBSURFACE EXPLORATION SITE CHARACTERIZATION, GEOTECHNICAL LABORATORY TESTING, AND REPORTING.