20210419_ADI

ROY COOPER
Governor
DIONNE DELLI-GATTI
Secretary
BRIAN WRENN
Director
Certified Mail
Return Receipt Requested
7019 1120 0002 0065 0835
James Schad
Boulder Associates, LLC
304 S. Second Street
Albemarle, NC 28001
RE: Parker Mine
Mining Application No. 84-06
Stanly County
Yadkin River Basin
Dear Mr. Schad:
NORTH CAROLINA
Environmental Quality
April 21, 2021
We have reviewed the application your company submitted for the referenced mine site. In order for this office to
complete its review of the referenced project in accordance with G.S. §74-50 and §74-51 of the Mining Act of 1971,
please provide the additional or revised information in accordance with the following comments:
I. Please provide proof, such as copy of the signed return receipts from certified mail, that all adjoining
landowners and chief administrative officer of the county or municipality have been properly notified.
2. The mine map submitted with the application request was incomplete. Page 4 and 5 of the mining
permit application outlines minimum requirements of the mine map submission. Items missing from
the map include but are not limited to a clearly identified and labeled proposed permit boundaries with
geographic controls (e.g., metes and bounds, coordinates), clearly legible surface contours, outline of
existing and planned access and haul roads, 100 year flood plain limits and wetland boundaries,
applicant name in title block, north arrow, location of planned onsite buildings, location of structures
within 300 feet of the excavation.
3. Please clearly identify the entrance to the site from the public road and provide construction details for
this entrance.
4. Please indicate proposed all proposed outfalls on the mine map.
5. Please show all Erosion and Sediment Control (E&SC) measures on the mine map including diversion
ditches to direct surface flow to basins.
6. Please provide construction drawings and maintenance requirements for all E&SC measures including
but not limited to silt fence, construction entrance, stilling basins, energy dissipators, etc.
7. Please provide proof of a valid wetland delineation and a Jurisdictional Determination of any wetlands
on site.
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality I Division of Energy. Mineral and land Resources
512 North Salisbury Street 11612 Mail Service Center 1 Raleigh. North Carolina 27699-1612
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Certified Mail
Mr. Schad
Page 2
8. Please provide proof of 401/404 permits for any proposed impact to wetlands onsite.
9. Please see the enclosed comments from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
(NCWRC). The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) lists the federally and state
endangered Schweinitz's sunflower (Helianthus schweinitzii) in the area. Please provide a study, or a
comment from the USFWS stating there will be no adverse effect to the federally and state endangered
Schweinitz's sunflower (Helianthus schweinitzii).
10. Please provide records of any known old mine shafts in the vicinity.
11. Please review Section D of the mine permit application and provide a reclamation mine map that clearly
illustrates the reclamation plan for this site.
12. Please clarify the details with respect to mining and processing gold at this site.
13. Please provide a blasting study to address effects blasting may have on neighboring dwelling houses,
schools, churches, hospitals, commercial or industrial buildings, public roads, or other public property.
Please note, this office may request additional information, not included in this letter, as the mining application
review progresses. Be advised that our review cannot be completed until all of the items listed above have been
fully addressed.
In order to complete the processing of your application, please forward two (2) copies of the requested information
to my attention at the following address:
Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources
Department of Environmental Quality
1612 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1612
As required by 15A NCAC 513.0113, you are hereby advised that you have 180 days from the date of your receipt
of this letter to submit all of the requested information. If you are unable to meet this deadline and wish to request
additional time, you must submit information, in writing, to the Director clearly indicating why the deadline cannot
be met and request that an extension of time be granted. If an extension of time is not granted, a decision will be
made to grant or deny the mining permit based upon the information currently in the Department's files at the end
of the 180-day period.
Though the preceding statement cites the maximum time limit for your response, we encourage you to provide the
additional information requested by this letter as soon as possible. Your prompt response will help us to complete
processing your application sooner.
Please contact me at [phone] if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Adam Parr
Assistant State Mining Engineer
Enclosures
cc: Mr. Zahid Khan

9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
MEMORANDUM
TO: Adam Parr
Assistant State Mining Engineer
Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources
FROM: Olivia Munzer
Western Piedmont Coordinator
Habitat Conservation
DATE: 13 April 2021
SUBJECT: New Mining Permit for Boulder Associates, LLC — Parker Mine, Stanly County, North
Carolina. Permit No. 84-06.
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) have reviewed the subject
permit application. Our comments are provided in accordance with provisions of the Mining Act of 1971
(as amended, 1982) (G.S. 74-46 through 74-68 15 NCAC 5).
Boulder Associates, LLC is requesting a new mining permit for the Parker Mine located at 317 West Gold
Street, New London, Stanly County, North Carolina. The original permit for the site was issued in 1996
for gold mining and the last land disturbing activities seem to have occurred prior to 2010. The applicant
is requesting a new permit to mine gold and granite. The total permitted acreage requested is 297.
An unnamed tributary of Town Creek in the Yadkin -Pee Dee River Basin flows through the site. We have
known records of the state endangered Carolina creekshell (Villosa vaughaniana) and significantly rare
eastern creekshell (V. delumbis) in the watershed. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
lists the federally and state endangered Schweinitz's sunflower (Helianthus schweinitzii); federally
threatened northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis); federal candidate Georgia aster
(Symphyotrichum georgianum) and Yadkin River goldenrod (Solidago plumosa); and federal At Risk
Species brook floater (Alasmidonata varicosa) as having potential to occur within the project area if
suitable habitat occurs. We recommend contacting the Byron Hamstead (Byron_ [e-mail] or
828.258.3939) at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that any issues related to federally protected
species are addressed. The lack of records from the site does not imply or confirm the absence of federal
or state -listed species. An on -site survey is the only means to determine if the proposed project may
impact federal or state rare, threatened, or endangered species.
We offer the following general comments and recommendations to minimize impacts to aquatic and
terrestrial wildlife resources.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Page 2
13 April 2021
Parker Mine - NEW
Permit No. 84-06
1. The project footprint should be surveyed for wetlands and streams to ensure there are no impacts to
surface waters. In addition to providing wildlife habitat, wetland areas and streams aid in flood
control and water quality protection. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 404 Permits and
NCDWR Section 401 Certifications are required for any impacts to jurisdictional streams or
wetlands. Include descriptions of any streams or wetlands affected by the project.
2. If wetlands or streams are present in the project area, maintain or establish a minimum 100-foot
native, undisturbed forested buffer along each side of perennial streams and 50-foot native,
undisturbed forested buffer along each side of intermittent streams and wetlands.
3. We recommend all buffers remain undisturbed, native vegetation.
4. This region is known for underground mine, shafts, and mine -like features that serve as hibernaculum
for several bat species. If any mines or mine -like features occur onsite, NCWRC would like to survey
the structure prior to construction and exclude any bats to ensure they are not impacted by
disturbance. Due to white -nose syndrome, populations of bat species that use mines and caves have
declined drastically. Please contact me if these features are present at the site.
5. Sediment and erosion control measures should use advanced methods and installed prior to any land -
disturbing activity. The use of biodegradable and wildlife -friendly sediment and erosion control
devices is strongly recommended. Silt fencing, fiber rolls and/or other products should have loose -
weave netting that is made of natural fiber materials with movable joints between the vertical and
horizontal twines. Silt fencing that has been reinforced with plastic or metal mesh should be avoided
as it impedes the movement of terrestrial wildlife species. Excessive silt and sediment loads can have
detrimental effects on aquatic resources including destruction of spawning habitat, suffocation of
eggs, and clogging of gills.
6. Non-native plants should not be used for reseeding disturbed areas. Avoid using Bermudagrass,
redtop, tall fescue, and lespedeza, which are invasive and/or non-native and provide little benefit to
wildlife. Consider an alternative mix of red clover, creeping red fescue, and a grain, such as oats,
wheat, or rye. Specifically, this project would be ideal for planting native, wildflower seed mixes that
will create pollinator habitat within the reclaimed areas. Also, we recommend using native shrubs
and trees, and non-native plants should be removed from any landscaping.
7. For other areas of the mine, we recommend relatively shallow sediment basins to be reclaimed as
wetlands, where practicable. If the lakes are going to be stocked with fish, use only native piedmont
fish species for stocking the lakes; consider removing channel catfish and flathead minnow from the
stocking list as they are introduced species to NC. A stocking permit may be required to stock any
species of fish, mollusks, or crustaceans. Applications for a stocking permit are available at
http://www.ncwildlife.org. There is no fee associated with the permit application process.
8. Ensure all silt fencing is removed once vegetation has reestablished and soils have stabilized.
At this time, the information provided is not sufficient for our staff to make definitive recommendations
or conclusions concerning this project. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this permit
modification. If I can be of further assistance, please call [phone] or email
olivia.munzer(kncwildlife.org.
ec: Alan Johnson, NC Division of Water Resources
Byron Hamstead, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Jenna Spencer, NC DEMLR
Zahid Khan, NC DEMLR