The comment period on the draft environmental assessment for the Reward Mine eight miles southeast of Beatty ends Thursday.

The mine, proposed by Canyon Resources Inc., is expected to employ 70 to 80 people when operational. The project is being evaluated by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The Reward Mine will disturb 287 acres.

CR Reward Corp. holds a mining claim on 2,006 acres, of which 1.786 acres are public lands. Canyon Resources merged with Atna Resources in March 2008. The company is also developing the Briggs mine near Trona, Calif.

The Reward project includes an open pit mine, waste dumps, a heap leach pad, ore-crushing facility, a well and pipeline, ancillary facilities and construction of roadways.

The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection approved a class II air quality permit in November 2008, after approving a water pollution control permit last July.

Thirteen acres of the site was previously worked as the Bullmoose Mine, which was discovered in 1913 and was renamed the Gold Ace in 1928 before closing the following year. The north and south Bullmoose Mine would be connected with the Good Hope mine as one contiguous open pit.

A summary of the project states ore reserves are approximately 7 million tons. Mining and processing are expected at a rate of 1 million to 2 million tons per year, providing a mine life of about five years.

The company expects to mine 163,500 ounces of gold based on exploration results and the mine plan. Silver is also found in the oxide ore. Estimates are 32,700 ounces will be recovered.

Mining will generate about 14 million tons of waste rock, the study estimates. It will be deposited on three waste dumps totalling 117 acres.

Comments may be mailed to the BLM, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89130, by fax to (702) 515-5155 or by e-mail to dfanning@blm.gov.