Yukon Government, Liard First Nations, and Ross River Dena Council agreed to create a Special Management Area designated as Natural Environment Park over Frances Lake. The Frances Lake SMA covers an area of significant Pb-Zn-Cu mineralization and multi-element geochemical anomalies, abuts to Cominco's advanced Fin prospect, and encloses quartz claims over the Matt Berry deposit.
Field work conducted in the summers of 2000 and 2001 showed that: mineralization in the Matt Berry deposit is related to a previously unreported volcanic belt that extends over 30 km to the northwest; Matt Berry deposit has characteristics of VMS-style deposits, such as those in the Finlayson Lake Belt; the style of deformation interpreted for the Matt Berry suggests repetition of the mineralized unit at depth; Maxi prospect is a significant exploration target.
A detailed mineral assessment of the area bounded by Robert Campbell Highway and Nahanni Range Road shows the highest mineral potential along a belt in the western part of the area, which coincides with the core of the proposed SMA. An examination of the detailed mineral potential map resulted in the following recommendations: the proposed protected area be shifted to the northeast, where there are large tracts of land with lower mineral potential, and equally easy road access; YTG Mineral Resources Branch should carry further field work to map intrusive phases in the northern-most portion of Billings Batholith, and to establish the source of a pronounced geochemical anomaly south of Simpson Tower.