We are currently engaged with three projects that affect our region.
Zephyr Minerals - Dawson-Green Mountain Project
Zephyr Minerals, a mining exploration company from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, submitted an application on June 30, 2021, to the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) for a mining permit on the edge of Canon City. The company currently has a conditional use permit to explore for gold south, west, and in full view of Canon City. The company has staked claims from west of Grape Creek all the way to the Dawson Ranch subdivision with the probable goal of selling the entire project to a large mining corporation.
In July 2018, Zephyr expanded their footprint in Fremont County when they acquired the Green Mountain copper-gold property comprised of one patented and 33 unpatented mining claims totaling 682 acres. This property is approximately 10 km southwest of the Dawson Gold Property. In April, The Colorado State Land Board granted a mining lease to Zephyr for the Grape Creek-Horseshoe Mountain State Stewardship Trust Land adjacent to the southwest corner of Temple Canyon Park despite receiving nearly 200 pages of letters of opposition. The acquisition of this lease allowed them to connect the Dawson Gold and Green Mountain Properties, thus the new project name of "Dawson-Green Mountain Project," which now spans a 7.5 mile distance across our mountainside.
Bureau of Land Management Draft Eastern Colorado Resource Management Plan
The Bureau of Land Management has released the Draft Eastern Colorado Resource Management Plan & Environmental Impact Statement (RMP). Once finalized, this plan will establish specific goals, objectives, allowable uses, management actions, and special designations for managing lands within the Royal Gorge Field Office.
The public was invited to participate during the 90-day public comment period that ended September 20, 2019. This RMP will govern the use of our public lands for the next two decades. We are anxiously awaiting the release of the final version.
Complete information on the RMP can be found at https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/planAndProjectSite.do?methodName=renderDefaultPlanOrProjectSite&projectId=39877.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) - Oil and Gas Lease Sale
On March 28th, after denying the multiple protests submitted by citizens and organizations, the BLM sold the lease for parcel 8423 which spans the area between Temple Canyon Park and the Dawson Ranch Subdivision. The lease was purchased by HGB Oil Corporation, headquartered in Denver. RGPP is working with several other involved organizations to monitor any future permitting for exploration or development.