Grande Portage Resources Ltd. recently kicked off another season of gold exploration at the base of Herbert Glacier and was able to avoid delay from changes to Forest Service practice.
Grande Portage began drilling on Tuesday, Ian Klassen, the mining company’s president and CEO said. Grande Portage is the operator in a joint venture with Quaterra Resources Inc.
“We will have two diamond drill rigs operating this season,” Klassen stated in an email interview. ”We expect to complete up to 70 holes and expect this will be in the 12,000-15,000 meter range.”
This more than doubles the company’s current total of 65 exploratory holes.
A District Court ruling in late 2011 put a hold on the Forest Service practice of categorical exclusion. For projects known to have no significant human impacts, the Forest Service can grant approval without the standard environmental assessment or the more detailed environmental impact statement. Grand Portage’s helicopter-based exploration is an example of a project that could be affected.
Klassen stated Grande Portage exploration was not delayed by the finding.
“We were well aware of the California Court decision,” Klassen wrote. “This had no delay on our permitting. We would not have commenced before June 16 at any rate.”
Grande Portage will employ two diamond drills this season. A larger drill will explore deep while a smaller drill is scheduled to explore over a mile of shallower holes along multiple ore veins.
Based on its exploration to date, Grande Portage announced a resource estimate in April inferred from drill results at two of the site’s four main veins. The site’s gold resource was reported to be 0.142 ounces per ton of ore, according to the company’s report.
Grande Portage is the majority holder in a joint venture with Quaterra Resources to explore the Herbert Glacier site. Both companies are headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia.
• Contact reporter Russell Stigall at 523-2276 or at russell.stigall@juneauempire.com.
Comments (8)
Add commentAn explaination please??
What does this mean? Is .142 ounces per ton "of ore" significant. How much ore is there? 70 holes in the 12,000 to 15,000 meter range---What's that??? Are these companies for real or just fronts to mine gold from greedy investors??
Herbert Glacier
This trail is one of the most beautiful in the Juneau area. Why screw it up with mining that will destroy the natural beauty that bring people to the trail?
Herbert glacier
0.142 ounces of gold per ton is not world class, but it's not bad either. It's significant enough to develop a modest mining operation though. It's likely too early in the exploration phase to estimate amounts of ore and waste rock with much accuracy. Even the gold estimate is not really accurate at this point because it is only an infered resource, which means that they have a lot of work left to "prove up" the resource through more exploration drilling and analysis of the core samples. The 12,000 - 15,000 meters of drilling means the total length of all 70 holes. The holes are about 3 inches in diameter and they get plugged after the core samples are removed. These are real companies spending real money on their lagitamate mineral claims. Those mineral claims in the Herbert Glacier area have existed long before the recreational trail or tourism.
Thanks!!
You know--Thanks for the explaination, decent ore, maybe 70 drills holes 600 feet deep and Vancouver Exchange money. I've left a bunch of $$$$$$ in Vancouver!! Hope it all works out.
...
I would rather see more of that money stay here than go to Canada (no offense to Canadians). I just hope if they do mine, they do in such a way that people can still enjoy the area.
One of the "Most Beautiful Trails in Juneau"?
Someone hasn't been on very many trails in Juneau . . .
Pretty close to the bottom on the list for me. I'll take elevation and vistas every day of the week. There is a reward at the end of the trail, but getting there is a yawner.