Mammoth times photos/stacey powells 1- SRO crowd filled the Bridgeport Memorial Hall Wednesday night, Feb. 25 in anticipation of information to be spilled by the BLM and Cougar Gold regarding local mining.

“‘Grandfathered uses’ means that because historically mining has gone on in this area, these activities can continue,” said Cynthia Parnow of Knight Piesold, consultants for Cougar Gold who are helping the BLM develop the Environmental Analysis (EA). “They have the ability to perform exploratory drilling, but they also have to follow NEPA (National Environmental Protection Act) because the mining is on public lands.”
These grandfathered uses were substantiated by the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) in 2001 for the Zenda Gold Activities.
However, Cougar Gold intends to meet the higher test of being substantially unnoticeable to the average person without reclamation.
“Cougar Gold would have got a categorical exclusion, or a FONSI, which means a Finding of No Significant Impact, from the BLM if the land was not part of a WSA,” Parnow said. “But because it’s part of the WSA they have to jump through some extra hoops.”
According to the plan of operations that was distributed at the meeting, all the operational and exploration activities of the plan have been developed, and would be implemented, to conform to applicable requirements of BLM regulations for management of uses of public lands within the Wilderness Study Area (WSA).

Incoming
The thought of having helicopters flying overhead ruffled the feathers of some locals who perceived themselves as being under the flight pattern, but the possible creation of jobs outweighed their concerns.
One local resident who wished to remain anonymous said that he lives off Aurora Canyon Country Road, where the trucks and helicopters will be prevalent should this exploration go forward.
“I’m not sure how much noise will be created by this, but I guess we’ll be okay with it because it’s only for a few months and some local people who are hurting will get jobs. This can help everyone out up here.”
“At this point it’s just an exploration project, but I think the BLM is doing a good job to make sure all the issues are being looked at from the noise issue, potential impacts on habitat, and, to be quite honest, last night went better than I thought,” said Paul McFarland with Friends of the Inyo.
“In order to permit anything of this stature, it’s potentially a long process,” McFarland said.  “We had some of our elected officials there and they did a good job of setting a tone and listening to what the facts are, instead of dividing up the community. I’m heartened after last night because this county can have those discussions because we have good leadership. ”
McFarland also stated that the real question is: What are the potential benefits and true costs with this kind of proposal?
“Costs of mining on public lands have traditionally been borne by the taxpayer with clean up. There needs to be a lot of discussion so this issue doesn’t become so polarized and emotional that we lose sight of what’s being discussed. Wild claims from either side won’t get us anywhere.”  
McFarland also stated that the county shouldn’t be looking to any one industry as a panacea to jump-start the economy.
“Why aren’t we also investing in what really drives the county, like tourism and the fishing industry? We need to be careful about throwing all our eggs in one basket.”
Mono County Supervisor Bill Reid said it was important that everyone in the room know where he was coming from.
“Cougar Gold has the right to explore mining possibilities in that area under certain conditions,” Reid said. “I’m here to protect your rights and their rights. You may or may not agree with them, but they do have the right to do this.”
Terry Walton of Coleville is all for the mining exploration.
“They have the right to do it and should be able to explore the site,” Walton said.
“The BLM and the mining company were very helpful and well informed,” said Brian Scavone of Lee Vining. “It was great to see people from the county out and interested in the proposal and the BLM did a good job answering questions.”
Tim Baugh of Bridgeport mirrored what Supervisor Bill Reid told the audience.
“The input was very positive and they have the right to be here. I’m excited that there is a chance that this economy will get kicked up,” Baugh said.
County employee Tony Dublino asked why they chose to use helicopters to bring in the equipment and not build more roads.
“Part of the attraction is that we won’t have a lot of impact on the area,” said BLM Field Manager Paul Bannister.
An audience member who is a geologist, requesting to remain anonymous, asked, “What did you find out there that has you wanting to explore in that area?”
Bannister said that based on surface geology and information gathered from the Paramount Mine, there is the possibility that gold veins lie just underneath the surface.
“Sometimes it’s just an educated guess to find out where the mineralized zones are,” Bannister said. “Our mission is to ensure that it’s in the best interest of our public lands and there are lots of things that are pointing positively toward making this project happen.”
Copies of the Plan of Operations can be obtained through the BLM office in Bishop.

U.S. Congressman McKeon weighs in on mining in Mono County

As the federal representative for Mono County, I am pleased the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is holding this public hearing on Cougar Gold’s proposed mineral exploratory drilling in the Bodie WSA. It is an important opportunity for local stakeholders and residents to weigh in with the BLM about the plan, and voice their support, concerns and opinions.
One of our greatest challenges in representing an area as rural as Bridgeport, Calif., is creating and sustaining jobs. This is especially true in a community that is literally surrounded by federal land and dependent historically on mining. The proposed plan for exploratory drilling in the Bodie WSA is one that should be reviewed carefully with job creation and the local tax base in mind.
While summer tourism does provide seasonal employment in Bridgeport, an environmentally sound year-round mining operation may prove economically beneficial to the local community. Hundreds of jobs would be created not only for those directly involved in the mining operation, but also those providing essential and secondary services to the mine.
I believe one of the roles of the BLM is to encourage environmentally-sound mineral exploration that allows for the appropriate economic utilization of our nation’s natural resources. One of the benefits of holding a local public hearing is to give the bureau the opportunity to hear directly from Bridgeport and Mono County residents about the impact the proposal would have on their community.
I look forward to working closely with both the BLM and the local community to address any concerns that may arise regarding the mineral potential of the Bodie WSA.

Buck McKeon, U.S. Congressman
25th District of California