Copper mine up in Tulameen

[Aaron600]

I was up hunting for 2 weeks up around Tulameen and Lawless FSR recently. I saw a lot of surveyors with Alberta plates and people running wires for machinery up the mountains. My brother spoke to one of them and they mentioned they were surveying for Copper mines and other metals. Anyone have any info on this or how invasive/detrimental these possible mines are to our hunting areas?

[RyoTHC]

Take a look at the little copper mine north of Logan lake for a good indicator on how it could effect your hunting areas.

[Iron Glove]

I have no real idea how invasive it would be but summer 2019 there was a decent sized crew in Tulameen doing a major survey of the area.
Had some long chats with a few of the geologists, they were staying at a Motel half a km for our cabin, chatted about fishing and hunting in the area and it was my impression that the mines, if they ever come to fruition, would be quite small.
Now, what that means might all depend on what "quite small" means.

[whitlers]

Take a look at the little copper mine north of Logan lake for a good indicator on how it could effect your hunting areas.

Exactly this...what an absolute mess that particular one is. Although I did see a couple moose and white tail on the way through.

[grantk]

I wouldn't get too excited. On the small chance that they discover a deposit that is worth building a mine on, you've probably got 8 years in this province before it's actually running.

[Aaron600]

Ahh good to know!

[J_T]

I wouldn't get too excited. On the small chance that they discover a deposit that is worth building a mine on, you've probably got 8 years in this province before it's actually running. At least 8 years. Probably more like 20. What that 'survey crew' is likely doing is an IP (Induced Polarization) survey. If that's the case, you're years from an actual mine being developed. They would carry out an intense drilling program first and define any resource that might be mine-able. FYI you may be concerned about mining, but it is necessary. For without it, you might miss the steel for your rifles. No? Mining companies are usually stellar corporate citizens.

[Linksman313]

Aaron - Interesting you noted the mining increase as of late. Down here in the Boundary i have a co-worker who's son got picked up on a prospecting crew and has been working all summer around the Pheonix complex checking old sites and testing placer claims. Funny though this seems to happen every few years when minerals are up and some wealthy outfit has money to dispose of before tax time, then dies out for a few years. This time whomever is running the operation bought the "mineshaft" restaraunt in Greenwood and i believe is using it as his chuck wagon for crew lunches. Maybe signs of future investment but only time will tell.




. FYI you may be concerned about mining, but it is necessary. For without it, you might miss the steel for your rifles. No? Mining companies are usually stellar corporate citizens.

J_T - you are so right, but I think every one on here has carbon fiber barrels made by Taylormade/Reebok
- Stellar corporate citizens I agree:-P, just check out how the Cominco group has operated over the years - yum I can taste that mountain spring water now

[Downwindtracker2]

A lot of the time exploration and a drilling program is little more than a stock play. But isn't there a good sized mine just outside of Princeton ?

[dmaxtech]

Was hunting up Henning early September and ran into a crew up there doing resistivity testing around the top and behind down avalanche bowl area.

[Leaseman]

There are all sorts of mines in the area...silver mines up Treasure Mountain, all sorts of old to real old equipment left....core samples etc.

I think the amount of claims staked in the general area(s) would surprise many.

[Tuffguy]

I worked on a project several years ago along the Lawless FSR prospecting, surveying, sampling but never reached the stage of drilling. Southern BC is known as elephant country for the occurrence of larger deposits such as Copper Mountain, Highland Valley etc. There is a recent discovery near Missezula Lake which when a company usually pulls a good hole then it brings a near area play. However, even with a significant discovery, as J_T said, it would take north of 20 years before there would be any sort of production. Mt. Milligan near Mackenzie was discovered in 1983 and didn't go into production until 2012. That being said its different for placer projects which there are a lot of claims and operations near Tulamean searching for platinum group metals and gold. However, prospecting, sampling and surveying is a great way to get paid to scout for the fall ;)

[dracb]

Take a look at the little copper mine north of Logan lake for a good indicator on how it could effect your hunting areas.

Statistics show that mining companies examine a few thousand properties for each property that makes a mine. Quit a few of those properties will have millions of dollars spent on them before being abandoned and left to return to the wild. The more mineralized properties will be explored off and on sometimes for more than 100 years before a mine is established. So exploration disturbance is transitory.

However mines like that little one near Logan lake have historically financed the establishment of civilizations and empires. For examples look up Timna silver mines for Greece or Rio Tinto Mine Spain.
The Hyland Valley Mine currently has on the order of 1400 workers. Canadian mine employees in 2017 earned an average of $119,000 or about twice the average Canadian income. Let us not ignore that each mine site job generate three to ten jobs in the local community and down stream. It has supported at least 6,000 families for the last more or less 60 years and will do so for another 20 or so years Assuming no enhancements in mining technology and economics that will extend the mine life even further into the future. I have no reasonable guess as to the taxes that have flowed into government coffers from that little mine but would likely fill a boxcar or several with $100 bills.

Granted there will continue to be a big hole in the ground, but the tailings ponds which comprise the largest surface disturbance, will be reclaimed and like one reclaimed pond at Hyland Valley be used for sports fishing. But we got so much use out of the area most reasonably people would thank God for the gift to Canada.

[J_T]

Approximately, BC is 94 million hectares, a few years ago 20% of that 94 mill was park. Another percentage is municipalities. I'm not sure what total (mineral) title holding in BC is at present, but a couple of years ago, it was about 15 million hectares. A mining company must carry out work on their property. Somewhere between $10-20/hectare. They must place performance and reclamation bonds to clean up any surface disturbance. Prior to the NDP BC had an annual exploration of approximately $400 million. A good chunk of that exploration budget goes to above average wages for locals. Additional money is spent in local communities on hotels, restaurants, fuel. Money I see as well spent in local rural communities.

[upnover]

I think we should all hope that more deposits are found. Those mines and the people that work in them pay more taxes in one month than anybody in the tourism industry does in a year. If the "free shit army" in this country gets much bigger we will need those tax dollars dont you think? The elk valley coal mines have more game within their boundaries than the national parks to the north or south. Yes i know about the environmental issues associated with large scale disruption of overburden, but engineering solutions are constantly being employed. All the electric cars coming on stream to a big city near you are going to need a few miles of copper wire. Should we supply that copper? Or let other countries? Do we have too many high paying jobs? Sorry for the rant and yes i am a retired miner.