Ely Field Office Minerals Program
Locatable Minerals and Mineral Material sales make up the most active part of the minerals program in
the Ely District. Currently there are
approximately 225 open mining notices within the Ely District. Mining notices are generally
for small
exploration projects to explore for rare minerals, like gold and copper, with disturbances of 5 acres
or less. A mining plan is for any type of mining activity, regardless of size,
and for exploration projects greater than 5 acres. There are about 35 open mining
plans within the District. All mining plans and notices are bonded for the money
required for reclamation in the event of abandonment. A map of the large mine activity and their current status within
the Ely District is shown below.
The minerals staff and front desk staff are available to answer questions and provide information on topics
ranging from major mine permitting to garnet collecting sites.
For more information on minerals go to the Nevada State Office.
The Ely Field Office Minerals Team is dedicated to providing quality service to the public and managing energy and mineral resources on
public lands in an environmentally sound and responsible manner. The minerals program is divided into two programs:
1. Fluid Minerals – The BLM Nevada State Office in Reno is responsible
for the leasing of Federal oil and gas and geothermal minerals. The Ely Field Office is responsible for
processing specific applications to drill and notices of intent to conduct
fluid mineral exploration within the Ely District. Oil and gas leasing has increased over the last year in response
to the California energy shortage, although actual exploration and drilling has
not yet caught up. There is renewed interest in geothermal
exploration due to the President’s new energy policy.
Information on Oil and Gas - Leasing, Competitive Sales,
Forms, and Regulations.
2. Solid Minerals – There are three types of solid minerals on Federal
lands in Nevada. They are Leasable,
Locatable, and Salable as described below. The locatable and salable minerals make up the majority of mineral
activity within the Ely District.
- Solid Leasables
– These include coal and non-energy leasable minerals such as phosphate, potassium, and sodium. There is no
active exploration or mining of these minerals on the Ely District.
- Locatable Minerals
– These include the metallic minerals such as gold, silver, and copper which have been produced from
mining claims within the Ely District since the 1860's. Some industrial minerals are also locatable. The BLM manages mining and reclamation
under the 43 CFR 3809 regulations.
Information on Recording Mine Claims
Mine Forms and Publications (Nevada Division of Minerals)
Maintenance Fee Waiver Form for ten or fewer claims
Minerals Management (Nevada State Office BLM)
Outline
for Small Mining Plans
Outline
for Large Mine Plans
Outline for Mining Notices
Information on Bonding
- Salable Mineral Materials
– These are the common mineral materials like sand, gravel, stone, pumice, clay, and petrified wood
that are sold at fair market value under the 43 CFR 3600 regulations. This program has greatly expanded in the past few years as the
demand for decorative rock, sand, and gravel has increased.
Information on Mineral Material Sales
Sales Contract
Price List for Ely District Mineral Materials
Locations of Community Pits
Abandoned Mines – Currently there are five mines in reclamation that have been abandoned. The recovered bond money, as well as
additional money from the Remediation of Abandoned Mine Sites (RAMS) program
sponsored by the Army Corp of Engineers, is being used to reclaim these
sites. The two priorities for year 2002
are Golden Butte and Easy Junior. These
are both Alta Gold mines that were abandoned in 2000. Golden Butte Mine
still has process ponds and leach pads requiring closure. Easy Junior Mine has leach pads that need to
be covered. Recontouring and seeding is also needed to complete reclamation of
the Easy Junior Mine. Closure plans and engineering studies are currently in progress for both of these sites.
Caselton Mill Tailings Update
LR 2000 – Starting in the year 2000, a new Internet program was developed to track all case
recordation for lands and minerals. This is a nationwide database. The program is now available to the public by going to
LR2000. Public computers are available in all BLM offices. Minerals staff or front desk
staff are also available to assist in specific requests or to assist in learning how to use
the program. This system provides information on claims and case recordation
for areas nationwide. Searches can be set using claim names, geographic locations, file numbers, and other specific
information.
Active Mining – Currently, the only active mining taking place within the Ely District is at Bald Mountain Mine and Mooney Basin Mine. Both are owned and operated by Placer Dome U.S., Inc. Bond revisions and plans for future mining activity and concurrent reclamation are currently in progress. Placer Dome U.S., Inc., has made application to the BLM Ely Field Office for a bond release for the Little Bald Mountain Mine. To learn more, click here
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