Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

EXPLORATION Mr. Willden. Thank you, Senator. My name is Ronald Willden. I work for J. L. Carroll Mineral Exploration Office out of Midvale, Utah. I have been engaged in the search for mineral deposits for all of my professional life and I can assure you that mineral deposits are exceedingly scarce, so scare that most professional geologists never participate in the actual discovery of a mineral deposit that be comes a working mine. Im a firm believer that the economic benefits that result from finding and developing a viable ore body are so great that the search for such deposits should be actively encouraged, not handi capped by restrictive land classifications. I would like to recount some of our experiences in attempting to conduct mineral exploration activities on national forest lands in Idaho. We control five mineral properties in the State. Two of these are in Washington County, and there is one each in Adams, Cassia, and Idaho Counties. All of these are on national forest lands. In conducting our exploration activities on all of these properties, except the one in Idaho County, we have enjoyed cordial and effec tive working relations with the U.S. Forest Service personnel. In none of these areas, however, are there any designated road less areas or proposed wilderness areas. We file timely operating plans, post the performance bonds deemed appropriate by the Forest Service, reclaim or otherwise re habilitate the forest lands that we have damaged, and at the end of our yearly exploration program have our bonds returned to us. But on our property situated in Idaho County, the situation is quite different. This property, which we refer to as the blue jacket property, lies within the Hells Canyon National recreation area. We have a drill-indicated ore body on the blue jacket property of several hundred thousand tons of high-grade ore.