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Mark said sand and gravel are often associated with river beds, so it is very likely these are <br /> present in some of the areas along the East and West Forks of the San Juan. For locatables such <br /> as gold and silver, there are just a few active mining claims and not many patented claims in the <br /> area. He said claims can be made for a lode (vein) or a placer claim (on the surface). When <br /> someone files a claim, he or she doesn't gain ownership of the surface,just the right to work it. <br /> Mark said the agency has been in a moratorium for new patenting of claims since the mid-1990s <br /> because of concerns about clean-up of old mines and it is not likely any new patents will be <br /> granted until the 1872 Mining Law has been revised, which may not happen for a long time. <br /> There are some new claims being filed in the San Juan watershed. Not many sites here have the <br /> potential for gold and silver. Generally those elements are found where quartz is also found, <br /> such as Quartz Creek. <br /> Buck Skillen of Trout Unlimited asked whether there is potential for tellurium, a rare-earth <br /> element vital to photovoltaic production, in the San Juans. Mark said he is not sure. He said this <br /> area does have some neodymium, another of the rare earths. <br /> Mark said Wolf Creek has moderate to high potential for oil and gas.There are old coal mines in <br /> the area; they are not active. He said there are also some geothermal resources in the area that <br /> could be protected against development if the group desires.These resources are leasable and <br /> are accessed by drilling a deep well. <br /> Becca Smith of the Pagosa Ranger District said the federal government owns some of the <br /> mineral rights on private land, so those rights could be included in a withdrawal as well. <br /> Mark said the geology that led to the finding of WSR suitability/eligibility is present throughout <br /> the area, not just within the quarter-mile corridor on either side of the river that would be <br /> protected by WSR designation. He said WSR may not be the best protection for certain types of <br /> geology because of this limit on the width of the protection.WSR protections do not necessarily <br /> match up with geology as well as with an ORV such as fish, for example. <br /> Jimbo Buickerood of the San Juan Citizens Alliance asked whether the West Fork between Boot <br /> Jack and Born's Lake, where the West Fork gravel pit is now, is open for development of salable <br /> minerals. Mark said it is. <br /> John Taylor said he has reconsidered his concerns about gravel and now believes it would be <br /> beneficial to the Forest Service to have gravel available in the area for road maintenance. Rusty <br /> said the gravel pit on the West Fork still has plenty of gravel available and it might be better to <br /> take gravel from an existing pit than a new one. He suggested exempting that site from a <br /> possible mineral withdrawal. <br /> Marsha said a broad mineral withdrawal could be a tool to protect the larger set of values <br /> beyond geology that was defined by the Workgroup. She asked what would be the concerns <br /> with that tool. <br /> 2 <br />