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rjill Siteg: A mill site must be located on nonmineral land. Its purpose is to either (1) support a lode or placer mining claim operation or (2) support itself independent of any particular claim. A mill site must include the erection of a mill or reduction works and/or may include other uses reasonably incident to the support of a mining operation. Descriptions of mill sites are by metes and bounds surveys or legal subdivi- sion. The maximum size of a mill site is 5 acres (see Figure 2). Tunnel Sites: A tunnel site is where a tunnel is tun to develop a vein or lode. It may also be used for the discovery of unknown veins or lodes. To stake a tunnel site, two stakes are placed up to 3,1X10 feet apart on the line of the proposed tunnel. Recordation is the same as a lode claim. Some States require additional centerline stakes (for example, in Nevada centerline stakes must be placed at 300-foot intervals). An individual may locate lode claims to cover any or all blind (not known m exist) veins or lodes intersected by the tunnel. The maximum distance these lode claims may exist is 1,500 feet on either side of the centerline of the tunnel. This, in essence, gives the muting claimant the right to prospect an area 3,000 feet wide and 3,000 feet long. Any mining claim located for a blind lode discovered while driving a [[[noel relates back in time to the date of the location of the tunnel site. Federal Lands Open to Mining There are federally administered lands in 19 States where you may ]ovate a mining claim or site. These States are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. in these States, the' BLM manages the surface of public 12 lands and the Forest Service manages the surface of National Forest System lands. The BLM is responsible for the subsurface on both public lands and National Forest System lands. You may prospect and locate claims and sites on lands open to mineral entry. Claims may not be staked in areas closed to mineral entry by a special act of Congress, regulation, or public land order. These areas are withdrawn from the operation of the mining laws. Areas withdrawn from location of mining claims include National Parks, National Monuments, Indian reservations, most reclamation projects, military reservations, scientific testing areas, most wildlife protection areas (such as Fedetal wildlife refuges), and lands withdrawn from mineral entry for other reasons. Lands with- drawn for power development may be subject to mining location and entry only under certain conditions. Mining claims may not be located on lands that have been (1) designated by Congress as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System, (2) designated as a wild portion of a Wild and Scenic River, or (3) withdrawn by Congress for study as a Wild and Scenic River. There is usually a 1/4-mile buffer zone with- drawn from location of mining claims on either side of a river while the river is being studied for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic Rivets System. Additions to the National Wilderness Preserva- tion System are withdrawn to mining claim location at the time of designation by Congress. Mining activities are perrrtitted only on those mining claims that can show proof of a discovery either (1) by December 31, 1983, or (2) on the date of designation as wilderness by Congress. Staking a Mining Claim or Site Federal law simply specifies that claim bound- ariesmust bedistinctly and cleazly marked to be readily identifiable on the ground. The mining 13