Kore Mining has submitted a Plan of Operations to the Inyo National Forest to drill at 14 locations on the east side of the Resurgent Dome, north of Hot Creek along Claypit Cutoff road. This is where Royal Gold drilled 896 holes in the 1990s. Royal Gold was exploring the top 200-250 feet looking for gold. Kore Mining will be exploring below that to 1,424 feet. They are hoping to find a feeder where hot water came up to the surface thousands of years ago, an ancient hot spring, where there should be higher concentrations of gold. Kore Mining might have other drilling projects following this one, but they are ultimately planning to sell the claims to a company that would mine it. Their plan for a mine is posted on their website here where they are promoting it as a “Simple open pit & heap leach, Simple=Low Cost.” 

Over 1,300 unique comments have been submitted to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) so far. Many ask for an environmental review of the impacts of the proposed drilling project and most oppose any future mine. The Mono County Board of Supervisors and the Mammoth Lakes Town Council are both pushing for an environmental review of the drilling project. Kore Mining wants to start in June 2021, and an environmental review would make that impossible. Kore Mining has hired EnviroMINE to prepare the NEPA-required documents, they will be reviewing the public comments. As we wait for the USFS decision on whether there will be an environmental review, you can still influence the outcome of this proposed project by writing a Letter to the Editor or Opinion piece for your local newspaper.