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Grant County hears Gila National Forest survey briefing as residents warn of water, cultural impacts
Summary
The Gila National Forest district ranger briefed Grant County commissioners on a draft geophysical survey by Ivanhoe Electric that would place 72 hand-dug pits across about 21,000 acres for electromagnetic mineral mapping; public speakers urged thorough NEPA review and raised water, cultural and safety concerns. No county action was taken.
SILVER CITY, N.M. — Grant County commissioners on Feb. 12 heard a briefing from Gila National Forest District Ranger Elizabeth Toney on a draft plan of operations filed by Ivanhoe Electric Pinos Altos LLC for a geophysical survey that would probe subsurface mineralogy across a tentative 21,000‑acre footprint.
Toney told the board the draft plan covers a geophysical survey only and "involves digging 72 2.5‑foot by 2.5‑foot pits, putting a probe inside those pits ... pulsing electromagnetic pulsing down into the earth" to map minerals such as copper. She said the pulsing would occur in groups of six pits for roughly 15 minutes each and that crews would reclaim…
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