Metallic Minerals, a mining company out of Canada, is well on its way to developing a massive copper and silver mine on Gibbs Mountain in the La Plata Mountains. It is currently expanding exploration and claim purchases on Deadwood and Silver Mountains.

The company is seeking private investment funding to extract well over a billion pounds of copper and silver from the mine. It has been quietly buying up claims and drilling out deep core samples all summer, while claim markers sprout up everywhere over the mountains. The potential environmental, recreational and financial losses to La Plata County and the Durango community from a mine of this magnitude are beyond measure.

As the development of this mine progresses, I hope that our political representatives and our community work to see that our interests are protected. The development of this mine should be placed front and center as one of the biggest current threats to our community. More information can be found on their website.

Joe Bodewes

Durango