Tensions flared during Metallic Minerals’ first open house in Durango, where company officials introduced an exploratory drilling project in the La Plata Mountains and fielded pointed questions from residents.
The Vancouver-based company acquired claims covering about 19 square miles in the La Plata Mountains in 2019 and has since conducted exploratory work to evaluate mineral resources, including copper and other metals. About 90% of the project area sits on public land managed by the U.S. Forest Service, with the remainder on private patented mining claims.
Company officials said the meeting was intended to introduce the La Plata Project, share information and hear community concerns. But as the evening progressed, frustration rose among attendees who said answers about long-term impacts – particularly the possibility of a future mine – were insufficient.
The company has drilled eight exploratory holes to date and is considering up to a dozen drill sites for 2026.
“They’ve been in Durango for almost six years now, and last night was the first time that they had engaged in the Durango community,” said Dan King, administrator for Save the La Plata, a coalition focused on preserving the La Plata Mountain range. “All of that is troubling to the coalition, and that’s why our numbers continue to grow.”
The coalition has grown to about 400 members, many of whom attended Thursday’s meeting, where much of the discussion centered on water, recreation access and what exploration could mean for a potential future mine.
Company officials repeatedly stressed the project remains in its early stages and said they could not answer many long-term questions.
“We’re explorers,” one representative said. “We’re in the business of evaluating whether a project can become a mine. Not all projects do.”
Metallic Minerals described the project as a long-term effort, with any potential mine being years away. But that timeline has raised concerns among residents about when key decisions will be made and how much influence the public will have.
“One thing they could not answer … is what does it look like when you transition from exploratory to a full out mine?” King said.
Throughout the meeting, company representatives emphasized uncertainty, noting that only a small fraction of exploration projects ever become operating mines.
“We don’t know what we don’t know,” another company employee said.
For many in the room, that uncertainty was exactly the concern. Some attendees pushed back, arguing that unanswered questions about recreation impacts, water use, noise, traffic, cultural resources and long-term economic outcomes are precisely why the project warrants scrutiny now, not later, and particularly in a region still dealing with environmental damage from historic hard rock mining.
Water also emerged as a central issue throughout the meeting.
Metallic Minerals representatives said the exploration phase is designed with “zero wastewater discharge,” using municipally sourced water that is transported to drill sites, reused and ultimately removed for off-site disposal.
The drilling program would use about 500 gallons of water per day per rig, which Maria Irwin, a Durango-based environmental consultant for the company, described as relatively small.
Residents also raised concerns about impacts to recreation, including access to Gibbs Peak and nearby trails.
Company officials said a portion of Bedrock Creek Road – roughly the upper stretch – could be temporarily closed during drilling for safety reasons. The work would be coordinated with the U.S. Forest Service, and closures would be limited in scope and duration.
Beyond that, however, answers were less concrete.
When asked how a potential future mine might affect recreation across the region, company representatives said it is too early to say.
“We don’t have anything to inform a mine design,” Irwin said. “To speculate on impacts of a mine would be untruthful at this stage.”
Company geologists added that while an underground mine with a smaller surface footprint is one possible long-term scenario, no engineering, economic or environmental studies have been completed.
Tribal engagement also emerged as a point of contention.
The La Plata Mountains are considered culturally and historically significant to the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Navajo Nation, among others.
A member of the Southern Ute community criticized what she described as a lack of outreach to tribal members beyond formal government channels.
“I’m not talking about the tribal governments. I’m talking about the people,” she said, accusing the company of acting as if it operates “behind bureaucracy” while claiming to “do things right.”
jbowman@durangoherald.com
