Preserving the San Rafael Watershed in Southern Arizona
Barksdale Mining
Barksdale Resources Corporation is a Canadian based junior exploratory mining company, which has acquired unpatented mining claims on Forest Service land for their four projects. Their total unpatented mining claims cover almost 33 square miles or an area 25 times the size of the Town of Patagonia, AZ.
Barksdale - San Antonio Project
Project Information
On March 17, 2023 after submitting the required Reclamation Performance Bond and obtaining all required permits, Barksdale (IC Exploration) received Forest Service’s approval to proceed with its San Antonio Exploratory Drilling Project in the Patagonia Mountains, within the San Rafael Watershed.
Between March 17, 2023 and March 24, 2023 Barksdale set-up operations, drilled at three (3) of the proposed five (5) drilling sites and then removed drill rigs from the site. During that time local
residents monitored the drilling operations and reported several concerns to Forest Service, including unapproved tree removal and unlined water collection sumps. Forest Service responded to residents’ concerns by conducting an on-site inspection. Forest Service did not release a report of the inspection, but did verbally confirm that Barksdale will have to pay for and replace the trees they cut down and Barksdale’s was directed to use plastic liners in the sumps and to remove sump water off site.
It is unknown when or if Barksdale will return to drill at the remaining two sites or when they will
release the assay reports for the recent drilling operation.
Although the drilling rigs have been removed, Barksdale’s work is not complete. Barksdale is
responsible for removing all remaining equipment and materials from the site and completing
reclamation work as outlined in their Plan of Operations. Local residents will continue to monitor the drill sites to assure Barksdale complies with “demobilizing” and reclamation requirements.
The San Antonio Drilling Project Decision Memo and related documents are available on the Forest Service web site by clicking the following link San Antonio Decision Memo.
Barksdale - Sunnyside Project
Project Information
In August 2019, Forest Service announced that Arizona Standard, LLC, a United States subsidiary of Barksdale Resources Corporation, submitted the Sunnyside Exploratory Drilling Project Plan of Operation (PoO). Major components of the PoO include:
- a surface Induced Potential (IP) geophysical survey,
- construction of exploration access roads, and
- construction of up to thirty (30) exploration drilling platforms with no more than two (2) drills active at one time, drills operating 24x7 for up to seven (7) years.
The proposed locations for the 30 exploratory drill holes are Flux, Upper Humboldt and Lower Humboldt Canyons in the northwest portion of the Patagonia Mountains.
The Scoping Period, time frame when the public was able to submit comments about the Sunnyside Project, ended in October 2019. Forest Service is currently conducting an environmental analysis of the Project and anticipates releasing a draft decision in July 2022.
Barksdale - Four Metals Project
Project Information
In April 2018, Barksdale entered into a definitive option agreement with MinQuest, Ltd. and Allegiant Gold (U.S.) Ltd., to acquire a 100% undivided interest in:
- 38 mining claims on 760 acres of Forest Service land in the center of the Patagonia Mountains, locally referred to as the Guajalote Flats/Red Hills area.
- This is the smallest of Barksdale’s proposed projects. It covers an area just over 1 square mile, slightly smaller than the size of Patagonia, AZ.
- In order to exercise the option, the Company must make option payments totaling $450,000 to MinQuest Ltd. and Allegiant on a 50/50 basis, in cash and common shares of Barksdale over a period of five years.
In July 2021, Barksdale completed the purchase of a 10 acre patented mining claim adjoining the Four Metals unpatented claims.
Barksdale states the project has the potential to become an open pit mine producing copper, molybdenum, silver, and gold. As of May 2022, Barksdale has not announced any specific plans related to this project.
The Four Metals project is located on the western edge of the San Rafael Valley Watershed.
For information on the impacts of mining, click here.
Barksdale - Canelo Project
Project Information
On May 12, 2021, Barksdale announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a 100% interest in the copper exploration project (Canelo Project) from Kennecott Exploration Company ("Kennecott"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto Group.
The Canelo Project is located in the northwest corner of the San Rafael Valley, an area locally known as Meadow Valley. The Canelo project is an early-stage copper porphyry and skarn/CRD exploration project located approximately 6 miles north-northeast of the Barksdale’s Sunnyside project. The property consists of 433 federal mining claims covering approximately 8,700 acres or almost 14 square miles of Forest Service land.
In addition to acquiring 100% of the Canelo Project from Kennecott Exploration Inc., Barksdale has obtained certain raw geophysical data that covers the Company's Sunnyside and San Antonio projects.
As of May 2022 Barksdale has not announced any specific plans related to this project.
