Indian Affairs.. Rescan to the rescue?'2006-10-31 14:56 ET - Street Wire
by Will Purcell
Ralf Hillebrand's New Shoshoni Ventures Ltd. is trying again for permission to explore its Drybones Bay property. The company would like to drill two kimberlite pipes and some surrounding targets, but it has been unable to get the required permits. Two neighbouring explorers received permission, prompting speculation that New Shoshoni's problems are political, not environmental. The company plans to broach the matter with the local Indians as a result. The Drybones property is the main project in the area, and the two existing kimberlites warrant bigger tests.
Permit woes
New Shoshoni picked up the Drybones property in 2001 and got in a few years of work, including drill programs in 2002 and 2003. The company went after new land use permits following that, but the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board rejected its application. The board said the work would cause significant adverse impacts that the company could not mitigate, citing worries about the archaeological, spiritual and sacred sites along the north shore of Great Slave Lake.
Those worries did not extend to the property immediately east of New Shoshoni's ground, where Snowfield Development Corp. got permits for big drill and trenching programs on its Mud Lake kimberlite sill. Consolidated Gold Win Ventures Inc. got permission to work the property immediately west of New Shoshoni.
Mr. Hillebrand said his company needed support from the Indians for any realistic shot at getting approval, and they are divided. He said an archaeological survey did not yield anything particularly sensitive, but "it is all about a sense of place with the first nations." The company plans to make new overtures to the local groups.
The work plan
New Shoshoni wants to drill more holes into the DB-02 pipe, a 2003 find that it never got a chance to probe further. The body covers nearly two hectares at the surface, giving it a potential 10 million tonnes of kimberlite. The company would like to delineate its shape with more drilling, including a vertical hole that would penetrate the main core of the pipe.
The company's enthusiasm stems from its diamond counts. About 250 kilograms of crater kimberlite yielded 270 diamonds, including nine that were longer than 0.6 millimetre. The microdiamond rate was significant, at more than a stone per kilogram, but the size distribution of the parcel is uncertain. The largest diamond fell just short of one millimetre, and New Shoshoni decided that it needed larger samples and bigger diamonds to assess the pipe.
New Shoshoni also wants to take new samples of the huge Drybones pipe, which has multiple phases and got just limited tests during the 1990s. Small mini-bulk tests suggested the core of the pipe had a diamond content of about 0.2 carat per tonne, and New Shoshoni would like to test larger portions of rock than the 10-tonne cumulative sample to date.
The company has several other geophysical targets surrounding the two pipes and a new drill program would test those features. One of the targets may be a companion pipe to DB-02. If so, the tonnage potential of the project could grow considerably.'
Those drybones still have lots of marrow in them
???
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RrMEytsUsk
Harry out!
P.S. I guess Willy does not want to play in the Mud anymore