(Image via Western Sierra Resource Corp.)
One of the most valuable resources in the United States, if not the world today, is water.
Not only is water crucial for our survival in countless ways, this 40 Million dollar water asset in Colorado is what unifies the four Resource Asset Divisions operated by comprehensive resource Company
Western Sierra Resource Corp. (OTC: WSRC, Forum) and turns these multiple
possibilities into multiple
revenue streams.
(Image via Western Sierra Resource Corp.)
From water projects and air purification, to mineral and helium extraction, hemp cultivation, and “green” construction, this is one of the most diverse opportunities Stockhouse Editorial has covered, let’s break down their business segments.
WSRC’s core project is
water.
Under Division I (Water Resources), the Company is working to expand and monetize its current ownership of $40.5 million (USD) in water rights and infrastructure near the world-class ski resort of Steamboat Springs in northwest Colorado. To that end, Western Sierra has partnered with Vancouver BC’s Global Hemp Group, Inc. to incorporate industrial hemp irrigation and cultivation; preliminary processing; manufacture of hemp-based construction products; and fabrication of affordable homes utilizing those products all from a central campus adjacent to the hemp farm and known as a Hemp Agro-Industrial Zone (HAIZ). There are multiple additional water-based opportunities to pursue as the Affordable Housing and Hemp Cultivation projects mature.
Under Division II (Mineral Resources), the Company is pursuing monetization of large in-ground assets which may accomplished internally; extracted through joint venture; or sold. These assets consist of precious metals such as gold and silver, and platinum group metals as well as Rare Earth Elements (REEs). Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Western Sierra now owns 7 claims including 6 historical properties in Arizona and 640 additional contiguous acres of mining claims in Northern Nevada. This project may be expanded significantly subject to validation of existing assay analysis by NI-43-101 technical reports over the next 12 months.
Under Division III (Conservation Technologies), the Company is working to, among other endeavors, provide access to clean water to people around the globe that don’t have it. As an example:
Air-Water-Generation (AWG). 844 million people around the world lack clean drinking water and roughly two billion people lack access to water for basic hygiene. This AWG breakthrough technology can produce up to 100,000 gallons per day (gpd) of water at less than $.03 / gallon, where the current standard has been roughly 2,800 gpd at more than $0.40 /gallon.
Under its Division IV, (Helium Resources) the Company has pivoted to stay on-trend with the market’s movements, while also keeping its core assets and values aligned. It has been able to add its focus to another impending shortage many people are not yet fully aware of –
helium. It’s not just for party balloons, but a lot of tech platforms. Medical devices such a MRI’s, guidance systems, and manufacture of myriad electronic devices rely on helium. The U.S. Helium Reserve in Texas which has supplied 40% of the domestic market and 30% of the global market for decades, has by statute permanently discontinued commercial helium sales to non-governmental agencies, which has caused the prices to spike since 2019. Western Sierra has partnered with an independent producer to meet this rising demand as the global supply shrinks rapidly.
There is a lot of information to process, but also a wide array of opportunities. To learn more, Stockhouse Editorial recently spoke with Western Sierra Resource’s Chief Executive Officer, Roger Johnson to find out more ….
Thank you for joining us today, there is a lot to talk about here. Let’s address a major question likely on many readers’ minds - This AWG technology sounds revolutionary; can you explain how it works?
AWG, Air-Water-Generation, is a refrigeration-based technology that pulls air into a chilled water exchanger and condenses water vapor into water. These units can generate upwards of 100,000 gallons per day. They are ideal in hot and humid climates all over the world where there is no access to a dependable surface or subterranean source of potable water.
The AWG-1 is installed as a permanent system using a combination of WSRC’s power saving and refrigeration technologies to economically produce large quantities of water for established communities, hospitals, and industrial/commercial facilities having access to electrical power.
The AWG-2 is a versatile system for remote locations without access to a dependable power supply or potable water resource. This off-grid system incorporates solar technology, electrical power saving technology, and refrigeration technologies to produce pure, inexpensive water for drinking, hygiene, and greenhouse food production for off grid villages, military installations, mining operations, energy exploration facilities and other uses where permanent infrastructure is not practical or cost effective.
The development and engineering have been kept confidential as trade secret technology. A concurrent patent with the HVAC-Refrigeration patent has been recently filed.
A core asset for the Company is the pristine artesian water near Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Why is having a water asset in the Western US so vital for this Company?
Water is timeless—and necessary for every area of human endeavor. It makes a great investment. WSRC owns $40 million in appraised water assets which it may expand to a virtually unlimited scale. Some areas of the world have a fresh-water surplus, most do not. Western Sierra owns water in the Western United States where demand increasingly exceeds supply. This solid asset base has a myriad of opportunities to generate revenues to the benefit of the shareholders.
Precious metals and REEs are both hot topics right now for their respective reasons, can you give us a rundown of your Mineral Resources Division’s operations and your advancing of its NI 43-101?
Right now, we are on hold pending completion of NI-43-101 technical reports. When our vetted third-party assay reports are validated, this will be very impactful for our Precious Metals and REE division. NI-43101’s will take several months to complete. We expect to have a definitive monetization plan in place within 12 months.
Let us talk a bit about your helium project. Though this isn’t a key focus for the Company, there is still a lot of value here. Can you give us a rundown of what your extraction operation looks like and explain the value compared to other commodities like natural gas?
This is more an investment of opportunity. Like water, there is no known substitute for Helium. It is critical for electronics, MRI’s, guidance systems and myriad other high-tech applications. Prices have spiked from $119.31 per MCF to over $279.95 MCF for a weighted average increase of 135% in two years. We have formed a 50/50 joint venture partnership with a helium producer. The resulting opportunity is potentially high returns.
Your recent hemp partnership sounds very intriguing. What attracted you to this side of the agricultural business? Why do you think it is pivotal to your partnerships?
To start off with, our focus is construction materials—and building affordable homes with as many of those products as possible. Foundations, insulation, wall board, siding, roofing, flooring, countertops, cabinets, and even carpeting and window coverings can be made from hemp. The market is immense, and the number of competitors is relatively low. It has been demonstrated that 3 acres irrigated hemp is sufficient to substantially replace the materials used to build a 1500 sf house. This provides a classic opportunity for vertical integration—1000 acres of irrigated (using WSRC’s water) hemp can essentially “grow” 300 houses…and do it again the next year. We have been contacted by industry manufacturers that want WSRC to provide processed hemp in exchange for finished products. The Company’s objective is to manufacture its own hemp products under Joint Venture with companies that have years of experience behind the development and testing of their own products.
Finally, Western Sierra Resources appears uniquely positioned to be able to pivot to up and coming industries, where do you see the company in six months to a year in the future?
WSRC expects to build a basic 20,000 sf storage, processing, production, and warehouse facility this Winter/Spring 2021; plant up to 300 acres of hemp in Spring 2021; and build the first affordable home models beginning in Spring 2021 from which to initate sales to end-users in Summer/Fall 2021. These homes will be built, in part, using hemp-based available from our Manufacturing Partners. An increasing number of hemp-based components will be introduced as testing, availability, and pricing allow. Closed sales of affordable homes could begin to by Fall/Winter of 2021/2022.
Several of WSRC’s technological products are under contract negotiation with distributors, licensees, manufacturing partners, and end users. We expect revenue from at least two of these contracts to materialize by Spring 2021 and provide increasing revenue month by month thereafter.
Revenue from Minerals and Helium will likely be realized in 2021 as reports are completed and development and monetization of these assets begins.
Thank you again for your time today, anything further to add?
I would like to report that WSRC is planning to file an REG A Offering Statement on or about the end of October 2020. Upon SEC approval, which we expect to see within 60 days of filing, the REG A shares would be free trading to the benefit of the investors that would like to participate in this exciting enterprise.
To find out more about the Company, visit
westernsierraresource.com.
FULL DISCLOSURE: This is a paid article produced by Stockhouse Publishing.