George Bee, president and CEO of US Gold Corp. Courtesy photo.

George Bee, president and CEO of US Gold Corp. Courtesy photo.

Editor's note: Per its website, www.ckgoldmine.com, "The CK Gold Project is an advanced stage gold and copper project, located at the site of the historic Copper King Mine in Wyoming’s Silver Crown Mining District," which is west of Cheyenne along Happy Jack Road, not far from Curt Gowdy State Park.

Wyoming is a state blessed with incredible natural resources. The geology that formed wonders such as Devils Tower and the Grand Tetons also created significant resources below the surface.

These mining opportunities brought some of the earliest settlers to Wyoming, and the CK Gold Project looks to revitalize a historic mining district. The copper and gold in this area would provide an American source of the minerals that power modern society, as well as high-paying local jobs and opportunities.

Over the past two years, the CK Gold Project has spent millions of dollars, utilizing numerous Wyoming contractors, conducting studies and gathering data to better understand the project’s potential and surrounding natural environment. Since the old-timers last mined the area in the 1920s, as part of the Silver Crown Mining District, we have known an excellent ore resource exists, but much more needed to be understood to develop and carry out a sustainable modern-day mining operation. Interpreting the collected data has answered many questions necessary to propose moving the project forward.

Understanding environmental factors, geology, hydrology, the economic extent of the ore body, area landowner priorities and post-mining opportunities are all factors contributing to the viability of the project. Development cannot proceed without understanding and acceptance of the encompassing considerations of our local hosts, the state and local government, and investors who would put up significant capital to build a mine. Our objective has always been to create a winning scenario for all concerned.

The CK Gold Project would extract the ore-bearing rock using methods similar to that of the nearby quarries. After crushing and grinding the ore, the metals will be separated by a flotation process, which uses air bubbled up through a slurry to capture and separate a concentrate of copper and gold. About four truckloads a day of concentrate would be shipped to an offsite smelter for final processing. The processed tailings would then be filter-pressed to reuse the water, dry-stacked, contoured to the shape of the surrounding terrain, capped with topsoil and revegetated with native grasses. We are coordinating with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to see how we could increase winter mule deer habitat with the reclamation by adding additional south-facing slopes.

Water quality and supply is of the utmost importance. Starting in 2020, US Gold Corp invested in 13 water monitoring wells, simply to help understand the hydrology prior to any activity. As the feasibility work determined the best way to recover the gold and copper, we were able to determine that the mine will need up to 600 gallons per minute of water for operations. To put this into perspective, an agricultural irrigation center pivot covering a 130-acre field uses about 1,000 gallons per minute. The CK Gold Project is advancing an agreement to purchase water from the Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities, which, for the life of the project, would provide the utility with revenue from available capacity. Purchasing water from BOPU means that there would be virtually no new impacts to surrounding wells and aquifers.

Ultimately, the work over the past two years has determined the best ways to operate the mine and avoid many of the typical concerns surrounding gold mines. The flotation separation process does not utilize cyanide; there will not be any stack emissions from a smelter; dry-stacked tailings eliminate the need for a tailings dam; the net-neutral pH of the host rock negates acid mine drainage concerns; the water supply does not originate from local aquifers; and employees and contractors will be bussed to the site to minimize traffic impacts.

Based upon the data we currently have, we estimate the mine could have a 10-year life, plus additional post-mining reclamation work. The mine itself is a temporary use of the land, and we are conducting the foundational studies to evaluate every opportunity to leave a lasting, positive impact on the area.

This project would also have a significant economic impact to Wyoming in the form of jobs, royalties, property, production and sales taxes. Particularly notable is the fact that the main ore body lies within a state of Wyoming-owned parcel, meaning the royalties would directly fund education. With the ongoing debate over school funding, this project would provide needed revenue.

Local engagement and communication are critical aspects of the CK Gold Project. To date, we have held more than 115 meetings with over 200 different individuals in southeastern Wyoming. As we move through the permitting phase of the project, we will continue to meet with local stakeholders and the community to share what we know and more importantly, hear the thoughts of others.

Laramie County is blessed with an incredible resource, and US Gold Corp wants to be a great partner, providing jobs, tax revenue and funding schools, while leaving a positive legacy.

George Bee is the president and CEO of US Gold Corp, a NASDAQ traded company, now headquartered in Cheyenne. He has over 40 years of experience developing and operating mines all over the world, in places such as Nevada, South Africa, Chile and Argentina, working for major companies such as Barrick Gold, Rio Tinto and Kinross Gold.

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