The Southern Ute Indian Tribe has come out in opposition to a proposed mining project in the La Plata Mountains
Canadian-based Metallic Minerals is exploring a roughly 19-square-mile area within the Brunot Area, a 3.7-million-acre parcel of land that was taken from the Ute bands under the Brunot Agreement of 1874.
The federal government made that treaty in bad faith to benefit mining interests. But it left the tribe with the right to hunt, fish, and gather on the lands.
Metallic Minerals says no mining method has been selected and exploration remains in an early stage. CEO Greg Johnson said the company wants to minimize environmental impacts and will incorporate the tribe’s concerns into future planning.
The tribe says it opposes future mines and exploration that could lead to one.
