Highland Copper Co. initiated a drilling program at its Copperwood project in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S. This program is designed to upgrade the current inferred resources at the eastern section of the Copperwood copper-silver deposit, obtain metallurgical samples and carry out further geotechnical studies to refine a mining plan.
Highland Copper plans to drill up to 35 confirmatory holes totaling about 6,800 meters of core. Twelve of the drill holes are located in Section 5 of Gogebic County, at the westernmost edge of the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness Park, west of County Road 519. The company expects to complete these 12 holes by the end of March.
To ensure minimum impact to the land surface during the drilling program and to provide protections to natural resources to the greatest extent possible, several operating provisions have been put into action, including operating only on frozen ground, using tracked drill rigs on existing roads for access to drill hole locations and avoid cutting trees when feasible. The vast majority of the park, including the Presque Isle River watershed, will remain unaffected by this exploration program. The company’s employees and drill contractors are working with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ (MDNR) Parks and Recreation Division to monitor activities and ensure compliance with the permit.
