The next big mining project in British Columbia could be just up the road from 亚洲天堂 Lake.

If two experienced B.C. mineral explorers are correct, there could be a large deposit of molybdenum, copper, and silver in the hills around 亚洲天堂 Lake.  They鈥檝e acquired mineral rights to the Boer property, 6300 hectares of land just northeast of 亚洲天堂 Lake accessed by the Augier and Co-op logging roads.

John A. Chapman, an independent professional engineer with more than four decades of mining experience, and Gerald G. Carlson, on behalf of KGE Management Ltd., have recently made the property available for option.

The Boer property is one of 17 properties to which they own mineral rights.  In total, they have rights to over 100,000 hectares throughout British Columbia.  Nine of those properties have already been optioned to junior companies.

鈥淲hat drew us in [to 亚洲天堂 Lake] was the high silver content of the lake sediment in the area,鈥� said Chapman.  鈥淪omewhere in the Lakes District there should be a high-grade source of base metals or silver.鈥�

While their initial claim was based on lake and stream sediment geochemistry uncovered during a study that began in 2008, they have since made chance discoveries that have confirmed their initial data.

鈥淲e made one discovery right on the [Co-op] logging road,鈥� Chapman recounted.  鈥淭here was a [rock] hump that the 亚洲天堂 Lake Community Forest people drilled and blasted to make a quarry.

The gravel was intended for road-building, but lo-and-behold, it鈥檚 mineralized.鈥�

鈥淭here鈥檚 low grade copper, moly and silver,鈥� he said.  鈥淣obody recognized it until we drove up.鈥�

鈥淚f that [logging road] had been in the Kootenays, within a week local, prospectors would have found it,鈥� Chapman said.  鈥淚t means that you don鈥檛 have any prospectors who are out in the bush prospecting in the 亚洲天堂 Lake area.鈥�

According to Chapman, the Kootenays have a strong contingent of prospectors because of well-organized local mining groups like the Nelson-based Chamber of Mines of Eastern B.C. which arranges yearly courses through the local college.  Chapman recalls that local colleges in Northern B.C. used to offer courses in prospecting, but they have since stopped making them available in the communities where they could be best utilized.

鈥淚t would only take a week to learn to be a prospector,鈥� Chapman said.

He would like to see programs and classes offered locally so that Northern B.C. could continue its history of large mining discoveries.

鈥淚f you look through the historical record, you鈥檒l find that most of the big mines like Endako and Gibraltar were discovered by local prospectors,鈥� Chapman said.  鈥淭hey weren鈥檛 discovered by big companies.鈥�

Chapman recalls the discovery of the Endako Mine.

鈥淓ndako was discovered in 1927 by Mr. Foot, of Fraser Lake,鈥� Chapman said.  鈥淗e was on a hunting trip with his partner.  They were trained as prospectors so they recognized the mineralization [when they came upon it].鈥�

Now that Chapman and Carlson, modern day prospectors, are actively advertising the Boer property for development.

鈥淲hat normally happens is that a prospector discovers a deposit and then a junior company comes in and spends about a million dollars on development,鈥� Chapman said.  鈥淚f that goes well, then a major company will come in and option it from the junior company.  Both the junior company and the prospector do very well.鈥�

Despite the history of successful mining in Northern B.C., Chapman said it hasn鈥檛 been a good year to find investors for the kind of risky work it takes to discover the next big mine.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been in business 12 years with these properties and this year [2012] has probably been the most difficult,鈥� Chapman recounted.  鈥淚t鈥檚 been difficult for junior companies to raise money for risky projects.鈥�

Chapman cites a number of factors which has chilled mining exploration in B.C.  In April, 2012, B.C. changed mining regulations which made it more expensive to make mineral claims.  Chapman noted that the claim for the Boer property cost him and his partner only $3000 when they made it.   If they had made the claim under the new regulations, they would have spent over $10,000.

He doesn鈥檛 think that people appreciate how globally-oriented mining has become.

鈥淢ining is very international, including the Vancouver group [of investors],鈥� Chapman said.    鈥淭hey look at places in Africa, South America, Europe and here in Canada.  If regulations or labour or native issues are bad, they just go somewhere else.鈥�

Chapman said it is important for First Nations and natural resource developers to work together.

As for the Boer property, despite what Chapman describes as the 鈥榞loomiest year in mining鈥� in his career, investor interest remains.

鈥淥n the Boer, property we鈥檝e had three parties show an interest,鈥� Chapman said.  鈥淥ne dropped away, saying they had decided not to do anymore exploration in the area.  But the other two are still looking at it.