West Mojave Plan FEIR/S - Desert Managers Group

Table 3-49 shows the number of mining claims and sites within each conservation area.There are approximately 110 active notices and 55 plans of operations within the planning areaboundary.Table 3- 49Mining Claims and Sites Within Management AreasMINING CLAIMS AND SITESMANAGEMENT AREAMILL TUNNELLODE PLACER SITE SITESuperior-Cronese DWMA 73 169 21 0Newberry-Rodman DWMA 163 53 0 0Pinto Mountains DWMA 67 46 0 0Fremont-Kramer DWMA 63 268 1 0Mojave Ground Squirrel Conservation Area 146 534 40 0Carbonate Endemics 11 30 0 0Alkali Mariposa Lily Conservation Area 0 0 0 0Barstow Wooly Sunflower Conservation Area 28 0 0 0Bendries Thrasher Conservation Area 0 1 0 0Big Rock Creek Conservation Area 0 0 0 0Lane Mtn Milkvetch Conservation Area 0 22 0 0Little San Bern Mtns Gilia Conservation Area 0 0 0 0Middle Knob Conservation Area 0 0 0 0Mojave Fringe-toed Lizard Conservation Area 0 11 0 0Mojave Monkeyflower Conservation Area 40 27 2 0North Edwards 0 0 0 0Pisgah Crater Conservation Area 230 65 85 0Total Mining Claims and Sites in MA’s: 821 1,230 149 0Total Mining Claims and Sites in the Planning Area: 1,577 1,604 268 0Numbers reflect the November 2001 43 CFR 3833 recordation database maintained by BLM. Locations are to the nearest ¼ section. Numbersare by management area and do not differentiate those mining claims lying within two or more management area overlaps.Saline Deposits: The most important nonmetallic commodities found in the Californiadesert region are borate and associated evaporite minerals and saline brines, collectively knownas saline deposits (Dellinger, 1989, p.57).One of the most outstanding discoveries took place in 1863 when J.W. Searles foundborax near present day Searles Lake at Trona, in San Bernardino County. Production of borax,and 14 other associated minerals, from the brines of Searles Lake continue to this day. SearlesLake is an in-situ solution mine administered under the solid leasable mineral regulations at 43CFR 3500. It has a current mine and reclamation plan approved by the BLM and State Mine andReclamation Act (SMARA). Mining is conducted on thirty Federal mineral leases (consisting oftwenty two sodium leases and eight potassium leases) and one sodium permit aggregating 25,662acres of BLM-administered public lands. There are 6,647 acres of private lands included withinthe mining area. The Trona, Argus and Westend Plants are located on private lands adjacent tothe mining area. Mining began at Searles Lake in the early 1900s and is expected to continue formany years due to its location at the end of a chain of Pleistocene lakes where rich mineralChapter 3 3-231