WHAT'S NEW
Aug 20, 2007:
Duluth Complex projects build up resources LEARN MORE
Jul 31, 2007:
Babbitt, Minn. / Large metal deposits draw mine developers LEARN MORE
Jul 29, 2007:
Water not a barrier in exploration for minerals LEARN MORE
MORE ON THE PROJECT
Birch Lake Project
Birch Lake FAQs The Iron RangeMining Heritage Our Mission Statement
Where is the Birch Lake Project?
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| Birch Lake, in Northeast Minnesota, is 230 miles north of Minneapolis and 80 miles northwest of Duluth. It straddles the boundary between St. Louis and Lake Counties. | The Birch Lake Resevoir is on the eastern Iron Range, , and on the western edge of the Superior National Forest. It extends from west of Babbitt to Highway 1, southeast of Ely. The Bob Bay area is about 4 miles east of Babbitt. |
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| The Lake, which is actually a man-made reservoir that was formed by damming the Birch River at its northeastern end, flows into the North and South Kawishiwi Rivers, which feed into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, approximately 15 miles away. The BWCA is five miles east (closest point from Maturi and ten miles east at its closest point from the Birch Lake deposit. | Franconia Minerals’ proposed Birch Lake Project combines two separate copper-nickel-PGM deposits: one at Bob Bay, a mile-long Bay on the reservoir’s south side, and the other at a location about four miles away known as Maturi, where the Lake flows into the South Kawishiwi River. |
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| The 100.4 million ton Birch Lake underground resource is approximately 1600’ to 2800’ beneath the surfaces of the Lake and the land to the south and would be accessed from a small site east of Bob Bay, on state and private mineral rights. | The 83.1 million ton underground resource at Maturi is from a few hundred to about 3000 feet beneath the land and would be mined from shafts away from the reservoir and South Kawishiwi River. It is on federal surface and mineral rights. |
*All maps not to scale.
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STAKEHOLDERS' COMMENTS
In our effort to establish a constructive dialogue regarding the Birch Lake Project with citizens, groups and organizations, Franconia welcomes all communications. This sampling of comments and responses is representative of the email, mail, and phone calls we have received. Please contact us to submit your input and questions.