Franconia’s Birch Lake Project Mission

Large deposits of copper, nickel, cobalt and the platinum group metals lie below the surface at two sites (known as Bob Bay and Maturi) about four miles apart at Birch Lake, on the Iron Range in northeastern Minnesota.  Franconia Minerals wants to work with the Range communities, environmental and other interest groups, all concerned parties and Minnesota regulatory agencies to permit, build and operate two underground mines and an above-ground processing plant to extract the low-sulfide ores and recover these valuable metals.  The Company’s goal is to develop a responsible project without endangering human health and welfare, and while minimizing impacts on air, water, wildlife, plant life, cultural resources and the recreational and lifestyle opportunities the area offers.

The Birch Lake mines would bring jobs to the Iron Range, which has suffered economically over the past 25 years, generate substantial tax revenues and royalties for the communities and state, and yield metals on which the US is now dependent on foreign sources for a substantial portion of its supply. These metals are essential to our everyday life and, in some cases, our national security. 

The planned mining and processing operations will be designed to have minimal impact at ground level and thus will go largely unnoticed from the Lake itself.  There is little development in the vicinity of the deposit near Bob Bay; at Maturi the Company will take steps to mitigate the impact on nearby development.  While the ore is sulfide bearing, the sulfide levels are low. Modern mining and processing technology will be used to prevent  environmental threats including that of potential acid mine drainage to surface and ground water of the Lake and the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Franconia Minerals is an open, cooperative company that has a strong commitment to establishing a constructive dialogue with all potential stakeholders in the Birch Lake Project.  Through this website, information repositories in Range cities, and meetings, the Company will provide accurate, timely information and a forum for participation.  Scoping, environmental studies and the Environmental Impact Statement and permitting processes will include public input and scrutiny.  Before a Permit to Mine is issued and construction begins, all public concerns will be addressed and answered, in adherence to a plan Franconia will be required to design.  It is Franconia’s goal to minimize impacts the Project will have on the environment, from exploratory drilling through mine closure, and to provide job, tax and royalty benefits to the region and the state.