Considering the strategy with taking up more ground (leases) in the WMP near NB. The way leases are granted and held (I’m sure Salpetie will inform & correct me as necessary) is that a person can lodge an application for an unheld lease and it will be granted for a small fee. The lease can be maintained with a low but defined exploration spend over the time it is granted for. I venture for 3 years (?). After that, there can be an application for retention or it lapses becoming open to someone else's application.
If a contiguous lease is held by another party usually the interested party can agree to form a joint venture for a defined exploration spend (which increase it's value), a fixed buyout price or net smelter return (say 2% of metal value produced). So owning nearby leases can be a profitable strategy with leverage to discovery. It’s a bit of a cat and mouse game for the incumbent explorer (e.g. CZI) when new leases come up for application. If you show interest in one lease someone else may apply for other leases an investment strategy termed Nearology. Alternatively holding a lot of ground can be expensive and you have to make a defined exploration spend (largely drilling). I think CZI did a great job of tying up the leases they did based on the information they have (obviously more than others).
I hope this (somewhat flawed) explanation goes some way to explaining their actions and the process of lease procurement in some way. (I think Salpetie tried as well but no-one wants to write screedsmuch less have people read them)
