Great assessment Tretchikoff,
I for one do not want to see blatant destruction of Australian bushland, and am confident that Chalice and their stakeholders would not wish for either. What we need to do is become better informed investors and have a balanced conversation about what the company is actually doing, not creating false accusations and making up information.
One thing we all need to remember is that this project is well and truly into the exploration stages of defining a resource and still far from any serious mining activity taking place. Even under the best of conditions, I think we all know mines don't pop up overnight.
Even though a mining operation is years away, this will still create some angst among local residence and environmentalists, which is understandable when dealing with these potential changes.
There are many conditions that need to to met before this can take place and this quote from the CHN announcement on September 22nd should help people understand what is currently taking place "The Company has been actively liaising with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) and the Department of Mines, Industry, Resources and Safety (DMIRS) regarding the development of a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for non-ground disturbing, reconnaissance exploration activities within the Julimar State Forest.
Proposed activities include ground-based geophysics as well as wide-spaced geochemical soil sampling over the entire Julimar Complex, including the three new AEM anomalies. These activities are anticipated to have negligible impact on the environment and community. Any targets generated from these activities would be drill tested, subject to a second stage CMP approval.
Chalice will continue to work co-operatively with regulatory agencies regarding environmental approvals for future exploration."
And judging by the Diggers & Dealers presentation, the time line for stage 1 access approvals is estimated to be around October, So some more news flow should come soon.
When these activities have taken place within Julimar, then it would be more appropriate to have a discussion about whether or not the forest will be mined.
But even environmental groups in this area, such as Avon & Hills Mining Awareness Group admit "Mining is propping up a cash-strapped economy and it’s odds-on that many proposed mining projects may be fast-tracked to boost the country’s coffers. It’s up to us all to monitor these projects to ensure that shortcuts, which could negatively impact our health and environment, aren’t taken."
These are real people with real concerns but exploration will go ahead and If economically viable to do so, a mine would be built, but with conditions and compromises that will hopefully benefit both parties in the long term.
I encourage people to have a look at the AHMAG website, they are serious about protecting the environment but are also realistic in what they can achieve. I'm Confident that Chalice and their management will try their hardest to satisfy every concern and meet every requirement that locals and environmentalists have.
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