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Marla Daily
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MINING COMING TO LORETO
http://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/companies/news/39227/az...
Azure Minerals, an Australian company, has paid the Mexican Government $137,000 for mining rights to 9571 hectares of land at Loreto. Mapping and
sampling begin this month. They're after copper.
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Pescador
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The Boleo Project at Santa Rosalia has certainly had a very mixed effect. The economy is doing much better and we see a great increase in the number
and quality of grocery stores, general stores, building materials and hardware, restaurants, restaurants, hotels and motels. We have also had an
influx of outside labor which carries increased opportunity but also a great increase of crime. People are driving nicer cars, but the influx in cars
is almost mind boggling and it has become impossible to find a parking space during the day in Santa Rosalia. The lines at the banks have become
longer than seen in most Post Offices in the United States and the waits are perhaps a little longer.
A lot of people have learned new skills and occupations that they will be able to carry with them wherever they go and we see a general relief from
the crushing poverty which is inherit in this area where there was very little opportunity.
The city and municipality offices are doing better and we see a real difference in monies for infastructure. The government offices have come to
learn that they have other money available which may give some small relief to always looking at Punta Chivato and what they believe to be the rich
americans who live there, to find extra funding.
Housing has exploded and every little house that was not being used full time is under rent and the building of new houses is way up.
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Marla Daily
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Does anyone know the location of these hectares cleared for mining?
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Paula
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Hi Marla, lousy news, isn't it? I've heard that the hectares are just north of town, on both sides of the highway, not sure if that is accurate.
Mining? Tourism? We can have it all?? Yikes!
typo corrected...
[Edited on 2-7-2013 by Paula]
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vandenberg
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Folks, we're only talking about 37 sq miles. 
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Marla Daily
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37 square miles is an area 1/3 times larger than Manhattan and over half the size of Washington, D.C.
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BajaBlanca
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wow, that will certainly bring many changes to the Loreto area.
I agree with the banking chaos in Santa Rosalia now - we were there 2 days ago and I have never seen so many people waiting in line at any bank ever.
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BajaNomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Marla Daily
Does anyone know the location of these hectares cleared for mining? |
From:
http://www.infomine.com/index/pr/pb280596.pdf
[Edited on 2-7-2013 by BajaNomad]
When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
– Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
We know we must go back if we live, and we don`t know why.
– John Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
https://www.regionalinternet.com
Affordable Domain Name Registration/Management & cPanel Web Hosting - since 1999 |
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David K
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Thank you Doug!
I went to the Australian company's web page, and found this which I think is very interesting:
Why Mexico?
MEXICO
Low sovereign risk (ranked #4 in the world of countries for favourable mining investment).
Political and financial stability with North American-style legal and accounting systems.
Low taxation rates and no mining royalties.
Foreign companies, foreign ownership, and repatriation of capital allowed.
500 years of mining history – strong government, bureaucracy and public support for mining.
Strategic geographical location in world class mining region.
Well trained and experienced workforce readily available.
Overview
Mexico is a mining-friendly country with stable political and financial systems, a long mining history, rational environmental policies, excellent
infrastructure, and a firm government and bureaucratic commitment to the development of natural resources. It offers the exploration and mining
industry a favourable investment and operating climate in a country enriched in mineral resources.
Prospectivity
World-class mining districts and mines are present throughout Mexico. The country is a major producer of silver, gold, copper, lead, zinc and
molybdenum. Numerous new mining operations have recently commenced or are currently in development, and the country has recently become a focus for
exploration and mining companies of all sizes.
Azure Minerals' projects are located within the State of Sonora in the world famous Sierra Madre Occidental province of northwestern Mexico. This
historic trend has produced approximately 40 million ounces of gold and 2,000 million (2Boz) ounces of silver over the past 400 years, and has become
an area of global focus in the search for new precious metal deposits.
Mexico is the world's premier silver exploration and mining country for several reasons. It is historically and presently the world's number one
silver producer with an historic production of over 10 billion ounces of silver and current annual production in excess of 100 million ounces a year.
Most deposits are high grade and amenable to low-cost underground and open pit mining. Significant production of silver also occurs as a by-product of
gold, and copper, lead and zinc mining activities.
Sovereign Risk
Numerous country-risk surveys place Mexico near the top of the “Most Favoured” list when assessing and comparing the suitability and risk of
investment. For example, Mexico has been ranked equal 4th (2006) and 5th (2005) in the most recent assessments carried out by Behre Dolbear &
Company Inc, out of 25 countries which host major exploration and mining operations.
Mexico has a 500-year mining history, with mining forming an integral part of the national and local economies. Culturally, Mexicans look very
favourably on mining at all levels. There is strong government support for exploration and mining activities, and this is enhanced by the various
bureaucratic departments and organisations charged with administering and assisting the industry.
Politically, Mexico is a democratic republic providing the most stable political environment in Latin America. The government has implemented
favourable, straightforward mining legislation for the express purpose of attracting foreign mining investment. This was accompanied by privatisation
of all Mexican governmental mining holdings and an active retreat from competition with the private sector in mining exploration and development.
Mexico has demonstrated a strong commitment to increasing transparency in all aspects of government, and the deregulation of the mining industry is
arguably the most successful of these.
Mexico has strong environmental laws and regulations, and a commitment to uphold them. Mining companies that follow Mexican laws and internationally
accepted environmental practices can expect their development projects to advance without undue interference or delay.
Mexico has been a party to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) since 1994 and thus has a tax and trade regime comparable to the USA and
Canada. It operates under western-style legal and accounting systems, with a contemporary taxation system and no mining royalties.
The Mexican mining community is well trained and educated, both for professional and technical personnel, and at the skilled labour level. Specialised
and standard mining equipment and services are readily available with good technical support. The Mexican Geological Survey has excellent geological
databases and other technical resources readily available at little or no cost.
Mining Law
Mineral exploration and mining in Mexico are regulated by the Mining Law of 1992 (as amended in 2005), which establishes that all minerals found in
Mexican territory are owned by the Mexican nation, and that private parties may exploit such minerals (except oil and nuclear fuel minerals) through
mining licenses, or concessions, granted by the Federal Government.
A Mining Concession gives the holder both exploration and exploitation rights subject to the payment of relevant taxes. Mining Concessions have a term
of 50 years from the date the exploration concession was registered. Concessions may be granted to (or acquired by, since they are freely
transferable) Mexican individuals, local communities with collective ownership of the land known as “ejidos”, and companies incorporated in Mexico
pursuant to Mexican law.
There are no restrictions on foreign ownership of Mexican companies. Foreigners wishing to engage in mining in Mexico must establish a Mexican
corporation for that purpose, or enter into joint ventures with Mexican individuals or corporations. To this end, Azure Minerals has incorporated a
100% owned Mexican subsidiary company called Minera Piedra Azul SA de CV.
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bajario
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All that land for less than $150k and 1%? Man another deal I missed out on.
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajario
All that land for less than $150k and 1%? Man another deal I missed out on. |
From my read,... All they did was obtain mineral rights and propose exploration. Why are y'all talking about mining before they have even done
exploration? 
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ElCap
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| Quote: |
From my read,... All they did was obtain mineral rights and propose exploration. Why are y'all talking about mining before they have even done
exploration? |
I agree, it will be a long time, if ever, that there will be a mining operation there. The fact that the Boleo Mine in Santa Rosalia is now $350M
overrun, and operating on a month-by-month continuation basis, doesn´t bode well for another whole exploration and development just down the road a
couple of hundred miles.
That being said, looking into the distant future one might see that the central Baja economy could be dominated by mining operations, whereas the tip
is dominated by tourism. My preference would be for it to stay like it is, but that's unlikely
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Marla Daily
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According to the map, this is ejido land. The mining-lease area on the eastern block of the map includes land behind the beach lots sold along the
road to El Bajo, not far from Picazon and to the south
towards Loreto.
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David K
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I hope the San Bruno hilltop fort/ mission ruins are not destroyed... Thank goodness Ed Vernon has photographed it... if it is on a hill that needs to
be mined.
Hard to tell from that map if it includes San Bruno?
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Marla Daily
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San Bruno is pretty far north from the land to be mined.
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David K
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Thanks... the San Bruno siteI am speaking of is about 20-30 km. north (12-18 miles)... the map looked like it could have been that far, but was hard
to be sure.
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wilderone
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"Boleo Project at Santa Rosalia has certainly had a very mixed effect. The economy is doing much better and we see a great increase in the number and
quality of grocery stores, general stores, building materials and hardware, restaurants, restaurants, hotels and motels"
The mining area looks like a bomb hit it. Just hills of dirt, trash everywhere. There is nothing resembling "Baja California". Large machinery,
roads to accommodate them, trash, leveled hilltops, trash, blowing sand, not a scintilla of vegetation left, total destruction. Canadian miners are
an incidious lot bent on exploitation. And there is no remediation - changed forever. And to what end?
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Barry A.
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| Quote: | Originally posted by wilderone
"Boleo Project at Santa Rosalia has certainly had a very mixed effect. The economy is doing much better and we see a great increase in the number and
quality of grocery stores, general stores, building materials and hardware, restaurants, restaurants, hotels and motels"
The mining area looks like a bomb hit it. Just hills of dirt, trash everywhere. There is nothing resembling "Baja California". Large machinery,
roads to accommodate them, trash, leveled hilltops, trash, blowing sand, not a scintilla of vegetation left, total destruction. Canadian miners are
an incidious lot bent on exploitation. And there is no remediation - changed forever. And to what end? |
-----and to what end???? The World of Man needs copper, and people in Mid-Baja need good jobs.
The "Trash" is a "people problem" and only indirectly a Mining Company problem assuming it is domestic trash you are talking about. Mining
operational "trash" is a different matter and it can be obtrusive, and should be mitigated if possible.
I personally find the Santa Rosalia area fascinating from a Cultural Geography perspective, and it does not offend me---quite the contrary.
Barry
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Barry A.
| Quote: | Originally posted by wilderone
"Boleo Project at Santa Rosalia has certainly had a very mixed effect. The economy is doing much better and we see a great increase in the number and
quality of grocery stores, general stores, building materials and hardware, restaurants, restaurants, hotels and motels"
The mining area looks like a bomb hit it. Just hills of dirt, trash everywhere. There is nothing resembling "Baja California". Large machinery,
roads to accommodate them, trash, leveled hilltops, trash, blowing sand, not a scintilla of vegetation left, total destruction. Canadian miners are
an incidious lot bent on exploitation. And there is no remediation - changed forever. And to what end? |
-----and to what end???? The World of Man needs copper, and people in Mid-Baja need good jobs.
The "Trash" is a "people problem" and only indirectly a Mining Company problem assuming it is domestic trash you are talking about. Mining
operational "trash" is a different matter and it can be obtrusive, and should be mitigated if possible.
I personally find the Santa Rosalia area fascinating from a Cultural Geography perspective, and it does not offend me---quite the contrary.
Barry |
It is always a balancing act between bringing good jobs and prosperity to an area while providing useful materials for human consumption and
protecting the environment. From what wilderone is describing, it appears that there should be at least more regulation and less destruction. Even
then, there will still be permanent environmental damage ---- but perhaps a very improved economy for the local people.
It is unfortunate that too many corporations don't care about what they do to another country and their environment as long as they are making money.
Sounds like the scales are being tipped too far in one direction.
Santa Rosalia is a wonderful place. But maybe if they start making more money, and the municipality makes more money, they will share more with the
smaller towns. It is amazing how long some of the local municipal workers and SAPA employees go without being paid.
[Edited on 2-10-2013 by DianaT]
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Barry A.
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Diana--------I basically agree with you, but if the Mining Company can't make a decent profit they will shut down, and may even pull out. Everything
is a tradeoff, and normally Corporations will do whatever is viable and feasible under the unique circumstances they find themselves in--------but
they seldom want to shoot themselves in the foot generally speaking.
I guess I have more faith in "Corporations" doing the "right thing" than most, but yes they normally do look out for themselves first-------?!?!?!?
"Environmental damage" is a relative and often vague subject, IMO. Like Pres. Obama always says, we want a "balanced approach." 
Barry
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