CREEDE – Divide District Ranger Martha Williamson recently signed a decision notice approving a proposal submitted by Rio Grande Silver, Inc. to extend a corridor to further aid exploration for precious metals. The effects of the proposal was analyzed through an environmental analysis.

Rio Grande Silver is approved to extend their current corridor nine-tenths of a mile. The new corridor would be 100 feet wide on either side of Forest Service Road 505 north of Creede. There will be less than one acre of disturbance from the extension and less than 50 acres of total disturbance, including previously approved exploration. The maximum amount of unreclaimed disturbance at any one time for the entire exploration corridor will be no more than 27 acres.

Additional information for the Rio Grande Silver Corridor Extension project may be found on the Rio Grande National Forest projects webpage at http://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/riogrande/landmanagement/projects.