The Los Angeles Times ran a feature story Sunday, about uranium exploration in five Western states with attention to those near the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park. [above: Pigeon Mine, Snake Gulch. Top during production 1989; bottom after reclamation, 1993. Photo by Pam Hill, from testimony by Karen Weinrich]
They report that there are more than 1,100 uranium claims on public lands within five miles of Grand Canyon National Park, compared with 10 in January 2003. Most of the increase began in 2004, when 4,333 new claims were filed. By 2007, the total number according to the Interior Department, was at 43,153.
The number of claims in Arizona grew from 1,618 in 2001 to 12,068 in 2007. The other states are Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming.
Kris Hefton, Tucson-based geologist and chief operating officer with Vane Minerals, is quoted as describing the breccia pipes hosting the uranium as being small (20 acres or less) and the most easily reclaimed type of deposit.