NEDERLAND - Grand Island Resources LLC, owners of the Caribou and Cross Mines (located roughly four miles outside of Nederland), have applied for Designated Mining Operation status for the Cross Mine. The application was submitted to state regulators on February 6, 2025, and public notice was initiated on February 20, establishing a period of public comment that ends on April 2. 

Designated Mining Operation (DMO) status refers to a “mining operation at which designated chemicals used in metallurgical processing are present on-site,” and also covers toxic or acid-forming materials, acid mine drainage, and uranium development or extraction.

The Cross Mine had been previously determined to fit the definition of a DMO. However, a cease and desist order, imposed due to several pollutant violations involving excessive and toxic traces of copper and lead found in Nederland’s watershed, stopped any mining operations from February 18, 2022 to January 18, 2023. 

Grand Island Resources LLC’s (GIR) plan for Cross Mine involves resuming mining operations at the site and includes a proposed increase of the permit area from 9.99 acres to 205.7 acres, supposedly for mine expansion and the possible creation of a new processing mill.

The Town of Nederland and Board of Trustees will be releasing an official letter of concern to the Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety. The letter has been researched and drafted by Sustainability Coordinator Cass Grady and the Sustainability Advisory Board.

The letter highlights the potential impacts that the Cross Mine’s enhanced development could bring to the environment, to public health and safety, and to natural and cultural resources. It also raises questions regarding GIR’s planned emergency response, procedural transparency, technical capacity, and financial accountability. 

Additionally, Nederland residents have been taking to social media to express their concerns about noise and air pollution, as well as to the wear on the access road, Caribou Road, from the potential increase of heavy transport vehicles traveling to and from the mine.  

Daughter of revered local miner Tom Hendricks, Maggi Mae Hendricks, has launched a social media campaign and petition in opposition to GIR’s plans for the Cross Mine, which has already garnered up to 750 signatures.

Tom Hendricks was the original owner of the mines and operated them using environmentally-conscious methods from the late 1970s to 2017, when the mines were purchased by GIR. Hendricks served as president and liaison for the mines to the Town of Nederland until his death on January 6, 2020.   

Maggi Hendricks’ petition through Change.org reads: “My father ran this operation for 50 years. It was more than his livelihood, it was his passion; a labor of love through which he demonstrated his profound commitment to the environment. I intend to carry on his legacy by standing against the proposed reopening and 200-acre expansion.

“It is my opinion and belief that this expansion threatens to degrade vital land, including stripping trees, soil, and other long term ecological damages. Nederland, known for its pristine landscapes, clean air, and pure water, deserves better.

“We owe it to our present and future generations to make sustainable choices. I am petitioning our local and national representatives to reconsider this decision, for my father, who dedicated his life to running a mine while respecting nature, and for all of us who depend on a healthy environment.” 

To read the full permit application from GIR, go to: https://dnrweblink.state.co.us/drms/DocView.aspx?dbid=0&id=1435997&page=1&searchid=9a8ad71f-c5c5-4e77-833c-1f76fa78f1ea&cr=1

For more information regarding Maggi Mae Hendricks’ petition, go to: www.change.org/StopCaribouMineExpansion.

Any community feedback regarding Permit No. M-1977-410 can be submitted to the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety, 1313 Sherman St. Room 215 Denver, CO 80203. Feedback can also be expressed at: https://dnrlaserfiche.state.co.us/Forms/DRMS_Comment