Mining company executives interested in gold near Lincoln met with locals this week to discuss their exploration plans.
Australian mining company, Sentinel Metals, has applied for a permit to drill 21 holes on private land just east of Lincoln. The exploration project would be the first step in determining if there is enough gold to build a mine.
Krista Lee Evans, is Sentinel’s VP of Government and Community Affairs.
"Only about one in 1,000 exploration programs ever turn into a mine. And that's what folks are concerned about, we've heard that," Evans says. "But right now, we're just trying to understand what's there."
Sentinel Metals went public on the Australian Securities Exchange last fall. This exploration is the company’s only project. In an investor webinar late last year, CEO Matt Herbert referred to it as the “most exciting drill program in North America,” with room for growth.
Herbert declined to speak on the record with MTPR.
The company mailed postcards advertising Tuesday’s meeting to every home in the area’s zip code. More than 75 people were in attendance. Among them was Jennifer Klinker who runs a local tow truck company. She said after talking with Sentinel, "We support them 110%."
Klinker said she hopes the project could bring needed economic growth.
"One of the biggest problems in Lincoln right now is no jobs and no housing."
Ellen Schouten, a local resident, said she worries history is repeating itself.
"I saw what the last mine did. And then 10 years ago, they decided to clean that mine up – $34 million."
She also expressed disappointment about the meetings format, with tables visitors could walk to instead of a larger question and answer session.
"I thought it was going to be like a sit down, them talking, then everybody in town get a chance to say something."
Sentinel's Evans said she plans to hold additional meetings for people beyond Lincoln in the future.
Employees from Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality also had a table at Tuesday’s “open house”. The agency is taking public comment on the project’s environmental assessment through Monday, April 13.
