Placer gold mine near Hereford would close area during operations

What is proposed

High Bar Mining proposes a phased placer gold mine on about 830 acres of BLM land in Baker County, reached from State Route 245 east of Hereford. Up to 416 acres could be disturbed over about 20 years, with reclamation as mining moves from site to site. The draft EA says the project area would be closed to public access during active operations, with signs posted along roads.

The agency's title for this proposal is "Reeds Gulch Placer Project".

How to comment

The Bureau of Land Management accepts public comments on this proposal through November 20, 2026. The comment period opened October 21, 2026. Use the Take Action button to get the points to make, a comment starter you can put in your own words, and the link to the agency's official comment form.

Points to make in your comment

• Ask BLM to limit the public-access closure to active pits, ponds and equipment areas instead of the whole project area, and to say how long each phase would be closed.
• Ask BLM to keep the existing access roads the EA names (Ridge Road, High Road, Pine Creek Wagon Road, Brannon Gulch Road and Refrigerator Road) open for through travel where they do not cross active work areas.
• Ask BLM to reopen the area to the public during the seasonal shutdown the EA describes so fall hunting access is kept.

Topics

• Energy and Mining
• Hunting and Fishing
• Camping

Official sources

• Official project page (eplanning.blm.gov)
• Proposal documents (eplanning.blm.gov)
• Official comment form (eplanning.blm.gov)