Blende Silver Corp. (TSX.V: BAG) (OTC: BAGGF) (WKN: A2QKT9) (FSE: BCW1) has achieved a significant regulatory milestone with the receipt of a Class 3 Quartz Mining Land Use Approval (Approval No. LQ00608) from the Yukon Department of Energy, Mines and Resources for its 100%-owned Blende Silver-Zinc-Lead Project in north-central Yukon. The approval, effective July 13, 2026, is valid through July 12, 2031, providing the company with a five-year permitting window to conduct advanced exploration across all 260 quartz claims comprising the project.
This Class 3 approval represents the final major permit required for Blende Silver to execute its planned multi-year exploration programs. Key highlights include authorization for diamond drilling across the project area, an operating season from February 1 to September 15 annually, camp facilities for up to 50 persons supporting up to 11,300 person days of work, a permitted airstrip of 25,000 square meters to enhance air access, upgrading of 5 kilometers of existing access roads and construction of 2 kilometers of new road, winter access via the Wind River Winter Road (two round trips per year), and on-site fuel storage to sustain drilling and camp operations.
Andrew H. Rees, President and CEO of Blende Silver Corp., emphasized the importance of this approval, stating: “This approval is a major de-risking milestone for Blende Silver. With a five-year Class 3 permit in hand covering the entire claim package, the Company now has the regulatory certainty to plan and execute sustained, multi-season drill programs at what is the largest carbonate-hosted silver-zinc-lead deposit in Yukon. The permitted airstrip and camp infrastructure will materially improve the efficiency and cost profile of our field operations. Combined with the district-scale targeting work currently underway with Ronacher McKenzie Geoscience, Blende is now positioned to advance aggressively toward resource growth.”
The Blende Project hosts the largest carbonate-hosted silver-zinc-lead deposit in the Yukon, according to a 1995 paper in Economic Geology by M. Robinson and C.I. Godwin. A mineral resource estimate prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, disclosed in a company news release dated May 20, 2021, outlined resources at a 1.5% ZnEq cutoff. While metal prices have changed since that estimate, the company has not updated it, and readers are cautioned not to rely on the estimate as reflecting current market conditions. Historical exploration defined two primary mineralized zones, the East and West Zones, located approximately two kilometers apart.
The company acknowledges the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun, on whose traditional territory the Blende Project is located, and commits to continued engagement and responsible exploration, including progressive reclamation and compliance with all conditions of the approval, such as wildlife, heritage, and environmental protection measures.
With the Class 3 approval in hand, Blende Silver intends to plan and advance exploration programs over the coming seasons, subject to the conditions of the approval and applicable regulatory requirements. The property, covering 5,345 hectares, is winter road accessible and located approximately 63 kilometers northeast of Keno Hill, Yukon, within the Keno Hill silver district, one of Canada’s highest-grade historic silver producing districts currently being advanced by Hecla Mining Company. More than $9.2 million in past exploration has been conducted on the property, including 25,195 meters of drilling in 132 drill holes.
For further details, refer to the original press release on NewMediaWire.
