Conservation groups have raised a red flag on a proposal to explore for gold on South Pass near Lander, saying in part the area could be overrun if marketable gold is discovered.

Barbara Dobos with the Alliance for Historic Wyoming said some concern about the exploration project stems from the historic nature of the Bureau of Land Management trails in the area, dubbed "areas of critical concern" by the agency.

"The exploration in and of itself is probably, though not welcome, probably not going to be devastating," she said. "But you don't explore without the intent to develop."

Steve Cameron, president of Fremont Gold - the Canadian company proposing the exploration - said it is not clear what will be discovered in the area.

"At this point in time we do not have an idea, a clear idea, of what a mine would look like because we have not evaluated the resource," Cameron said. "We have to understand the extent of the resource before we can develop a mine plan. We do understand a mine plan would have to be consistent with the other land uses in the area."

The area eyed for gold exploration is near where the Oregon, California, Pony Express and Mormon trails converge.

Fremont Gold wants to dig 200 test pits this summer at the Dickie Springs Placer Gold Exploration Project site. The plan calls for 200 pits to be dug within 5,120 acres. About 4,680 acres of the project area is on BLM land, while the other 440 acres is on private land.

The pits will be about 4 feet by 4 feet.

The targeted area, 10 miles southwest of South Pass City, is estimated to hold 1 million ounces of recoverable gold, in alluvial deposits. If the exploration yields good enough results, Fremont Gold may pursue full-scale surface mining, using placer mining methods to remove the gold from sand and gravel deposits, by washing or dredging.

Placer methods involve using an open pit where sections of the ground are stripped off, because the minerals are found in alluvial deposits. Then water or chemicals are used to separate the minerals.

The Rock Springs Bureau of Land Management has issued an environmental assessment of the project and is seeking public comments. Comments must be postmarked by Monday.

Groups including the Wyoming Outdoor Council, Wilderness Society, Wyoming Wilderness Association and Sierra Club say the BLM's proposal fails to consider adequate alternatives.

"The EA only considers two alternatives, Fremont Gold's proposed action and the no action alternative," the groups said in comments submitted to the BLM. "At a minimum, alternatives that require exploration with less than 200 pits should have been considered. The EA does not include information demonstrating that up to 200 pits are needed to adequately sample placer gold in the project area. It may well be that up to 50 pits would" be adequate.

Cameron said his company looked at the options and presented to the BLM what it thought to be the "best sampling techniques to serve the objectives of Fremont and also reclamation and restoration of the site."

He also said the number of pits may wind up being 50, but "until we get into a sampling program, we won't know to what extent we will have to sample."

Dobos said there are three sage grouse leks in the area, and a buffer zone around those leks for protection all fall within the proposed exploration site.

"That would be a disturbance if any mining were to go on during the early brooding or nesting season," Dobos said. She said placer mining, if it moves forward full-scale, would be "totally devastating."

Conservation groups said the BLM failed to consider cumulative impacts and indirect effects of the mining project, and did not adhere to regulations requiring protection of cultural resources.

Environmental reporter Whitney Royster can be reached at (307) 734-0260 or royster@trib.com.