While there are many issues that currently threaten the health of the Kipawa watershed, our main focus is on mining exploration and proposed mining projects. We believe that if these projects are allowed to proceed they will have widespread impacts on the currently pristine Kipawa Lake and surrounding areas. Mining exploration can also have environmental impacts. Mining claims have been bought up throughout the watershed. The majority of claims are located in the upper Kipawa River/Lac Sheffield/Lac Sairs (Brennan Lake) area.
This is also the location of the Kipawa Rare Earths project originally owned by Matamec
(in partnership with Toyotsu Rare Earth Canada and Resources Quebec), this project and several neighboring claims, including the Zeus property, are currently owned by Quebec Precious Metals.
In August 2021, an Australian company, Vital Metals (Cheetah Resources) entered into an agreement to purchase the Kipawa Rare Earth Project pending a due diligence period.
In October 2022, Vital Metals terminated its purchase agreement due to opposition from local First Nations communities
(Kebaowek and Wolf Lake). Quebec Precious Metals is still actively searching for a buyer for the Kipawa Rare Earths project and Zeus property.
Other mining claims are owned by both corporations and individuals, these claims change hands frequently and can be viewed via the Quebec Gestion des titres miners. This requires downloading files for viewing in Google Earth.
As of March 2024 mining claims in the area were owned by:
| Glenn Grisesback Mathieu Stephens Entreprises Miniere Globex Coconut Club claims sold to Reegenerate Pty Ltd. Michael Dehn Geonomik Pty Ltd. Fayz Yacoub Wayne E. Holmstead Renetta Braatz Pierre Parent |
Sylvain Champagne Martin Dallaire Claude Veillette Rejean Raymond Phillip Terrence Coyle Steven Scott Murray Jones Kenneth Kuiper Gerard Houle Serge Robert |
Locations of mining claims within the Kipawa Lake watershed