Western Star Resources Inc. (CSE: WSR) (OTC: WSRIF) (FRA: 4K2) announced on October 27, 2026, that it has submitted a 43 CFR 3809 Exploration Notice to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Las Cruces District Office for its Eagle Point Tungsten Project in Hidalgo County, New Mexico. The notice, filed on October 22, 2026, and prepared by KC Harvey Environmental, LLC, covers a planned 17-hole diamond drill program from 12 drill pads, approximately 0.56 mile of temporary connector roads, and one laydown area, totaling 1.71 acres of surface disturbance on BLM-administered and private land.
The proposed program, estimated at 6,000 feet of HQ core drilling with hole depths ranging from 164 to 820 feet, is designed to test a steeply dipping skarn contact. According to the company, this would be the first drilling at Eagle Point in more than 70 years. Drill targets were refined using results from the company's 2026 surface mapping and sampling program. "Filing our Exploration Notice moves Eagle Point from field mapping and exploration, to only weeks away drilling," said Blake Morgan, CEO and President of Western Star. "Our 2026 surface work gave us clear targets along the granite contact, and this program is designed to test them beneath surface exposures and talus cover."
The notice details a small operational footprint: eight of the 12 drill pads, the laydown area, and most connector roads are on private surface, accounting for about 1.35 acres of disturbance, while the remaining four pads and roughly 565 feet of connector road are on BLM land, covering about 0.36 acres. Access is via approximately 3.3 miles of existing roads from U.S. Highway 81, with no upgrades required. Drilling will use a water-based fluid recirculated through a closed-loop centrifuge system, eliminating the need for in-ground sumps or mud pits. Water will be purchased commercially and trucked to site. Each hole will be plugged and abandoned upon completion, and all disturbed areas will be recontoured, topsoiled, and seeded concurrently with the program. The project layout, including the 17 proposed drill hole locations, is illustrated in a project layout figure.
Before drilling begins, Western Star must submit a Minimal Impact Exploration Operation permit application to the New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division, file well and plugging documents with the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, and post a reclamation financial guarantee expected to be held jointly by the BLM and the Mining and Minerals Division. The company will also provide supplemental vegetation documentation and cultural resources inventory results. In parallel, Western Star is tendering drilling contractors, finalizing logistics, and refining collar locations using its Leapfrog Geo model. The operating period is slated from December 2026 through December 2027.
This announcement matters for the raw materials mining sector because it signals progress toward developing a domestic tungsten supply at a time when secure U.S. supply of critical minerals has become a national priority. Tungsten is essential for defense, aerospace, and manufacturing applications, and the United States currently relies heavily on imports. While no mineral resource has yet been established at Eagle Point, a successful drill program could validate a new source of this strategic metal. The news was disseminated via NEWMEDIAWIRE.
