Western Star Resources Inc. (CSE: WSR) (OTC: WSRIF) (FRA: 4K2) has taken a key step toward what it believes will be the first drilling at its Eagle Point Tungsten Project in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, in more than 70 years. On October 22, 2026, the company submitted a 43 CFR 3809 Exploration Notice to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Las Cruces District Office for a 17-hole, approximately 6,000-foot drill program, according to a company announcement carried by NEWMEDIAWIRE.
The notice, prepared by KC Harvey Environmental, LLC, covers 17 HQ core holes from 12 drill pads, roughly 0.56 mile of temporary connector roads and one laydown area, for a total of 1.71 acres of surface disturbance on BLM-administered and private land. Eight of the 12 pads, the laydown area and most connector roads sit on private surface, accounting for about 1.35 acres, while the remaining four pads and approximately 565 feet of road are on BLM land, totaling about 0.36 acres. A project layout image showing the proposed drill hole locations and infrastructure is available Figure 2: Eagle Point project layout, showing the 17 proposed drill hole locations (EP26-001 to EP26-017) on 12 drill pads, temporary connector roads, laydown area LD-1 and the existing access road.
Drill targets were refined using results from the company's 2026 surface mapping and sampling program. The program is designed to test the steeply dipping skarn contact beneath surface exposures and talus cover, with planned hole depths of 164 to 820 feet. Western Star has a surface use agreement with the private surface owner covering road access and all proposed activities on private land, and the project area is accessed by about 3.3 miles of existing roads from U.S. Highway 81 that will be used without upgrades.
Why this matters: tungsten is a critical mineral used in defense, aerospace, electronics and industrial applications, and the United States has increasingly focused on securing domestic supply. Blake Morgan, CEO and President of Western Star, said, "Filing our Exploration Notice moves Eagle Point from field mapping and exploration, to only weeks away drilling." He added that the program is designed to test clear targets along the granite contact and that the company looks forward to working with the BLM "as we advance a domestic tungsten project at a time when secure U.S. supply has become a national priority."
The company emphasized a small environmental footprint. Drilling will use a water-based fluid recirculated through a closed-loop centrifuge system, so no in-ground sumps or mud pits are proposed. Water will be purchased from a commercial supplier and trucked to site, with no on-site well or surface water diversion. Each hole will be plugged and abandoned on completion, and pads, roads and the laydown area will be recontoured, topsoiled and seeded, with all new disturbance reclaimed concurrently.
Before drilling begins, Western Star must submit a Minimal Impact Exploration Operation permit application to the New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division and well and plugging filings to the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, and post a reclamation financial guarantee anticipated to be held jointly by the BLM and the division. The company will also provide supplemental vegetation documentation and cultural resources review results. The notice describes an operating period from December 2026 through December 2027. Western Star is tendering drilling contractors and finalizing collar locations using its Leapfrog Geo model. No Mineral Resource has been established at Eagle Point. The technical information was reviewed by Jacob Anderson, CPG, an independent Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101.
