Rutherford Resources Pty Ltd proposes to develop a gold deposit in 'C' Class Nature Reserve No 18584 near Westonia, halfway between Southern Cross and Merredin in the eastern wheatbelt. The reserve has important conservation value due to the small area of land set aside for nature conservation in the wheatbelt. Mining is a potentially acceptable land use in 'C' Class Nature reserves under Government Policy if a proposal is considered to be environmentally acceptable.