If it were me, I'd probably let a bunch of endangered toads loose on the property and then call Greenpeace and tell them someone is trying to squish all of them with heavy machinery... Or, I'd tell the guys with the mineral rights that they can have the minerals as long as they don't touch the land - I'd suggest to them that they tunnel over to the site they want without disturbing the land that you pay property taxes on...
I had a situation where fishermen wanted to walk up and down my creek at their pleasure and catch the trout that I was raising. They said they had a right to do it because there was a 'navigable waterway' easement through my property. I told them that unless they were able to walk on water, they could go take a hike elsewhere because the land below that water was mine - and I pay taxes for it. I offered to help navigate them straight to the ER if they came back.
