Mineral Rights/land development question

[mrtimstik]

I realize this is not a car topic but there seems to be alot of well versed individuals here that might have some insight they would share on this issue. I own the mineral rights to a number of acres in Colorado near Steamboat Springs and have been approached by a gas/oil corporation to lease the land to them for a period of time to explore for an initial fee and then a small percentage of the take if successful. Does anybody know the ups and downs of this scenario? Sounds interesting but would like to thoroughly investigate this and gather all info before doing anything. Keep in mind I am talking minerial rights only, I do not own the surface. Would I benefit from retaining my own mineral rights lawyer to investigate this proposal? How do I determine if this is a fair offer? I am new to this and when I spoke to the representatives, there were alot of new words used. Thank you very much. Tom