From American Rivers:
Through January 10, 2023, the U.S. Forest Service is accepting comments on a proposal to build a massive open-pit, cyanide vat leach mine in the headwaters of the South Fork Salmon River in central Idaho. Developers of the Stibnite Gold Project hope to construct a sprawling mining complex that would bury mountain valleys with hundreds of millions of tons of mining waste, destroy critical fish habitat, and impair water quality for hundreds of years.
The South Fork Salmon River is a national treasure that provides critical spawning habitat for Chinook salmon, steelhead, and bull trout. It is aboriginal territory to Tribal Nations whose members exercise treaty rights in this area and provides world class whitewater recreation and opportunities for solitude. If allowed to proceed, the Stibnite Gold Project would:
- Threaten long-term water quality in the South Fork Salmon River, as well as the Main Salmon River, into which it flows.
- Negatively impact the nearby Middle Fork Salmon River and Frank Church – River of No Return Wilderness with noise, air, and light pollution.
- Adversely impact one of Idaho’s most ecologically important watersheds for generations.
In October 2022, the Forest Service released a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Stibnite Gold Project. Unfortunately, critical analysis on the environmental impacts of this project is deeply flawed or missing entirely.
Please take action to protect Idaho’s South Fork Salmon River today.Tell the Forest Service BY JANUARY 10, 2023 that you expect a thorough and lawful environmental review!
