The Boise River is More Precious than Gold

A group of concerned citizens and elected officials from the Boise area got together this summer for a float trip down the Middle Fork of the Boise River; a stretch of river upstream of Boise that is threatened by a proposed and open pit cyanide heap leach gold mine near the town of Atlanta, Idaho. The trip was organized by Idaho Families for Clean Water which is a collaborative effort between the Idaho Conservation League, Sierra Club and Trout Unlimited to try to block the mine.

One major concern is the amount of diesel fuel and other hazardous chemicals that would be trucked along this treacherous backcountry road in great quantities to reach the mine site. On our way up to the put in we passed the scene of a recent car accident where a driver had lost control and swerved off the road and nearly landed in the river. One can only expect that such accidents are likely to occur with the frequency of supply trips for the mine over its lifetime.

It was a great group of folks that came for the opportunity to learn more about the mine proposal and the potential effects to the river which supplies a good deal of Boise's drinking supply. It is a beautiful stretch of river that draws many visitors for fishing, hot springing, hiking, camping and hunting.

Here's John from ICL giving a very interactive and informative presentation on the specifics of the proposed mine site and the historic impacts of cyanide mining around the country. He also gave a great summary of some of the strategies that the coalition is utilizing to try to stop the mine.

Pam from TU explained how one of the oldest laws on the books, the Mining Law of 1872, is one major obstacle for blocking this mine and others like it in the West. There has been some movement afoot to reform the law and with the new democratic majority in congress we just might have a chance to overturn this ancient and absurd legislation.