EcoFlights during the Society of Environmental Journalists Conference
Looking east up the South Fork Payette River, the proposed CuMo site sits atop the mountains to the left. Photo credit: EcoFlight
At the end of April, Idaho Rivers United staff joined our partner organization, EcoFlight, to help lead a number of overflights during the Society of Environmental Journalists Conference in Boise. EcoFlight was busy in the sky during the conference, leading flights over a number of different projects all around southern Idaho. All of the flights that IRU led focused on mining projects across the state.
The original plan for our flights was to fly over four different mine sites. The proposed CuMo Mine outside of Boise, the Stibnite Gold Project near Yellow Pine, the abruptly halted Jervois cobalt mine outside of Salmon, and finally returning to Boise on a route that would take us over the Thompson Creek Mine near Challis. Unfortunately, the spring weather in the mountains had other plans and limited the flights to the Boise foothills making CuMo the only viable flight, but that’s spring in the mountains.
The original planned flight path would have allowed journalists to see various projects in different stages across the state. With CuMo still in initial permitting for exploration, the site is still relatively pristine with only a few signs of old roads from previous exploration efforts. Stibnite, also still in the permitting phase, bears the scars of previous mining activity and displays the permanent impact that mining has on the landscape.
While Jervois suddenly decided to halt construction of their cobalt project right before the finish line citing falling prices, the mine itself is adjacent to the former Blackbird Mine and Superfund site. Similarly, the Thompson Creek Mine, paused since 2016 as well due to falling molybdenum prices, provides a unique perspective in regards to the scale and impact these projects have on the land.
While flying over the CuMo site, we were able to see what would be the deepest open-pit mine in North America. Directly to the south of the Wild & Scenic eligible South Fork Payette River, watersheds and the surrounding area will never be the same if the project moves forward.
While the scale of the CuMo project is hard to conceptualize at this early stage, the potential impacts on the Boise River system and all the services it provides to the Treasure Valley are clear. Located at the headwaters of Grimes Creek which feeds directly into Lucky Peak Reservoir, a mine of this scale has the potential to have devastating impacts on the watershed.
Despite the weather not cooperating with our initial plans, IRU will continue to keep a close eye on these, and other mining projects across the state and will be sure to let our members and the public know how to get involved, the risks associated, and continue to advocate for ways to mitigate, and stop, problematic projects that place profits over the greatest resource that Idaho has to offer, our public lands.
View images from all flights at the following links:
Lucky Peak Reservoir is directly upstream of Boise. The Boise River system provides ~25% of the city’s drinking water and irrigation for hundred of thousands of acres of crop land. Photo credit: Ecoflight
