New mining threat to SF Salmon area from Stallion Gold
Map Source: Horse Heaven’s pre-scoping document
On August 11th, Idaho Rivers United submitted comments for the pre-scoping phase on the Horse Heaven Project in the Boise National Forest. Stallion Gold is a mineral exploration company based out of Vancouver, BC Canada and is looking to explore central Idaho for “precious” metals. The Horse Heaven Project is located just southeast of Yellow Pine, Idaho, and the property shares its entire eastern boundary with Perpetua Resource’s Stibnite Gold Project.
Stallion Gold is looking to conduct exploratory drilling activities near tributaries to the South Fork of the Salmon River. Operations would include creating drilling exploration holes and constructing drill pads near critical habitat for several ESA-listed species. Idaho Rivers United is concerned about the impacts of road traffic and drilling activities will have on the already dwindling fish populations. The compound effects of the Horse Heaven Project along with the Stibnite Gold Project would be detrimental to the cherished ecosystems that reside in these forests.
Currently, the Horse Heaven Project is listed as a Categorical Exclusion (CE) by the Forest Service. This means that it was determined by the Forest Service that the project does “not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and for which, therefore, neither an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement is normally required.”
Assigning this project as a Categorical Exclusion significantly understates the impacts of this proposal. This project has the potential to degrade the Outstandingly Remarkable Values (ORVs) for designated (South Fork Salmon) and suitable (Johnson Creek) Wild and Scenic River systems and their tributaries. We argue that moving forward with this project will have significant human and environmental impacts and that a comprehensive environmental impact statement (EIS) should be required to thoroughly examine these effects.
The South Fork of the Salmon River is considered pristine habitat to three ESA-listed species: Snake River steelhead, chinook salmon and Idaho bull trout. Water quality in this area can be easily affected by mining operations. It is imperative that the Forest Service protects these species and the waters they call home. Idaho has a long history of environmental degradation inflicted through short-sighted boom-and-bust mining operations. And with the Stibnite Gold Project being right next door, any negative impacts on the environment from mining will only be amplified.
