Save the Fish - South Fork of the Salmon River Idaho

[@tenkararodco]

Sorry if it seems like im rambling on this! There is just so much information to unpack (its also hard for me to concentrate when I know good fishing is behind me). We encourage everyone to check out the links in the video description for how to comment on the DEIS! The deadline to comment is October 28 so move quickly!

[@luduong]

Really appreciate the conservation efforts TRC is taking. Proud to own my fly rod from y'all.

[@tenkararodco]

Thanks Lu! Just trying to protect what we love we appreciate the support.

[@chrisreichel4068]

Order placed. Thanks for giving back!

[@tenkararodco]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@stevewalcott9546]

Thank you for taking up the cause!

[@tenkararodco]

We are just hoping to spread awareness about this issue!

[@lanaweber9502]

This is awesome. Thanks Tenkara Rod Co.!

[@tenkararodco]

Thanks for watching Lana! We are just trying to spread some awareness.

[@frankbayr8588]

Thanks for supporting a great cause TRC!

[@tenkararodco]

Thanks for watching Frank!

[@blcberry123]

"If we don't blow it up... the mining companies will literally blow it up..." So true! Love your videos, I will for sure support this effort however I can!

[@tenkararodco]

Appreciate it!

[@edriscullenid]

Amazing spot

[@tenkararodco]

It really is!

[@Happycamper1998]

You guys rock.

[@tenkararodco]

Thanks Camper Dude!

[@appalachiafishingclub]

There are tires behind you in the water that you can remove. I'll read the document and see what input I can have.

[@tenkararodco]

Ya there is a lot of old mining waste around the area for sure!

[@lonniebrutke8227]

Not very familiar with that area, but I think I'll take a little drive and explore.

[@tenkararodco]

Ya go check it out if you get a chance! Beautiful zone.

[@darylhill9400]

I can’t see where anything good will come out of manipulating mother nature for the profits for a few! Keep up the good work.

[@tenkararodco]

Agreed!

[@digger3237]

What! there’s fish in the glory hole! How can that be with all that devastation there. I disagree with you guys on this though. I am a native Idahoan. I have camped and recreated up there since I was a kid. It’s sad that mining companies were allowed to leave the landscape like that. It was mainly Bradley mining company that created the open pit with no thought of reclamation. My job is heavy civil construction and the things we have to do for reclamation and erosion mitigation these days is nuts. It’s the law we have too. We have inspectors on site all the time. State, Federal, DEQ, EPA, Army Corp of Engineers, City and County’s are now holding us to the fire. We just can’t leave a job with out erosion control and reclamation has happened. If we were to accidentally discharge into a river or stream the fines are heavy. You guys make it sound like Midas is going to come make a bigger pit and just leave it when their done. I think it will look way better when they are done. Yes in the past mining companies were unregulated. Modern Mining and construction are held to a whole new standard. I was being facetious about no fish in the glory hole. I’ve been told that because of the mine the water is toxic. It’s my home too I think it will be a better place when Midas (Perpetua) finishes up with stibnite.

[@johnhaddock9555]

This mine being pushed through would actually be what it takes to clean up the environmental disaster that you’re standing in front of. As of right now the Nez Perce tribe and IDFG are trapping chinook salmon and transporting them above the abandoned pit mine to allow them to spawn. The fish cannot make it past the falls (which is the high wall of the pit). The requirements for the new company to come in and mine the remaining deposit would be forced to complete a restoration project that would reroute the creek which would allow salmon to reach the headwaters and spawn naturally. The lake would be gone (but the lake shouldn’t be there anyways) but nature would have a chance at being restored and the only thing that will restore this headwater is mining dollars.

[@tenkararodco]

Ive seen the plans for the reroute tunnel they want to build. Hopefully you are right and if the mine does go through they are able to restore the area and not further damage it, just kind of hard to trust people saying things like that when gold is involved.

[@shitboxadventures5002]

So from my understanding of all of this is that the area is corruntly being polluted by the previous mining operations. Before Midas is even allowed to start mining that must be cleaned up. What do you suggest we do in order to obtain minerals to be able to create everything that humans use on an everyday basis? Send it to a 3rd world country that has no regulations and uses slave labor?

[@tenkararodco]

We aren't saying that all mining is bad because clearly certain everyday goods necessitate it. But if you read through the DEIS there are so many holes in their plan. For us we are looking at this more from a fish conservation perspective. Salmon and steelhead make their way up this river all the way from the ocean more than 700 miles away, and we don't want to see the end of those fish populations here in Idaho. Surely there are other places to mine.

[@geoffreymilke5176]

That's EXACTLY the point! We must get our minerals in the USofA where regulations insure it's done the best known way possible at the time

[@geoffreymilke5176]

@@tenkararodco It's easy to get a mining company to plug the "holes", unless you are trying to shut them down

[@KWAHU93]

@@tenkararodcosmall scale artisanal miner here (dredge) I am with u on this but I have never killed a fish with my dredge although I have with my pole! I stand with u on this do u stand with small scale artisanal miners?

[@madmike9270]

Unfortunately, this is the reality of modern times. The minerals they would be mining for are critical in many tech industries, defense and consumer, and we (the US) have a heavy reliance on foreign imports. To cut down on this we have to mine for it domestically. This project has a plan to help the area environmentally but it still has the potential to ruin a beautiful area. Who knows what will happen. You're even fishing an old mine that's called the honey hole. Maybe in 30-40 years the area would be even better. It's a tough nut to crack and balance needs to be found.

[@tenkararodco]

Thanks for your input Michael! We agree this definitely is a hard nut to crack. And there are some extensive explanations that go either for or against this project. We have spent a lot of time in the area and so for us it makes sense to protect it as is (even though its already been tampered with quite a bit, hence the mining pit I was fishing). It just doesn't seem worth it to potentially lose the salmon, steelhead, bull trout and many other species of wildlife that call this place home.

[@melinewellrose]

Gold is not a critical defense mineral and antimony is on the critical minerals list but ironically needs to go to China for refining so there is no net change in the dependency issue by mining antimony. Plus, many other gold mines (in Nevada) leave the antimony found in the ore because it is uneconomically to refine, so there is no shortage in the US currently. THANK YOU, Tenkara Rod Co.!

[@geoffreymilke5176]

@@tenkararodco Why would you "lose the salmon, steelhead, bull trout..." if they divert the river around the mining operation? You are fishing on an old mining operation that is probably polluted beyond anything you can imagine. Prior to 1987 mining companies were not required to "reclaim" their mines, so they left many placed polluted. Nature has cleaned them up fairly well, but it would be better to have is cleaned up and put back to "natural" when the mining company is done. Remember, minerals are a natural resource just like the fish you take and the animal Tuna takes. You pay for that right and priviledge through license fees. Mining companies pay through massive fees and really massive reclamation efforts I don't like seeing wild places disturbed, but the fact is that many needed natural resources are in natural places. We should do our best to make sure the protection of the environment and adequate reclamation are in the DIES...Then fish the other parts of the river Just my humble opinion (Disclaimer...I have worked in land development most of my life, and in mine reclamation in Wyoming for 1.5 years)

[@geoffreymilke5176]

@@melinewellrose gold might not be critical to a lot of industries, or to you, but it is definitely critical to manufacture of electronics and is a big part of many people's investments first hit on a google search... "Uses of Gold in Electronics The most important industrial use of gold is in the manufacture of electronics. Solid state electronic devices use very low voltages and currents which are easily interrupted by corrosion or tarnish at the contact points. Gold is the highly efficient conductor that can carry these tiny currents and remain free of corrosion. Electronic components made with gold are highly reliable. Gold is used in connectors, switch and relay contacts, soldered joints, connecting wires and connection strips. A small amount of gold is used in almost every sophisticated electronic device. This includes cell phones, calculators, personal digital assistants, global positioning system (GPS) units, and other small electronic devices. "