U.S. Dept. of the Interior withdraws mineral claims for a portion of Rapid Creek watershed in the Black Hills.
(Author’s note: I just got a press release from the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance headed: PACTOLA RESERVOIR – RAPID CREEK WATERSHED MINERAL WITHDRAWAL IS APPROVED. The release is italicized, my commentary follows — John Tsitrian)
Today, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland signed Public Land Order 7956, which finalized protections for 20,510 acres of land and water in the Pactola Reservoir – Upper Rapid Creek area from drilling and mining for 20 years.
This Order, which created a mineral claims withdrawal, is a result of the actions and voices of hundreds of tribal members and Black Hills residents who filed public comments opposing the Jenny Gulch gold project and supporting the withdrawal. Just over 1900 people filed written comments on this withdrawal earlier this year, and 98% of those comments supported the withdrawal and protection for water, cultural resources, and land.
Dr. Lilias Jarding, Executive Director of Black Hills Clean Water Alliance, said “This shows that individuals can make a difference, and the withdrawal is a clear reflection of the will of the people of the Black Hills region. This is an important first step in protecting Black Hills water and cultural resources from new large-scale mining.”
“However,” according to Bruce Ellison, BHCWA Board Member, “it protects only 10 percent of the Upper Rapid Creek watershed. More needs to be done to protect the water supply for Rapid Creek, Ellsworth Air Force Base, and ranching and reservation communities downstream. More citizens need to take action to protect the Black Hills.” Currently, about 20% of the entire Black Hills is under active mining claims.
We send a hearty Thank You to everyone who has worked to make this withdrawal a reality!
BHCWA has good reason to feel cheered by the decision, but the body of the release puts things in perspective. Note that a board member quoted in the piece explains that the order from the Dept. of the Interior covers “only ten percent of the Upper Rapid Creek watershed” and that it will take more effort to extend protection to the remaining 180,000 acres of the watershed.
I’m not sure how the incoming Trump administration’s handling of watershed issues will materialize, but given the overall tenor of Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” rhetoric on oil and gas production, it seems reasonable to expect him to be equally aggressive about mineral extraction in the Black Hills and probably just about every other place in the country.
All considered, BHCWA will have to work harder than ever to keep mineral miners away from Rapid Creek, which provides water to Pennington County, Rapid City and Ellsworth Air Force Base.
I wish them well.
John Tsitrian is a businessman and writer from the Black Hills. He was a weekly columnist for the Rapid City Journal for 20 years. His articles and commentary have also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Denver Post and The Omaha World-Herald. Tsitrian served in the Marines for three years (1966-69), including a 13-month tour of duty as a radioman in Vietnam. Republish with permission.
Photo: Black Hills waterway, public domain, wikimedia commons
