The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is taking public comments on whether or not it should require mining companies to withdraw from 20,000 acres of pristine nature at the headlands of the Rapid Creek Watershed in He Sapa (Black Hills). Comments close Oct 28 - please comment in support of mining co:s withdrawing from the area! Black Hills Clean Water Alliance and Lakota Law are fighting to protect it, and we can help them!
@MeditatorMom
Not that I'm on the side of the mining companies; but calling the area "pristine" seems a reach.
They flooded a whole town damming Rapid creek to create the Pactola reservoir. What concerns people is that mining in the surrounding hills will damage the recreational and domestic water usefulness of the area.
Which is quite possibly true. The now mostly flooded tailings, and particularly the runoff from those tailings; is a rich source of various rare earth metals.
@MeditatorMom
The area was heavily mined, mainly for silver, in the past (and still). The massive piles of mine tailings and other already disturbed earth found all over the US; are also potential targets for rare earth extraction.
Rare earths are more common than many other metals, but tend to spread apart rather than clump together like the pretty, popular metals.
Rare earths are the nerd girls sitting alone around the edges of the middleschool cafeteria, while Gold, Silver, etc. rule.