Along with the Needles Highway, a drive through Spearfish Canyon is a must for any tour of the Black Hills. The road through the canyon is so beautiful, it has the unique designation as a National Scenic Byway.
Quite literally, there is no other place like it on earth. With tourism the region’s largest industry, protecting Spearfish Canyon ought to be a priority.
The announcement last week that a mining company proposes to mine for gold near the rim of Spearfish Canyon raises questions about its possible impact on the canyon’s natural beauty and tranquility.
Deadwood Standard Project, a South Dakota-based company, is proposing to remove ore that it says is within 72 feet of the surface on private land 6 miles east of Lead. The 424-acre permit boundary would mine 124 acres over the eight- to 10-year life of the project.
Lawrence County officials are requesting a 500-foot buffer from the Spearfish Canyon rim as part of a conditional use permit that will be considered by the Lawrence County Planning & Zoning Commission and county commission.
If the county approves the conditional use permit and the South Dakota Board of Minerals and Environment OKs a mining permit, the operation could start in 2013.
The company said in a release that it would minimize environmental impacts with the 500-foot buffer from the canyon rim, access to the site would be from the east and not through Spearfish Canyon, ore would be processed in covered concrete vats to protect groundwater, and land would be reclaimed as mining proceeds, no more than 25 acres at one time.
Construction will mean 150 to 225 jobs and the mining operations will employ 40 full-time workers, according to Deadwood Standard Project.
The site is located in the Ragged Top Mining District where a century ago gold was mined from 1902-1917 by a company also called Deadwood Standard Mining. The mine site would be about 3 to 4 miles from Wharf Resource’s Gilt Edge Mine.
Meanwhile, an environmental group says it will challenge the proposed mine for its environmental impact every step of the way. ACTion for the Environment said the mine is a threat to Spearfish Canyon.
We share the concerns about the mine’s potential impact on the canyon. The proposed mine site is about 2 miles due east from Savoy in the heart of Spearfish Canyon. While the mine would not be visible from the canyon floor, its operations might be heard by canyon visitors, which would spoil the area’s tranquility.
From the company’s release, it appears that it intends to try to mitigate the environmental impacts of its operations.
Because of the site’s history, a mining operation is consistent with historical uses for the land. At the same time, because of the mine’s location so close to Spearfish Canyon, county and state officials and agencies must give extra scrutiny to the project and insist on the strictest environmental protections before approving the project.
After all, this isn’t an operation in the middle of nowhere, sight unseen and sound unheard; it’s a proposed industrial mining operation next to a South Dakota landmark and national treasure: Spearfish Canyon.
Please Wait…
The only way to control this in the future on federal surface and for federal minerals is withdrawing the Spearfish Canyon lands and watershed from mineral development in the Black Hills Forest Plan and the ONGOING BLM Resource Management Plan Development. It's a shock, but not surprising, this was never done. Consider contacting Ellen Reddick whom Interior Secretary Salazar appointed to the Dakota Resource Advisory Council to the BLM.