Cabinet Mountains, Montana

The Cabinet Mountains Wilderness area offers 94,272 acres of rugged, mountainous terrain in the Kootenai National Forest.  Here, one finds scenic vistas, remote alpine meadows, dozens of high mountain lakes, and critical habitat for the Cabinet Yaak Grizzly bears - one of the last remaining grizzly bear populations in the lower 48.

Pond above the proposed Rock Creek mine site in the Cabinet Mtn Wilderness. Credit: Doug Day

The Rock Creek Mine Proposal

The Rock Creek mine, a proposed silver/copper mine, would be constructed on public lands adjacent to and directly underneath the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness Area, one of the first areas protected under the Wilderness Act of 1964.  If approved, the mine would:

• jeopardize the Cabinet Yaak grizzly bear population,
• negatively impact populations of threatened native Bull Trout,
• and pollute rivers, lakes, and drinking water supplies including the famed Clark Fork River and Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho's largest natural lake.

The mine is widely opposed by neighboring communities. The Bonner County Commission and the City of Sandpoint have passed formal resolutions in opposition to the mine.  Public officials, businesses and residents of the area have repeatedly advocated for reform of the 1872 Mining Law.

"The community of Sandpoint has been consistently opposed to this mine, yet the federal government says its hands are tied by a law that predates Idaho Statehood.  It's just not right that our concerns about our community's future don't hold any weight."
-- Loren Albright, local contractor and Sandpoint native

For More Information

• Rock Creek Mine proposal
• Rock Creek Alliance
• Cabinet Mountains Wilderness - USFS site
• Cabinet Mountains Wilderness - Kootenai National Forest site
• Wilderness Act of 1964