by Star Jameson, Hamilton
I appreciate the coverage in the Star on 12/13/23 of the Sheep Creek Mine. I often like to reduce hot issues to kitchen table discussions. Let’s imagine a few women gathered for coffee while their kids play outside near the Big Ditch. It’s warm and sunny and the conversation turns to mining on the tributaries of the Bitterroot River. Suddenly one of the youngest kids bursts in the door to gleefully share that the ditch is so pretty when it’s blue and green and orange! The moms look at each other, and rush outdoors. In the yard they see empty paint cans strewn around, and the shed door wide open. Not wanting to believe their eyes, they take a look at the ditch. Sure enough, paint has colored the water and is winding its way toward the neighbors’ cow pastures.
No doubt the children will be chastised strongly for their naughty behavior. And the adults will think twice about leaving the shed door unlocked and leaving children unsupervised. But the problem remains…the toxic water could severely sicken the cows. There’s a real chance the rooted greenery along the ditch could be killed, making erosion more likely. And as the mom’s try to approach this whole mess, more neighbors are calling on the phone. “Who’s putting paint into the ditch? Clean this up! Right now!”
I don’t recall, as a member of the community, ever being asked if those mining permits should have been issued in the first place. Apparently that’s history. But I can say if we permit mining up the West Fork, we’ve let the kids run loose, and the shed door’s unlocked. If the Big Ditch was contaminated with seepage of 1.4 tons of radioactive waste, you better believe there’d be hell to pay. But some folks in the valley are actually considering this disastrous future for our beloved river, source of tourist dollars, source of joy among those of us walking, swimming, fishing and boating on it, and where much of our crop and animal irrigation comes from.
Those moms returned to the kitchen table after the crisis was addressed and made a wise and permanent plan so their kids and the waters of our neighborhoods will never be polluted again. They know this: we’ve stopped box stores, porn shops and by golly, we can stop Sheep Creek Mine.