Seeing the headline, "Former gold mine nearly ready to open to public" at the South Idaho Press was a nice little surprise. The story had to be referring to the Black Pine Mine so I clicked the link and then saw the picture.
There's still a big, huge gaping hole in the side of the mountain and apparently that's how it's going to remain.
Forest Service Minidoka District Ranger Scott Nannenga said reclamation is all but finished, lacking only a few minor details. He said he expects the area will be open to the public in 2008.
“We’re just about done with the reclamation, so that people who come up here can’t hurt it anymore,” he said.
For those who don't know the area, the Black Pine Mine is located on Black Pine Mountain in southeastern Cassia County approximately thirty miles north of the Utah border. The mine is located on the east side of the mountain where some prospecting had been occurring off and on for several generations.
It's located in a farming/ranching area that has been economically depressed for several decades despite the best efforts of the local community of hard working, salt-of-the-earth type people. The main employers in the valley, outside of various agricultural operations, have been the elementary and high schools and the rural electric company.
The area was home to a government geothermal demonstration project during the energy crunch of the 1970's which generated power for a short time and then was abandoned in the early 80's putting many people out of work. (Incidentally several years ago, with revived interest in renewable energy, the Raft River geothermal site was rediscovered and plans to build and operate a power plant at the site are well underway.)
When Pegasus Mining began operating in the early 1990's, the Black Pine Mine provided welcome employment opportunities to the community at a time when they were desperately needed.
Then Pegasus Mining filed bankruptcy in 1997. Since that time the Forest Service has been using the bond money to complete closure and cleanup at the open pit, heap leach mine (similar to the proposed mine in Atlanta) which at one time was designated a superfund site due to contaminated tailings from previous mining at the site.
Word of the nearly complete cleanup at the mine is welcome news. Apparently the scars carved deep into Black Pine Mountain will remain and that is heartbreaking.
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