SAVE THE SOUTH FORK SALMON
Standing Up Against Stibnite Mine
The South Fork Salmon River is one of Idaho’s most ecologically important watersheds. The river and its tributaties like the East Fork South Fork provided critical habitat for Chinook salmon, steelhead, and bull trout. The surrounding mountains provide important denning habitat for wolverines. Much like a younger, scrappier sibling of the Middle Fork Salmon River, the South Fork also provides world-renowned whitewater recreation opportunities.
Sadly, this special landscape—and all it provides—is threatened by a proposed massive open-pit cyanide vat leach mine called the Stibnite Gold Project.
ICL has been fighting the Stibnite Gold Project on all fronts for years, but we have entered a critical phase. We will do everything we can to prevent this destructive mine.
Will you stand with us?
Get to Know the Special Places at Stake
A Journey Through Burntlog
Witness this special place—and fight for it—before it’s lost forever
The East Fork South Fork Salmon River is many things—a rambunctious whitewater river; a stronghold for bull trout, steelhead, and Chinook salmon; and the target for an open-pit mine. Mining company Perpetua Resources hopes to dewater the river, divert it into a tunnel, excavate a 400’ deep pit under the riverbed, and then backfill the pit with mining waste from another open pit. Meanwhile, pristine tributaries to the East Fork South Fork would be buried under 400’ of toxic mine tailings and waste rock. The footprint of the proposed Stibnite Gold Project goes far beyond the footprint of previous mining operations and will have unacceptable impacts both onsite and far downstream.
Perpetua Resources’ preferred road for the mine, the so called Burntlog Route, would punch a 40-mile long high-elevation industrial haul route through Inventoried Roadless Areas on the western flank of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. Its route would cut through important denning habitat for wolverine and cross streams that provide habitat for endangered bull trout, Chinook salmon, and steelhead. Given that hundreds of truckloads carrying hazardous chemicals and waste would be transported via this route, it spells big trouble for Idaho’s backcountry—and all who rely on and love it.
In fall of 2025, ICL staff headed into the South Fork Salmon River watershed country to explore some of the special places at grim risk of the Stibnite Gold Project and the Burntlog Route. From watching dozens of spawning Chinook salmon to weathering an overnight thunderstorm, their experience was just like the landscape—rugged, wild, and worth fighting for.
Continue reading to take A Journey Through Burntlog.
A Journey Through Burntlog
by Jeff Abrams & Abby Urbanek
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world.
The proposed Stibnite Gold Project threatens many special places. Some of those places are well-known, like the South Fork Salmon River—a place where Idahoans can hunt, fish, take their kids to watch wild salmon spawn, and simply be in nature. Other threatened places, however, are a little less known—places like Black Lake, xxx, and the xxx and xx Inventoried Roadless Areas.
There may be fewer Idahoans that know these places, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth fighting for.
This fall, ICL staff members Jeff Abrams and Abby Urbanek set out to get to know some of these places a little better. They weren’t disappointed.
7:30am. Monday, Sept. xxth. McCall, Idaho.
We had a lazy start to the day—americanos, playing with the puppy in the yard, and finding a feather of a Steller’s Jay.
We mosyed out of McCall xxxxx all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sounds like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest.
7xxxam.
We (next update)
We mosyed out of McCall xxxxx all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sounds like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest.
xxxpm.
(next update) (nighttime, thunderstorm)
We mosyed out of McCall xxxxx all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sounds like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. ADD THE STORM TRUCK VIDEO FOR ONE OF THESE
xxxAM.
(next update) (morning)
We mosyed out of McCall xxxxx all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sounds like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest.
xxxAM.
(next update) (morning)
We mosyed out of McCall xxxxx all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sounds like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest.
The Showdown at Stibnite Begins.
Stand Up for the South Fork Salmon River by supporting our work to Stop Stibnite today.