03-05-2025
Groups seek to protect land from new mining projects
Rapid City, S.D. (KELO) — The search for minerals in the Black Hills could include mining on what some people consider sacred land.
Friday several groups gathered to talk about two proposed projects and their potential impact on area communities.
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The first project involves proposed uranium drilling on state-controlled land by a Canadian company at Craven Canyon north of Edgemont.
'As uranium mining and nuclear power are dirty, dangerous, radioactive and toxic. The company plans to drill from 50 drill pads by the edge of the canyon. The project would threaten the site people have been working to protect for decades,' BH Clean Water Alliance Executive Director Lilias Jarding said.
The next project involves graphite drilling by Rapid City company Pete Lien & Sons, located at sacred ceremonial site Pe' Sla, which is in federal Indian trust status.
'With the understanding that if indigenous rights and sacred sites are no longer safe from mining, your backyards will be that much easier for mining companies to contaminate forever. This project would be located in the Rapid Creek watershed, the same drinking water you all fought so hard to protect at Pactola,' NDN Collective Organizer Taylor Gunhammer said.
If contaminated, project opponents say it would impact Rapid City, Rapid Valley, Box Elder and Ellsworth Air Force Base's natural water source.
'If the aquifers or either of our two reservoirs in the watershed are contaminated by this project, we're going to see permanent irreparable damage to our way of life. The negative consequences to our communities and our economy are massive,' Black Hills resident Justin Herreman said.
'To protect our traditional and treaty lands. And to come after a sacred site like this when there's really not even a profit motive, it's pretty clear that what they're trying to undo is the status of sacred sites and lands,' Gunhammer said.
The companies behind the projects were not at Friday's meeting.
KELOLAND reached out to Pete Lien & Sons, but the business was not available for comment. It suggested we contact representatives with the Black Hills National Forest Service, who were also unavailable Friday.
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