Smith River Protection
What makes the Smith such a remarkable place?
Located in west-central Montana, the Smith is the only river in Montana that requires a recreational permit, awarded via a lottery system, in order to float the corridor. Boaters embark from Camp Baker near White Sulphur Springs, and travel nearly 60 miles over several days, camping beneath towering limestone cliffs in a canyon that seems to go on forever.
Jaw dropping views await around every bend and the river features world-class angling for wild brown and rainbow trout. But fishing is such a small piece of the Smith’s story: it’s a place of great recreational, ecological and cultural value for many people who have visited this valley from around the globe for thousands of years. Floating the Smith is “a bucket-list trip” for many people and those that know it well will drop everything when given a chance to return.
Why is the Smith under threat and what is MTU doing to defend it?
In 2014, a foreign owned mining company, Sandfire Resources, Inc. applied for a copper mine exploration permit on a major headwater tributary to the Smith River, Sheep Creek. Sandfire proposes to mine in a sulphide ore body, which makes this mine a high risk for producing acid mine drainage. Acid mine drainage is environmentally devastating and requires permanent water treatment.
On April 9, 2020, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) released their Record of Decision(ROD) permitting the Black Butte Mine. Montana Trout Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, and a coalition of partner organizations, including Montana Environmental Information Center, American Rivers, and Earth Works! initiated legal action to stop the mine on June 4, 2020.
Our coalition asserts that DEQ failed to adequately protect the Smith by awarding a mining permit to Sandfire and ignored the comments of a record 12,000+ people in opposition to the Black Butte project. We also believe the mine threatens Montanans’ constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment. On April 11, 2022, a Montana District Court agreed and vacated the mining permit on July 5, 2022. Sandfire has appealed the ruling to the Montana Supreme Court. The fight continues.
What can I do to help save the Smith?
While the time for public comment has passed, we still encourage friends of the Smith to send letters to the editor of your local newspaper, or a Montana paper if you live outside of Montana. You can also write to MT Governor Greg Gianforte and the Department of Environmental Quality.
Follow this link for talking points and guidance for making your letter more impactful, as well as contact information for the Governor’s Office and DEQ.
In addition, MTU continues to incur significant legal costs in our fight to defend the Smith. Please visit our donation page to make a contribution today.
Smith River Protection Timeline
A visual history of our fight to protect the Smith.
Learn More About the Smith River and the Mine
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Tintina Submits Mine Permit Application
Canadian/Australian mine company Tintina Resources has submitted their application for a mine permit. They are going forward with their plan to mine next to and underneath Sheep Creek, the main and most vital tributary to the Smith River in Montana!! Don’t let another foreign owned mine company ruin our natural resources. Let your voice be heard! Let Gov.…
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Toxic water can travel much further than 19 miles.
Click here to read about the tragic news from Brazil. Keep this in mind every time you hear that the Smith River Mine is “19 miles from the Smith”. Help make sure this NEVER happens to the Smith River. Let your opposition be heard to the proposed Black Butte mine project that threatens the Smith River!