The Kilgore Project is a cyanide heap-leach gold mine proposed in an area adjacent to West Camas Creek, 5 miles northwest of the community of Kilgore, Idaho. The Kilgore Project proposes to construct 10.5 miles of new roads and 140 drill stations for gold exploration, and up to 420 exploratory holes by project completion. Drill holes would extend 1,300 feet underground, with drill pads being 50 feet long and generally as wide as the road on which they are located. To obtain drill water and other water required for the project, Excellon is authorized to pump water from an existing on-site well and to pump water directly from West Camas and Corral Creeks. The total disturbance caused to the landscape by the project would cover approximately 23 surface acres.

The area’s terrain crosses many steep slopes and encompasses several headwater streams, all flowing into West Camas or Corral Creek. The project site has suitable habitat for numerous species, including White bark pine, Yellowstone cutthroat trout, and Columbia spotted frog, each of which are designated by USFS as “sensitive species,” as well as grizzly bear, now designated as “threatened species.”

Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC) is working collaboratively with other conservation organizations, including Idaho Conservation League, and private stakeholders to ensure that the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are not impacted by cyanide heap-leach mining operations on Caribou Targhee National Forest.

Join us on a virtual tour with Allison Michalski of GYC to see thes area from the air, and learn about the threat.