Potential gold mine near Island Park causes controversy in Southeast Idaho

ISLAND PARK, Idaho (KIFI) – Excellon Resources, a Canadian-owned mining company, is in the middle of a five-year exploratory drilling project for a potential mine in Idaho's Centennial Mountains.

If they were to find a large amount of gold in the area, the company would potentially build a controversial open-pit cyanide gold mine in Kilgore, west of Island Park.

Open-pit cyanide mining practices have been banned in Montana since 1998.

Members of the Idaho Conservation League, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, and Clark County community say they're concerned the mine would leak dangerous heavy metals or cyanide into the area.

A leak could affect everything from wildlife and recreation, to the Snake River aquifer and agriculture in the Southeast Idaho community.

Clark County Commissioner Nick Hillman said, "It's just a Paradise for…for wildlife up there. One of the more heavily used recreation sites for hunters all over the state that come up there to hunt. And. And so the recreation that would be lost would be tremendous. It's a real concern to, us as Clark County residents, but it's a real concern and should be a real concern to eastern Idaho." 

According to the exploration agreement, the mining corporation can build 10 miles of new roads, 140 drill pads, and 420 exploration drill holes on the mountainside above West Camas and Corral Creeks.

Should the project move forward to a mining plan Southeast Idaho residents familiar with the industry say the mine would spread across the national forest land.

Tony Huegel with Backcountry Byways said, "What Excellon Resources has been telling people in their investment solicitation literature and on their website, is that they're proposing to take this pristine wild land area of the Centennial Mountains, which is right on the Continental Divide, and then turn it into a vast Nevada scale gold mining operation. If anybody has seen what Nevada mining looks like, you should be having nightmares about what's at risk for the Centennial Mountains of Idaho, which are shared with Montana as well."

For more information on the Clean Kilgore Coalition, click HERE.