All of us have fished the Middle or North Fork of the Boise River. If you haven't you should. By early July both rivers will have dropped to the point they can be safely waded. Anglers and hikers will once again find native redband and bull trout, and wild cutthroat and brook trout as well as arctic grayling are available for anyone willing to do a little exploring. Despite catastrophic fires in recent decades and increasing recreational use of all sorts, the scenery remains outstanding, the fisheries are incredibly healthy, and solitude is still easy to find.

In fact, I joined TU because I wanted to work on protecting and restoring the Boise River, its Forks and tributaries. Perhaps it was inevitable then that the Boise River would face one of its most serious threats while I was serving as President of the Trueblood Chapter.

Twin Mining Co. of Toronto, Canada created the Atlanta Gold Co. to build and operate an open-pit, cyanide heap leach mine near the town of Atlanta in the headwaters of the Middle Fork. The mine would remove the top of a mountain, dig two pits hundreds of feet deep, and leach the gold out of the rock by percolating cyanide solution through enormous piles of rock removed from the pits. Separating the cyanide from the watershed would be a plastic liner.

The mine itself may pose less risk than just getting the necessary chemicals, fuel and supplies to Atlanta. Last weekend both roads to Atlanta were closed. The Middle Fork Road had suffered a wash-out, as it does almost every spring. The Edna Creek/North Fork/Swanholm route was closed due to snow. Yet these are the roads Atlanta Gold proposes to use to move 611 tankers of diesel fuel, 37 truckloads of sodium cyanide, 370 cement trucks, and 416 busloads of workers each and every year for the 5-7 year lifespan of the mine.

Our Ted Trueblood Chapter is working to ensure that if the mine is built, the watershed and its fisheries are protected. Through a public education campaign, participating in the administrative processes, and continuing our work in partnership with National TU, we plan to restore and enhance the Boise River's native and wild fisheries and protect them for future generations.

One of the jewels of Southwest Idaho is at risk. The Trueblood Chapter wants to work with you, our members, to keep it safe.

There is no shortage of problems and challenges facing our water resources and fisheries. All we need is your involvement to overcome them and turn them into opportunities. Please feel free to email or call me any time. Our Board of Directors meetings occur on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at Chicago Connection on 4th and Bannock in downtown Boise.

James Piotrowski
Chapter President
email: jpiotrowski@hpllp.net
phone: 208-331-9200 (o)

Questions or comments send to:tutedtrue@aol.com
Ted Trueblood Chapter Idaho Trout Umlimited