These are the very lands near to ponds that are utilized by bats for feeding and water. The federal court consent decree needs to be modified because of the bankruptcy of the mining company, the cessation of mining, and other issues. The major issue that remains unresolved in theses discussions is whether or not Native American people who live in the rural areas north of the mine will be provided good drinking water. May now have to haul their water in small trailers. In winter this is a serious hardship, especially for the elderly.
Weather conditions can be extreme.
IMP is insisting that this problem needs to be resolved before the decree can be modified. The tribes have been ably represented by the Western Environmental Law Center headed by Mike Axline of Eugene, Oregon. Their participation was instrumental in the success of the tribes and citizen groups in forcing the agencies to enforce the water quality and reclamation laws. When WELC came into the picture, there was immediate progress made in reversing the continued objectional mining preformed against the objections of the tribes and citizens groups. Although much remains to be done, there seems to be a feeling that progress wile made to reclaim the mountains and protect the waters depended on by the Native American people of the area.