The Idaho Transportation Department recently secured $20.8 million in grant funding to build three wildlife underpasses near Montpelier. These improvements will increase drivers’ safety on U.S. Highway 30 at Rocky Point between Montpelier and the Wyoming border, with construction anticipated in 2026.

The project aims to mitigate wildlife-vehicle conflict points with wildlife underpasses built where the highway crosses a regional mule deer migration route. This 20-mile section of US-30 can incur more than 100 mule deer collisions with vehicles each year, with about 70% of those carcasses being reported in the four-mile section (milepost 443-447) known as Rocky Point. Besides making the highway safer for drivers, the new structures will protect the migration corridor and ensure connectivity between crucial seasonal mule deer habitat.

The three wildlife underpasses will be coupled with about 6 road miles of 8-foot-tall wildlife fencing to “funnel” migrating wildlife toward the underpasses. The funding is part of $125 million in federal grants also announced in December for wildlife crossing projects in 16 states.

“We are excited to get this project fully-funded and built,” Environmental Planner Alissa Salmore said. “Local citizens and our Montpelier crew have been asking for a solution here for decades. It will be good to finally deliver this project, both for people and for wildlife.”

Salmore, with key contributions from the ITD team and Idaho Fish and Game as a partner agency, developed the application package for submittal to the FHWA Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program over the past year. The grant covers about 98% of the construction costs for the trio of underpasses. An additional $1.2 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will fund a portion of the fencing to connect two of the structures in the heart of the mule deer travel route.

There are significant benefits to the project beyond ITD’s interest. Idaho Fish and Game also has a strong interest in resolving the conflict between the highway traffic and the regional Bear Lake Plateau mule deer herd’s migration path. The Bear Lake Plateau mule deer herd is a key piece of southeastern Idaho’s economy, bringing thousands of hunters and wildlife enthusiasts to stay and recreate in the area every year. The mule deer migration encompasses parts of Wyoming and Utah as well as Idaho, so those states will also see a benefit from reducing the wildlife-vehicle collision rate at Rocky Point.

Each year, more than one million wildlife-vehicle collisions are estimated to impact motorists and wildlife in the U.S. Wildlife-vehicle collisions involving large animals result in approximately 200 human fatalities and 26,000 injuries to drivers and their passengers each year. These collisions also cost the public more than $10 billion annually. This includes economic costs, such as loss of income, medical costs, property damage, and more. Highways can threaten wildlife populations by fragmenting habitats, creating barriers to safe movement, and causing mortality due to wildlife-vehicle collisions.

Mining has played an important role in shaping Idaho, but the Idaho Conservation League is working to raise awareness about the long-lasting environmental damage caused by mining in the Gem State. 

A new report from the nonprofit, Unearthing Idaho: Mining and Environmental Impacts in the Gem State, provides guidance on balancing the demand for minerals with protecting Idaho’s environment. It was published to address concerns about new mining projects, increased exploration efforts and issues with abandoned mines, said Josh Johnson, the central Idaho director for the Idaho Conservation League.

Johnson acknowledged the need for mining, noting that resources like cars, cellphones and computers and renewable energy technology rely on mined materials, some of which come from Idaho.  

“Mining is a huge part of Idaho’s history and in our heritage here,” Johnson told the Idaho Capital Sun. “We are blessed with a lot of natural resources, and there is a reason for us to use those mineral resources. But I think we need to recognize that this mining is not appropriate everywhere, and it needs to be done the right way.” 

Johnson said the organization looks at mining projects in Idaho on a case-by-case basis, and that it does not generalize mining across Idaho. The report includes a list of best practices that it hopes mining companies will adopt. 

A look at Idaho’s mining history

Though mining shaped Idaho’s history, it has created lasting environmental challenges. 

Idaho’s mining history dates back to the late 1800s, when the region became part of a late gold rush, historian Troy Lambert told the Idaho Capital Sun. After the discovery of gold in 1860, mining soon became Idaho’s dominant industry, surpassing agriculture and livestock, according to Idaho’s 1899 inaugural mining report.

The rush for resources didn’t stop at gold. Many discovered silver, lead and copper deposits, particularly in North Idaho’s Shoshone County, which would go on to lead the nation in silver production for decades.

For decades, Idaho spearheaded the mining industry, even offering mining programs through the University of Idaho’s School of Mines, established in 1917 to support the state’s demand for mining expertise. During World War II, Stibnite Mine near Yellow Pine became the nation’s leading producer of antimony and tungsten, which were used for bullet production and metal strengthening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

However, Idaho’s mining industry, like the rest of the nation’s, began to decline in the late 1900s for several reasons, including the rising costs of extracting deeper resources, the end of World War II mining subsidies and the introduction of environmental regulations like the Clean Air and Water acts from the 1970s, Lambert said. 

This led to a declining interest in mining. By 2002, the University of Idaho closed its mining school, and many of those courses were restructured into other colleges on campus, university spokesperson Jodi Walker told the Sun. 

The Clean Air and Water acts, in particular, significantly changed Idaho’s mining practices. Before these regulations, historical mining projects operated under the idea of “dilution as the solution,” assuming polluted water would naturally clean itself as it traveled downstream, Lambert said.

“For a long time it was just a really dirty process, especially the milling process … the outhouses over the stream,” Lambert said. “They poisoned the land, the water and all of that downstream. Those dirty mining practices are still having an impact on how we manage the environment in those areas today.”

Lambert said mining in Idaho was seen as a very noble profession, where men would risk their lives to work. While mining has died down in Idaho and the U.S. as a whole, Lambert said mining worldwide has not. 

“If we don’t mine here, it’s gonna happen elsewhere in the world,” he said, adding that the U.S. has child labor laws and modern environmental standards to ensure more ethical and sustainable practices.

Report highlights mining projects that left, and could leave scars on Idaho 

Today, mining makes up for less than 1% of the Gem State’s economy. There are six operating mines left in Idaho, with three phosphate mines in southeast Idaho and three metal mines in North Idaho. 

But historical and modern mining projects continue to affect Idaho’s landscape. From lead contamination from the Bunker Hill smelter to coal mining runoff in British Columbia contaminating the Kootenai River — Idaho’s waterways and wildlife habitats are still suffering from the damage caused by mining, the report says. 

The report includes a non-exhaustive list of mining projects across Idaho, that the Idaho Conservation League says warrant the attention of Idahoans. Some are mineral exploration projects, such as the CuMo Exploration Project outside of Idaho City, and others are in the permitting process, such as Stibnite Gold Mine. 

Biden signs law to clean up abandoned mines across the western U.S.

The report, Johnson said, argues that while mining is necessary, it must be done responsibly. By offering a list of best practices, the Idaho Conservation League hopes to help mining companies and permitting regulators mitigate the environmental impact of new and ongoing projects.

There are still 8,800 abandoned mines in the state, according to the report. However, Johnson said a new federal law signed on Dec. 17 to clean up abandoned mines in the West is a step in the right direction. The law was sponsored by U.S. Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho. The next step to address mining issues would be to reform the General Mining Law of 1872, which Johnson said favors mining over any other use of public land. 

“We’re not trying to shut down the mining industry in Idaho,” Johnson said. “What we’re trying to do is improve projects and say that some places in Idaho are really special and should be off limits to mining.”

Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.

BIZ BUZZ

POCATELLO

Idaho’s largest indoor soccer facility will be housed in Pocatello’s old Naval Ordnance Plant

POCATELLO – A historic building on the north side of Pocatello will soon be the home of what a local soccer club says is Idaho’s largest indoor soccer facility.

The 120,000-square-foot Portneuf Valley Soccer Club Sports Complex is slated to open in March inside the old Naval Ordnance Plant at 669 Quinn Road.

Greater Idaho Falls Chamber CEO Paul Baker is the club’s executive director and he tells EastIdahoNews.com the soccer complex will accommodate student and adult leagues throughout eastern Idaho.

“We have a certain amount of time carved out for PVSC teams, but we’ve had lots of folks reaching out about adult leagues, co-ed leagues, and other sports clubs wanting to use the facility,” Baker says. “Players for any sport can use the facility in Pocatello.”

There will be four 9v9 size fields (slightly smaller than a full size soccer field) with netting and padding lining the outside. There will also be an area for coaching and a seating area for spectators. A store, office space, conference rooms and classrooms for coaches and soccer club staff will occupy the rest of the space.

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Baker, a native of England, has been involved in coaching soccer for many years. Before moving to Idaho Falls in 2021, he reached out to Idaho Falls High School Soccer Coach Ryan Cook because his son was interested in joining the team.

Baker’s son ended up finishing high school in England, but Baker continued networking with Cook. They developed a friendship and Baker later helped him coach the Idaho Falls team.

Cook recently became a soccer coach in Pocatello and that’s when Baker was introduced to the Portneuf Valley Soccer Club.

The lack of indoor facilities for soccer and other sports is what prompted Baker to pursue this project.

“I’ve been working behind the scenes with the president (of the club) and the board, trying to get the structure right and get them in a good financial position to invest in a facility like this,” Baker says.

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Brent Wilson with TOK Commercial brought the old Naval Ordnance building to his attention and Baker liked what he saw.

“It’s a little quirky in its layout and the building is old, but there’s something nice about converting a building of historical importance and bringing young people inside to play sports,” he says.

The fact that it’s visible from Interstate 15 and is centrally located off Yellowstone Highway is another thing that appealed to him.

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The space is one of 23 buildings that make up what is now the Titan Center. Industrial Realty Group bought the property in 2021 in hopes of attracting commercial tenants. The soccer complex will be the site’s first occupant to begin operation.

“The site has an incredible history, but we truly believe the best is yet to come,” IRG President Stuart Lichter said in a 2021 news release.

The building’s history and future in Pocatello

The Naval Ordnance Plant was first commissioned in 1942 and was used to manufacture and refurbish guns for battleships fighting overseas during World War II.

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That same year, the U.S. Navy selected about 173,130 acres of land 60 miles northwest of Pocatello as a naval proving ground, a place to fire and test the reconditioned battle guns taken from the Pocatello plant.

This desert site near Arco is now the home of the Idaho National Laboratory.

RELATED | How a naval proving ground became a national lab that’s ‘changing the world’s energy future’

The Pocatello plant was decommissioned in the 1950s. It sat vacant for many years.

Baker plans to highlight its history for those who visit.

“There’s some original signage in the building that we want to restore and make sure there’s still some historical reference to what took place in that ordnance plant,” says Baker.

A grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held once it’s complete.

The indoor aspect is phase one of the project. Baker’s goal is to add outdoor fields in the near future.

As the initial phase winds down, Baker is excited to unveil it to the community and to give local athletes a place to play year-round.

“This facility is a game-changer for soccer in eastern Idaho,” PVSC President Cristie Stone says in a news release. “It’s a testament to the vision and commitment of our club, our partners, and the community. We’re investing in our players and are determined to raise the bar for soccer in Idaho.”

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

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Local Big Lots preparing for closure amid deal to keep some stores open

Outdoor ice rink promises a magical experience for visitors of all ages