The Bitterroot River flows north for 84 miles through the heart of Montana’s Bitterroot Valley and draws anglers from all over the world. Known for thriving populations of rainbow, brown, and native Westslope cutthroat trout, it is formed by the confluence of its East and West Forks further south near the town of Darby, Montana. At the headwaters of the West Fork—a river famous for its world-class salmon fly hatch—an out-of-state mining company is vying to construct a rare-earth mine that could span 11.3 square miles (7,277 acres) of public land managed by the US Forest Service.
During a recent flyover of the proposed mine site, representatives of the Bitterroot Water Partnership (BWP) and the Ravalli County Fish & Wildlife Association expressed deep concern about the proposed mine. Field & Stream first reported on the issue in May 2023, around the time the company, US Critical Materials, began touting their plans publicly. “Community opposition to the Sheep Creek mining proposal has only grown louder since then,” Alex Ocañas, Manager of Community Conservation for the BWP tells F&S.
Uncertainty Looms
Ocañas says that USCM has been less than forthcoming with details about their proposed mine. All other rare-earth mines in existence today use open-pit mining techniques before processing the ore on site. But USCM claims they’ll pioneer a new, untested type of underground mining before trucking the material offsite to the Idaho National Laboratory near Idaho Falls.
The company has said that it will haul at least ten 45-foot dump trucks out of the remote headwaters everyday for five days a week if their mine plan comes to fruition, Ocañas says. That would require the the massive dump trucks to traverse a narrow, two-lane road along the West Fork River. At present, the West Fork Road already sustains heavy traffic from hunters, anglers, and other public land users. Residents are highly concerned about the added strain that the company’s proposed hauling operations would put on the road—and the river.
West Fork Woes
Jenny West is a local outfitter who grew up fishing the West Fork. Today, she guides both the West Fork and the main stem of the Bitterroot. When conditions are good on the West Fork, 20-to-40 fish days aren’t uncommon, she says.
West says that if the mine goes through, she expects to see significantly decreased fish numbers, lower flows, warmer water, and serious damage to the insect hatches that the West Fork is famous for: salmon flies, skwalas, golden stoneflies, and green drakes. “I can’t imagine fishing toxic water,” she adds. “It would just be devastating.”
Like Ocañas, West is alarmed by the prospect of large dump trucks running up and down the West Fork Road day in and day out. “The road winds so close to river in places,” she says. “You’ll be able to hear those trucks constantly while you’re fishing. And what happens when one of them spills into the river, like we’ve seen on the Clark Fork. It would be heartbreaking.”
Hunting Impacts
Matt Cashell is a lifelong Montanan, an outdoor writer, and the Vice President of the Ravalli County Fish & Wildlife Association, one of the oldest rod-and-gun clubs in Montana. Like BWC, the Ravalli County Fish & Wildlife Association is firmly opposed to the proposed mine.
Cashell says USCM’s mine claims sprawl across Montana Hunt District 250, which is known for high quality big-game hunts for elk, moose, and mule deer, as well as some opportunity for bighorn sheep. Its downstream effects would also impact Distrcit 270, which offers one of the most coveted mule deer tags in the state.
“The risks of this mine go well beyond the West Fork River,” Cashell says. “Everything downstream will be impacted. The tentacles that come out of this go everywhere.”
In addition to elk, mule deer, and moose, the area is home to robust populations of whitetail deer, black bears, and mountain lions. That unique blend of hunting opportunity would be jeopardized if the proposed mine goes through, Cashell says.
Chashell is quick to point out that there are viable alternatives for rare-earth mining in Montana that wouldn’t degrade wildlife, agriculture, and clean water in the Bitterroot Valley. A well-known toxic tailings pond in Butte called the Berkley Pit, for example, contains the same type of elements that USCM wants to extract from from the Sheep Creek headwaters.
“The idea of mining in this pristine area that’s so beloved by so many outdoors people and recreators, when we have a viable alternative like with much less margin for risk, it doesn’t make sense,” Cashell says.
What’s Next?
In December 2025, USCM sent two representatives to a packed meeting of the Ravalli County Commissioners in the mid-valley town of Hamilton. At their first public appearance since announcing the plan, the company spokesmen apologized for keeping community members in the dark about mine specifics.
Shortly after the meeting, Ravalli County Commissioners issued a statement of unanimous opposition to the project, citing grave threats to the headwaters, downstream agriculture, and critical wildlife habitat. Members of Montana’s Congressional Delegation—Rep. Ryan Zinke, Sen. Steve Daines, and Sen. Tim Sheehy—quickly followed suite with statements of their own acknowledging the public’s concern. All of those elected officials, however, have been notably silent about the proposed Sheep Creek mine since then.
Two of Rep. Zinke’s staffers did attend the recent flyover of USCM’s Sheep Creek mining claims. But the rest of the delegation declined their invitation to send staff, according to the Bitterroot Water Partnership, which organized the flyover. Ocañas says she expects to see a revised plan of operations from the company in the coming weeks, which will initiate a public comment period. For their part, USCM seems to be moving forward at a rapid clip. Despite heavy opposition and continued public uncertainty, the company just announced that it’s setting up a headquarters shop in the town of Darby.
Field & Stream will continue to report on these emerging threats to the Bitterroot River and its surrounding watershed.
content_big-game-hunting
THE 1871 CLUB
Recommended Products
Read the full article here
