Residents, tribal members say Zortman‑Landusky mining contaminated water and blocked access to sacred plants; company says studies underway

Residents, tribal members and conservationists told a Missoula public meeting that large‑scale gold mining around the Zortman‑Landusky (Pegasus) site has contaminated water, harmed wildlife and blocked access to plants used in Native religious practices.

Those concerns, expressed during public comment, centered on cyanide use on leach pads, visible dust and runoff from blasted ore piles, and locked roads and security that commenters said prevent tribal members from reaching traditional plant and berry sites on and near the Fort Belknap Reservation. "They're destroying our home. They're denying us our rights," said Catherine Halber, a resident and member of the Island Mountain Protectors.

The allegations included reports of cyanide appearing in household water, skin rashes in children after contact with creek water, dead or injured wildlife, and repeated blasting that commenters said spreads dust across reservation lands. Speakers also pointed to what they described as weak enforcement by state and federal agencies and a conflict within state government between revenue duties and regulatory responsibilities.

Company representatives who spoke at the meeting…