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 responded that the firm has completed multiple baseline studies and expects to be held accountable to regulators. A company representative said, "We're committed to developing a mine that's gonna fully protect all the environmental resources in the area," and described ongoing technical work on hydrology and water‑quality issues.

Why it matters: Commenters said the affected water and land feed livestock, support subsistence and ceremonial uses, and underpin tourism and recreation. Several speakers urged stronger state and federal enforcement and more attention to impacts on tribal members' religious practices and cultural resources.

What speakers described - Access and cultural uses: Commenters said roads to traditional plant and berry gathering areas are gated and that security restricts tribal spiritual leaders from collecting plants used in religious ceremonies. Halber said some of the plants used "for our religion" grow only in limited areas that are now blocked. - Water and wildlife impacts: Speakers pointed to leach pads that receive cyanide solution, to dust from blasting, and to acidified runoff and heavy metals in creek beds. Halber said she has detected cyanide in her water and recounted reports of a child with a rash after playing in a creek and of deer with lesions. A photographer who presented images called the area "pristine, untouched wilderness sacred land" before showing photos of what he described as large‑scale disturbance and contamination. - Enforcement and agency roles: Commenters referenced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Montana Department of State Lands, the state Environmental Quality Council, the Department of Health and Environmental Sciences (as discussed at the meeting), Indian Health Service, the Department of the Interior and federal land agencies (BLM and BIA). One speaker said the Department of State Lands both manages state trust revenue and regulates mining — a structural tension that, he said, can weaken enforcement. - Documented complaints and enforcement: A commenter summarized enforcement history described at the meeting: roughly 2,050 complaints filed with the state water quality bureau in recent years, 29 referred up the chain, 13 penalty recommendations and about six cases that received full enforcement, as discussed at the meeting.

Company response and technical work A company representative told the meeting that the project team has completed or is completing multiple baseline studies, including hydrology and water quality, and said the firm intends to address technical concerns before and during development. The representative said reclamation takes time and that not all photographed operations were comparable to the project being proposed to local regulators.

No formal action recorded No board or council motion, vote or formal regulatory decision was recorded at the hearing. The exchange took place during public comment and presenter remarks; commenters urged state and federal agencies to pursue enforcement and asked local elected officials and the public to organize to press for compliance.

What comes next Commenters urged residents, advocacy groups and tribal leaders to press state and federal regulators for enforcement and monitoring, and to keep public attention on the sites. The company said it will continue baseline work and technical studies. Meeting speakers recommended further testing, regulatory follow‑up and community organizing to insist on compliance with state and federal water‑quality and reclamation standards.