Ninth Circuit puts hold on expansion of the big Smoky Canyon phosphate open pit mine

Successful appeal by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition sends case back to district court-

Federal appeals court blocks mine expansion. By Rebecca Boone. AP.

I was told that

In summary, the appellate court:
1.  Issued a stay of mine development activities;
2.  Ruled that the Idaho magistrate judge erred in disregarding GYC’s demonstration of harm to the Sage Creek roadless area from mine develoment activities;
3.  Sent the case back to the magistrate judge for reconsideration of the preliminary injunction issue in light of the threat of harm to the roadless area;
4.  Ruled that GYC had raised very serious questions on the merits; and
5.  Provided that any future appeals in this litigation will go back to the same 9th Circuit panel.

Earlier on this issue http://en.wordpress.com/tag/smoky-canyon-mine/

Blackfoot, Idaho area wolf sighting unconfirmed

Earlier a story about a rancher seeing two wolves near Blackfoot, Idaho (in SE Idaho) came up here in comments. The rancher was amazing sanguine compared to the usual reaction.

Idaho Fish and Game says it can’t confirm the presence of wolves.

Area wolf sighting unconfirmed. Idaho State Journal (Pocatello)

Grim death toll for tundra swans in N. Idaho

Old toxic mining waste along the Coeur d’Alene River kills at least 150 a year-

Toxic marshes deadly to swans: Coeur d’Alene River laden with lead from Silver Valley mining. By Spokesman-Review in the Seattle Times.

This is not really a new story in the sense that it happens every year.  I knew that in years past a local conservation group used to have a sarcastic “Dead Swan Days.” The mining waste from a hundred years of silver mines and smelting along the South and main fork of the Coeur d’Alene constitute perhaps the largest Supefund toxic cleanup site in the Unites States. The EPA has been working on it for about 25 years.