Montana's Smith River needs your help!

Have you ever floated the Smith River or dreamed of floating it someday? If so, you probably know it’s one of the most spectacular and cherished rivers in Montana. A multi-day float trip through the Smith’s 59-mile-long limestone canyon is an unforgettable experience. 

But did you know the Smith is also one of the most threatened rivers in Montana? Not only has a harmful underground copper mine been proposed in its headwaters along Sheep Creek, but the same foreign company that wants to build that mine has staked over 500 mining claims on adjacent public lands. If these claims are developed, the Smith River watershed could turn into an industrial mining district for the next fifty years.

Fortunately, there’s a way to stop that from happening. American Rivers, our conservation partners, local landowners, and Tribal Nations are pushing the Biden administration to move forward with a 20-year administrative mineral withdrawal on public lands in the Smith River watershed that would ensure this irreplaceable landscape remains intact.

Show your support for the Smith River by signing the petition to the U.S. Forest Service TODAY, urging them to proceed with an administrative mineral withdrawal on federal public lands in the Smith River watershed. 

Petition Language:

Dear Deputy Chief French and Supervisor Platt,

We, the undersigned residents of Montana and other states hereby urge the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to proceed with an administrative mineral withdrawal on federal public lands in the Smith River watershed of central Montana.  

The Smith River is deeply woven within Montana’s cultural fabric and history. Each year, thousands of Montanans and non-residents apply for a permit to journey through its spectacular 59-mile-long limestone canyon. Floating the Smith is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, allowing for world-class trout fishing, wildlife viewing, and other unforgettable experiences that enrich our lives and become stories carried on through generations. These lands have been used for millennia by Montana’s first peoples, with some of the best examples of Native American pictographs in Montana.

For decades, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has successfully managed the permitted section of the Smith River for the benefit of Montanans, non-resident visitors, and the fish and wildlife that call the watershed home. This section of river, much of which has been found to be eligible for Wild & Scenic designation by the USFS, flows through a patchwork of private and public lands in one of the most isolated areas of Montana.

Recently, there has been a push for industrial-scale mining on private and public lands in the Smith River drainage. While Montanans understand the necessity of certain mining for modern society, the serious environmental damage that often results from mining means it isn’t appropriate everywhere. Because of the Smith River’s unparalleled natural attributes and cultural importance, mining on public lands within the Smith watershed simply is not appropriate.

Already, more than 500 mining claims have been filed on federal public lands in the Smith River watershed. Many of these claims are along tributaries to the Smith River, and some are within eyesight of the Smith River itself. Recognizing the threat, two Montana Tribes (the Fort Belknap Indian Community and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes) have already passed resolutions in support of a mineral withdrawal.

These public lands also help to fuel Montana’s $7.1 billion outdoor economy and serve as important grazing lands for Montana ranchers. Economic evaluations have determined that recreation opportunities on the Smith River generate over $11 million annually in economic activity for southwest Montana.

In closing, we want to ensure that the Smith River and the lands that surround it are protected for Montanans, and for all Americans, for generations to come. The only way to achieve that vision is if the USFS proceeds with an administrative mineral withdrawal over the next six months.