Here is an updated mining claims map for the Black Hills. Claims that are new since April are in purple. Most of these are the lithium mining claims around Custer and north towards Hill City. This updated map shows that there are now over 202,000 acres of mining claims in the Black Hills as of August 3, 2022. This is over 16% of the total Black Hills.

A company or person who has a mining claim and gets the necessary permits may explore for minerals and, if any are found, may mine on the claimed land under the 1872 Mining Law. This 150-year-old law dates from when Ulysses S. Grant was President and says that someone who mines on federally-controlled lands does not have to pay any royalties to the federal government. This outdated law allows water contamination across the western United States. We must protect our limited water from large-scale mining, which uses and contaminates large amounts of water.

We have our work cut-out for all of us working to protect water and land in the Black Hills from all these mining threats. We will continue to keep you up-to-date, so please continue to follow us and like us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and donate if you can. You can also follow our blog posts via email. Subscribe in the Right Panel under “Follow Our Blogs via Email”