Blackbird Mine natural resource damage assessment

Blackbird Mine is an inactive mine site in Idaho. Mining, primarily of copper and cobalt, began in the 1890s and continued intermittently until the late 1960s. Panther Creek historically supported substantial numbers of chinook salmon and steelhead but contamination of the creek with high levels of copper and other hazardous materials eliminated the fish by the early 1960s. In 1993, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) joined other Natural Resource Trustees in a damage assessment that led to an eventual settlement with the Responsible Parties. The settlement focuses on restoration of naturally spawning spring/summer chinook salmon