Members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of Montana have launched a campaign to protect the sacred Chief Cliff from development.

Chief Cliff, a rock formation, plays a central role in Kootenai history. One story tells of a chief who jumped off the cliff because he felt people were forgetting their elders. Another tells of a woman who turned to stone while waiting for her loved one to return from battle.

Peter Auld, a tribal member and student at Salish Kootenai College, heard the stories while growing up on the reservation. He became concerned when he found out a mining company was blasting rock in the area so he started the Save Chief Cliff Organization to raise awareness of the issue.

So far, the effort appears to be working. The state Department of Environmental Quality is looking into the mining operation, which is apparently occurring without a permit.

The tribal council is poised to pass a resolution opposing development. The tribe owns part of Chief Cliff but the land where the mining occurs is held by a non-Indian man who has been leasing it to Western Stone. The company's website touts the use of "Chief Cliff Stone."

Get the Story:
Kootenai Tribe Members Worried About Mining (KECI-TV 3/16)

Earlier Stories:
Quarry quarrel (Missoula News 3/4)
To save a princess: Group concerned quarry could endanger Chief Cliff (The Missoulian 2/27)