Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015 | 3:34 p.m.
Nevada's largest herd of mule deer already have a migration route dotted with physical obstacles, and conservationists say a proposed mine expansion would create a "convoluted pathway" that would lead to "deep open pits, ore and waste rock stockpiles and haul routes".
"In bad weather, this could be devastating to this herd," said Larry Johnson, coalition president of the Coalition for Nevada's Wildlife. Estimated at 24,000 animals, the Ruby Mountain deer herd is about 22 to 24 percent of the state's total deer population.
Barrick Gold Corp. is proposing to expand the Bald Mountain Mine's north operations from about 9,200 acres to 13,600 acres and its south operatoins from about 940 acres to 3,500 acres, in addition to building a electric transmission line and a road connecting the two areas.
The Bureau of Land Management is expected to release a draft environmental impact report later this month, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. Read more about it here.
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