OUTDOOR MUSEUM PRESERVED FOR
NOW
Two geologists working for the Bureau of Land
Management in Boise, Idaho, began documenting a treasure trove four
years ago: the carved bedrock of the Big Wood River, some 12 miles
north of Shoshone. Terry Maley and Peter Oberlindacher were
fascinated by the complex shapes that turbulent water, beginning
some 10,000 years ago, had forced on basalt, in some cases seeming
to twist the rock. The men produced a 4l-page booklet, Rocks and
Potholes of the Big Wood River, for the Idaho Geological Survey,
but before the BLM could establish a “protective withdrawal” for
the most sculptured 4-mile stretch of river, United Mining Co.
filed a notice to remove the boulders. Sold under the trade name of
“Holystone,” the rocks fetch thousands of dollars when sold as
natural decoration for gardens or corporate lobbies. Armed with the
findings and opinions of its geologists, the BLM disputed the
mining claim, which is authorized by the 1892 Building Stone Placer
Act, challenging it on aesthetic, scientific and recreational
grounds. The strategy was a first for the agency, Maley says, and
it worked. Administrative Law Judge Ramon Child ruled the company’s
claim invalid last November because unique geological features
“would be irretrievably lost if contestee were permitted to mine
this national treasure.” The challenge continues, however; United
Mining Corp., has appealed the agency turndown to the Interior
Board of Land Appeals.
Rocks and Potholes is
available for $8.50 from the Idaho Geological Survey, Morrill Hall,
Rm 332, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844; posters are
available from the same address for $3 each or two for $5. For more
information about the case, or about touring the water-sculpted
rocks in south-central Idaho, contact the BLM, Box 2-B, Shoshone,
ID 83352 (208/886-7276).
* Betsy
Marston
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Outdoor museum preserved for now.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
