Published by admin on Thu, 06/16/2022 - 9:47am
It was the lure of gold that first brought thousands of miners to the Black Hills nearly 150 years ago, but with the rising popularity of electric cars and calls for more “green energy” alternatives it appears the hope of finding rich deposits of the mineral lithium is bringing 21st Century prospectors to the Hills. The filing of hundreds of mining claims for lithium in Custer County in the last two months is a matter of serious concern for many local residents who fear lithium mining may impact tourism, harm the ground water and destroy the natural beauty of the Black Hills.