NYE COUNTY, Nev. (KTNV) — Located in southern Nye County is a wildlife refuge called Ash Meadows that's home to some of the rarest species in the world.
Among them are the Devils Hole pupfish, which made headlines in recent years after a vandalism incident almost rendered them extinct.
The pupfish and others are endangered and closely managed, but some are concerned about the growing lithium mining industry's impact on the watershed that supports them.
"I come out quite a bit, especially at the north part of the refuge to just kind of monitor things and keep an eye out," said Mason Voehl, executive director for the Amargosa Conservancy.
The Amargosa River, Voehl said, is a mostly underground freshwater system that supports the wildlife in Ash Meadows.
"The Amargosa has a lot of nicknames. It goes by the 'Peekaboo' or 'Hide-and-Seek' River because it's sort of like now you see it, now you don't," Voehl said.
Voehl said he's concerned about the northern boundary of the refuge where Canadian mining company Rover Critical Minerals wants to drill for lithium deposits.
"The real worrisome thing for us was just the proximity. The close proximity of a project like this to such an exceptionally sensitive place," he said.
Voehl said flowing water from the Amargosa River passes underneath that project area, and drilling could disrupt the aquatic system that supports the endangered pupfish and other sensitive species.
"It was just so apparent standing next to Fairbanks Spring looking north, you know, we know groundwater is moving through here," Voehl said.
According to the Rover Critical Mineral's website, it submitted a new Plan of Operations for their project "Let's Go Lithium" to the Bureau of Land Management.
Rover Critical Minerals did not respond to Channel 13's request for a status update, but referred us to their website where it states the project size is over 8,000 acres.
In a statement to the Junior Mining Network, CEO Judson Culter said, "The plan was developed to ensure that there will be no impact to the critical water tables and sensitive biological resources in the Amargosa Basin."
This development coincides with mounting pressure from Voelh and others, including Nye County Commissioners, for a Mineral Withdrawal. If implemented by the federal government, it would prevent any new mining projects around the boundary of the refuge for up to 20 years.
