Matt Nykiel of the Idaho Conservation League explained “What You Need to Know About Mining on Public Lands in Idaho” at the League of Women Voters of Moscow forum on  Wednesday (Oct. 30) in the Arts Workshop of the Moscow 1912 Community Center.

Some, but not all, mining provides critical components in the tools we use in everyday life, but it comes at a cost that, as consumers, we often do not bear or are unaware of. This presentation summarized some of the historical and present-day mining issues in Idaho and described how ICL evaluates new mining proposals. 

Nykeil is a conservation associate with ICL working to protect water quality and advocating to end fossil fuel use in Idaho's Panhandle. He earned his law degree in Colorado shortly before he accepted a position in ICL's Sandpoint field office.