A neglected side of the Eastern Mission Flats repository debate has been the proximity to Cataldo Mission. It's Idaho's oldest standing building, where Coeur d'Alene Indians and black robed Jesuits built on a grassy knoll overlooking the Coeur d' Alene River.

They used waddle and daub---a 6,000 year old method where wooden strips are bound with mud---and a broad axe, ropes and pulley, and a makeshift whipsaw; parts of tin cans replicated chandeliers found in the cathedrals of Italy. No nails were used and construction was completed in 1853. A member of the Silver Valley Community Resource center is appealing to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in Washington, DC, for assistance.

You can read the letter after the jump for a better understanding of where they’re coming from on this issue.

John M. Fowler, Executive Director
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Old Post Office Building
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Suite 803

Washington, DC 20004
jfowler@achp.gov
202-606-8503

Dear Mr. Fowler;

The purpose of this letter is to ask for the Council's assistance with cultural resource concerns related to the National Historic Landmark property, Cataldo Mission, Idaho. A repository for toxic mining wastes is to be placed within historic view sheds and on grounds believed to contain important archaeological resources related to the Mission period and native interaction with Jesuit settlers. We find this to be an egregious compromise of the historic and archaeological values of this NHL, and believe that there have been procedural errors in the manner in which Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act has been conducted for this proposal.

Essentially affected citizens and a 23 year old, non-profit organization whose chief staff member grew up at the Old Mission and has been invested with the Superfund issues related to the area, learned of plans for the toxic site only by reading about them in a newspaper one morning in 2007. The plans are to dump more than 600,000 cubic yards of heavy metals, toxic mine waste, at a 20 acre site that runs parallel to Interstate 90 and will reach heights between 30 and 60 feet. As we state elsewhere, this toxic dump will be in proximity to the landmark, Mission of the Sacred Heart, the oldest standing building in Idaho. The toxic impoundment will likely further bury evidence of early, native activity as well as parts of the the Mullan, historic, military road. In addition, the area is in a well-documented floodplain and adjacent to a large wetland that draws moose, deer, elk, beaver, muskrat, blue heron, swans and Canada geese. More than 2000 individuals have signed petitions to oppose the site. A regional ten EPA agency and Idaho Department of Environmental Quality are leading the repository development. Local churches, affected citizens, elected officials and other environmental groups in the area, in accordance with the community involvement segment of CERCLA law, (the law that Superfund sites are governed by) are actively working to stop this assault on a national historic treasure and the environment. The SVCRC is working with Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to have a permanent moratorium of the site be declared.

We believe there is strong evidence showing that the State of Idaho/EPA did not adequately consider or consider at all, other sites within the region with far less potential to affect the sensitive historic and archaeological values of this honored property. Our information shows that only one site was pre-selected and that IDEQ/EPA in several public hearings, refused to disclose how this particular site was selected, their inventory of other suitable sites with little or no potential to affect cultural resources, and their overall method for selection with regard to minimizing harm to cultural resources. Pre-selecting a site with critical historical and cultural values without consideration of alternatives and the desires of potentially interested parties is a complete violation of the spirit and intent of Section 106. So also is the complete disregard of affected citizens and their health as it is documented in CERCLA EPA law.

The Idaho State Historic Preservation Office (IDSHPO) concurred with the IDEQ/EPA that the repository site posed no effect to the NHL. We further maintain that the SHPO failed its Section 106 responsibilities to request information about other alternative sites that were considered, and whether historic view sheds and archaeological deposits around the Mission could be affected.

Please note that in 2007, The National Trust for Historic Preservation on June 14 names the Minidoka Internment National Monument in Hunt, Jerome County, Idaho, to its "2007 List of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places". The listing was made due to the nearby location of an animal feedlot that sent offensive odors and flies in the direction of the monument, harming the public's experience and enjoyment of the site.

It is difficult to understand how a toxic dump located with view of the Old Mission NHL and upon potentially rich archaeological resources would pose any less damage to the public experience of this landmark. In fact, we believe the toxic impoundment, which will contain high levels of lead, poses a potential health risk to the Mission's visitors.

Because of the landmark status of this property, its prominence along the state's major north Interstate and strong visibility and tourist appeal, the highest standards of cultural resource review and protection should be applied. Ongoing construction of the repository and the IDSHPO's continued insistence that the action will pose no affect to the property show an abysmally low standard and neglect of the historic setting, relationship, view sheds and archaeological potential of one of the Pacific Northwest's most hallowed places.

We hope that you will be able to assist with this effort. For additional information or clarifications please contact me at 208-784-8891. Additional information can be found at www.silvervalleyaction.com.

Sincerely,

Dr. Bob Colonna, Ph.D

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