I wonder if there's just not any economically profitable locatable/leasable mineral deposits in your part of Idaho???
There's quite a bit of mining on federally administered land in Wyoming. Oil and gas, coal, trona, phosphates, etc. Its mainly on BLM administered land, though the FS has some too. They both get hit hard with greenie lawsuits, but the mining does occur.
Actually the area I live in is mineral rich - gold, silver, molybdenum, cobalt, all in great quantities, it is what this part of the state was built on. The biggest problem is twofold, one being that the Forest Service and BLM are staffed by folks with Greenie leanings. The second is that any decision made in favor of mining, logging, grazing, is court challenged by one or multiple Greenie organizations with deep pockets.
They know which judges are likely to go along with their Green agenda and they court shop to be sure to get one of them, even if it is challenged up to the Federal District Court level it goes to the Ninth District Court which is the most liberal in the country and cases are usually upheld in favor of the Greenies.
It is a sad situation but nothing would change even if it was State owned land, it would still be challenged by the same organizations and go to the same judges.
I am for multiple use such as the Forest Service was originally set up to administer. I certainly do not want to see clear-cut logging, and polluted streams but there is a middle ground and that is controlled use of resources, not just shutting everything down.
drover
