Legal · San Francisco, CA
Earthjustice
Counsel in the long-running litigation against the Rock Creek and Montanore mines proposed beneath the wilderness
698 staff + 33 volunteers81¢ of every dollar to the workFounded 1971
Stand · Find your defenders
Who’s defending the Cabinet Mountains?
21 groups have it in their care
Wilderness area in Montana, 94,272 acres, managed by the U.S. Forest Service, designated in 1964.
The defenders
The groups doing the most work here
5 groups are on the record for Cabinet Mountains, in the order they carry the weight. The range says how strongly our editors, the court dockets and their own filings tie each one here. Give directly; nothing routes through us.
On the ground
79–84% match
Watchdog · Washington, DC
Earthworks
Named plaintiff in the litigation over the copper-silver mine proposed beneath the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness
58 staff + 11 volunteers75¢ of every dollar to the workFounded 1988
Advocacy · Washington, DC
Defenders of Wildlife
Named plaintiff in the Rock Creek Mine case, which turned on threatened grizzly bears and bull trout
165 staff + 80 volunteers71¢ of every dollar to the workFounded 1947
Also in the fight
Advocacy · Oakland, CA
Sierra Club
Named plaintiff in the Rock Creek Mine litigation
10,895 volunteers81¢ of every dollar to the workFounded 1892
Legal · Tucson, AZ
Center for Biological Diversity
Named plaintiff in the Rock Creek Mine Endangered Species Act litigation
242 staff + 19 volunteers88¢ of every dollar to the workFounded 1989
18 more groups also work this ground
On the ground in Montana
Wild MontanaThey work only in MontanaGrassrootsMontana Conservation CorpsThey work only in MontanaStewardshipMontana Land RelianceThey work only in MontanaLand TrustFive Valleys Land TrustThey work only in MontanaLand TrustUpper Missouri Breaks AudubonThey work only in MontanaFriends GroupBob Marshall Wilderness FoundationThey work only in MontanaFriends Group
More ways in
Custer Gallatin Working GroupThey work only in MontanaFriends GroupWhitefish Legacy PartnersThey work only in MontanaRecreationGallatin Valley Land TrustThey work only in MontanaLand TrustGlacier InstituteThey work only in MontanaFriends GroupCottonwood Environmental Law CenterMontana is one of the 3 states they work inLegalVital Ground FoundationMontana is one of the 4 states they work inLand TrustPacific Northwest Trail AssociationMontana is one of the 3 states they work inTrailsSonoran InstituteMontana is one of the 4 states they work inCoalitionWestern Values ProjectBased in Helena, close to the groundWatchdogRocky Mountain Elk FoundationBased in Missoula, close to the groundAdvocacyGlacier National Park ConservancyThey work only in MontanaFriends GroupAdvocates for the WestWorking this regionLegal
The situation
What’s happening to Cabinet Mountains
One of the last places in the Lower 48 where grizzlies and bull trout share the same cold water. Hecla Mining wants to tunnel beneath the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness to reach 1.5 billion pounds of copper and 183 million ounces of silver. The Forest Service approved the exploration in October 2025 over the objections of scientists who warned the dewatering alone could drain the aquifer that feeds mountain streams. A coalition of conservation groups sued in March 2026, but the drills are already turning.
- 1964Designated as wilderness under the Wilderness Act
- 2025Hecla Mining announces plans to explore minerals beneath wilderness
- 2025Forest Service approves Libby Exploration Project
- 2026Conservation groups sue to block mining project
Conservation groups sue over rushed environmental review
Source: Flathead Beacon · March 31, 2026
Hecla Mining exploration approved beneath wilderness
Source: Montana Public Radio · October 8, 2025
No public comment window is open on Cabinet Mountains right now. A call script is ready on the Public Lands Action Network, and the groups above are how the fight gets funded and argued in the meantime.
In the courts
The cases over this place
The dockets we track that name Cabinet Mountains directly. Active first.
Your move
How to stand for the Cabinet Mountains
GiveGive to Earthjustice
Straight to their own donation page. Your dollar never passes through us.
Their donation page ↗SpeakCall your representativesA ready call script on Cabinet Mountains, plus any comment window as it opens.
Public Lands Action NetworkFollowWatch the mapEvery threatened place in the country, tracked, with who stands for each.
Threatened Lands MapCabinet Mountains has defenders. It needs more.
5 groups on the record, Earthjustice with 698 staff + 33 volunteers. That is who is holding it. Find your way in.