McDermitt Caldera

One of the most important expanses of intact sagebrush steppe in Oregon’s high desert, the McDermitt Caldera’s native forbs, bunchgrasses and shrubs are essential wildlife habitat. And, these public lands continue to sustain Indigenous peoples and communities whose lives, livelihoods, and traditions are inseparable from this place.

Remarkable Biodiversity

McDermitt Creek flows through the caldera, sustaining federally threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout and nourishing willow-lined streams that carve the landscape and nurture an abundance of life. These remarkably biodiverse public lands are recognized as some of the most important greater sage-grouse habitat in the West. The caldera also provides important habitat for mule deer, pronghorn, California bighorn sheep, pygmy rabbit, golden eagle and countless others.

Cultural Significance

The McDermitt Caldera lies within traditional lands of many Tribal Nations, including the Burns Paiute Tribe, Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes, the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Indigenous peoples have lived in and around the McDermitt Caldera since time immemorial, relying on the landscape’s hunting and fishing grounds, first foods, and water resources. The caldera is integral to Tribal identity and lifeways and remains sacred and vitally important to Tribes today.

Oregon Natural Desert Association has been tracking mining threats to the McDermitt Caldera for years. Working with key partners that include Indigenous-led and environmental justice organizations, we are steadfast in our commitment to defend the essential desert wildlife, habitat, and cultural resources of these public lands. Our work to protect the caldera includes co-leading the coalition of Tribal, local and regional communities opposing mining proposals, engaging in state and federal decision-making and permitting, and community organizing and advocacy.

Mining in the Caldera

A recent federal decision approved expanded mineral exploration in the McDermitt Caldera, paving the way for what could become the largest mine in Oregon. This decision opens the door to extensive industrial disturbance across thousands of acres and sets a troubling precedent for the future of desert public lands.

Even mineral exploration can cause lasting damage. Long before a mine is constructed, exploratory drilling fragments habitat, disrupts sensitive species, and scars fragile soils that take centuries to recover. Dozens of miles of new roads will be carved across sagebrush terrain to reach every corner of a mining claim, creating pathways for invasive species and long-term degradation.

Industrial-scale mining development in McDermitt Caldera will eliminate, fragment and degrade sagebrush grasslands that are a refuge for countless species of flora and fauna. Mines will destroy culturally significant sites, block access to hunting and gathering grounds, and poison groundwater with sulfuric acid and other chemicals used in mining operations.

Of the three corporations with mining claims on public lands in Oregon’s McDermitt Caldera, the largest claim is held by Jindalee Lithium Limited, a multinational corporation that has already drilled more than 60 exploratory holes on public lands in the caldera. And now, the federal government has given the green light to a plan that allows Jindalee to expand operations, including:

• Irreversibly degrading up to 7,200 acres of public lands in Oregon’s high desert
• Pumping up to 18,000 gallons of groundwater per day
• Drilling 168 holes, each roughly 8 feet wide and over 600 feet deep
• Building over 21 miles of new roads

This project will cause irreparable harm to Oregon’s McDermitt Caldera. But, it’s not too late! Get involved in efforts to oppose industrial mining on Oregon’s most important desert public lands.