Snow geese deaths from mine pit number in the thousands

Several thousand snow geese died after a snowstorm forced tens of thousands of the migratory birds to take refuge in the acidic, metal-laden waters of an old open pit mine in Montana last week. But the toll could have been much worse, said Mark Thompson, environmental affairs manager for mine company Montana Resources. Along with the Atlantic Richfield Co., Montana Resources is responsible for Berkeley Pit, a Superfund site in Butte. Witnesses said the pit looked like “700 acres of white birds,” on Nov. 28, Thompson said Tuesday. Since then, employees of MR and Arco have used spotlights, noise makers and other efforts to haze the birds off the water and try to prevent others from landing. The companies estimate that over 90 percent of the birds were chased off by the morning of Nov. 29, Thompson said...more