Share this article Photo credit: Dreamstime Thacker Pass, which is located in Humboldt County in northern Nevada, is soon to be the home of an open-pit lithium mine. Located within the McDermitt Caldera, this mine stands to be one of the largest deposits of lithium in the United States. It was passed as a final directive of the Trump Administration. On Dec. 4, 2020, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released their final environmental impact statement that resulted in the approval of the mine, stating that the proposed plan for the mine “...is not anticipated to affect any threatened or endangered species or significant scientific, cultural, or historical resources, as these resources are either not present or the effect will be mitigated.” Located in the Nevada Department of Wildlife’s (NDOW) Game Management Unit 031, the area is home to antelope, California bighorn sheep, mule deer and sage grouse. Opponents of the mine fear the impacts to the fish and wildlife that live within the confines of the lithium mine, which include disruption of migrations routes, habitat loss and more than 15,000 acres of public land closed off to the public.