While Nevada was once known for its rich deposits of silver and gold, it is now home to what is being called “The White Gold Rush,” as lithium deposits prove more expansive than ever expected. But building large-scale mining projects in the United States does not come without opposition.
The Ioneer Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron project in Esmeralda County is no exception. Environmental assessments discovered two rare species in the area, becoming the driving force behind much of the project’s opposition, led by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD).
First, the tui chub. In a remote high-desert farming region about 230 miles northwest of Las Vegas lives a tiny fish only a few inches long that belongs to the minnow family. The tui chub of Fish Lake Valley isn’t found anywhere else in the world. Scientists and environmental groups say it is important to protect, since it lives only in a few Nevada springs and wetlands, including Lida Pond and McKnett Spring, not far from the proposed mining site.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) species-status assessment, Nevada Department of Wildlife mark-recapture surveys at McNett Ranch in Fish Lake Valley counted tui chub populations of 3,278 in 2002, 2,210 in 2005, and 2,143 in 2021. The Endangered Species Act says a species can be listed as endangered if it is found to be “in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” The assessment concluded that the tui chub’s limited habitat leaves it vulnerable. NDOW recently listed the tui chub as a “Species of Greatest Conservation Need,” though it is not classified as endangered or threatened.
Just across the valley, CBD raised another concern — a rare desert plant called Tiehm’s buckwheat, which paused development of the Ioneer mine during permitting. The buckwheat grows only near the mine site. According to USFWS, it overlaps about 10 acres within the 7,000-acre mine development area, and the agency has designated 910 acres as “critical habitat.” The Center worries that mining would destroy the buckwheat. In 2022, USFWS listed the flower as endangered, causing a redesign of the mine layout. Similarly, the tui chub designation may lead Ioneer to make further adjustments or even impact construction, especially if it is listed as endangered.
Protecting the tui chub and Tiehm’s buckwheat may change how locals run their farms and ranches, as well as the mine’s efficiency and productivity. In both cases, rare species are shaping what people can do with the land and affecting the region’s two most important industries: agriculture and mining.
CBD believes the mine would require large amounts of water, pumping roughly 2,500 gallons per minute from Fish Lake Valley. They warn that this could further deplete the tui chub’s limited habitat. Ioneer, however, has developed processes it says will use less water than nearby ranches.
Legal action has played a key role. In 2023, CBD filed a lawsuit against USFWS for failing to protect the tui chub under the Endangered Species Act. In a 2022 press release titled Lawsuit Launched to Protect Rare Nevada Fish, CBD said much of the groundwater pumping in Fish Lake Valley is done primarily to grow alfalfa and argued that the state has failed to correct severe over-pumping.
For the people who live in Fish Lake Valley, these issues are of no small concern. Farmers and ranchers have been there for generations, using these springs for their crops, cattle, and families. In the desert, water means survival. Locals argue they have never intended to harm the tui chub — “we’ve lived alongside them for decades” — but they feel caught in the middle when regulations roll in. Some locals have protested by putting up signs in stores and public areas. The signs read, “Esmeralda County is staring down the barrel of extinction” or “Tell the Fish and Wildlife Service that we matter too.”
Getting a species listed under the Endangered Species Act is not immediate — it follows a layered process that can take years. In the case of the tui chub, the push began when CBD filed a petition and later a lawsuit urging federal officials to act. That set in motion a formal review by USFWS, which gathered decades of population surveys, habitat data, and scientific studies. Once the agency determined the risks were serious enough, it issued a proposed rule, opening a period for public comments.
As of May 2025, USFWS has proposed listing the Fish Lake Valley tui chub as endangered. The agency determined the fish is at risk of extinction due to habitat loss from groundwater pumping, climate pressures, and invasive species. The proposal is a key step in the legal battle, but a final decision has not yet been issued. Until then, the tui chub remains a candidate for protection.
The Ioneer Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron project construction is not yet underway, and the mine site has had no direct impact on the tui chub, buckwheat population, or groundwater. Ioneer reports investing millions in studying Tiehm’s buckwheat and working to protect both it and the tui chub. The company states that it has also invested years in working with the community to ensure the project will have a positive economic impact while protecting the environment, water, and way of life that have sustained Nevada tribes, farmers, and ranchers for generations.
The jury is still out on whether CBD lawsuits will further impact Ioneer or residents of Fish Lake Valley. One thing is certain, however: residents feel the debate has shifted away from local voices, leaving them caught between meeting their own water needs and navigating federal proposals.
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