I couldn't find a way to mention this in the video but: next door to the pit, there's still an active copper mine! Of course, they're being a bit more careful with the environment there.
hey tom! i love your videos. you’re one of the most talented creators of the modern age, maybe throughout the history of film. your amazing places series is going to inform a generation.
I know that sulfuric acid is used in a lot of different industries. You'd think that one of those industries could set up shot in this town and tap that resource until it's no longer an issue. Cheap, ready to use acid for all your industrial needs.
@@SpiderTalon an AR15 isnt an assault rifle. assault rifles are select fire meaning they can fire in full auto. i know you were joking, but terms matter
"Sir, why do you need TWO semi-automatic rifles at a bird sanctuary?" "For when you absolutely, positively have to scare off 30-50 geese in 3-5 minutes."
@@kevinmoore4887 They look like they're in 7,62×51 mm (.308), so that would be an AR-10 clone. Also, 5,56×45 (.223) is relatively high-powered, but then every rifle, save .22's and specialised varmint rifles, is relatively high powered, so labelling a 5,56 "high powered" would be too much. Other than that, I agree, saving birds is more useful to the general good than sport. Everyone needs a hobby, though, don't they?
@@vaclav_fejt Looking at the mag wells, looks like a 308 (7.62) and a 223 (5.56). Someone said one rifle is a Ruger Precision bolt rifle (308 on left.) Looks like an AR15 style on the right.
You know what's funny it's toxic due to copper and these guys are firing copper and lead rounds into it making it even more toxic that's some low IQ right there
Thank you for bringing awareness to this! I've called Montana home for my whole life and it still astounds me that Butte residents are proud of this thing. My father worked for 30 years trying to clean up mining waste across the state and it is an uphill battle. People often refuse to believe how bad these contaminants actually are and so actions that need to be taken are not. Awareness and education is key.
Butte citzens really aren't proud they view it as a fault of the company that owned the pit before closing. This was really a story of bone headedness and greed. It's like watching a freak show you dont go for the best intentions you go to see something bizarre.
@LICKHER&STICKHERINTHEPINK &OTHERPLACES yes, but the copper mining company in question is leaving near permanent damage to the ecosystem. Normal copper mining, plastic production, and metal production leaves temporary damage to the ecosystem, as long as something is done about it. Now to your credit, 99% of the time nothing is done about it but atleast there is an option to fix it. The copper mining in montana is bad because all the work done to help it can only prevent it from becoming worse, not actually stopping the issue at hand.
Hugo 57k OR duct tape them to chairs and force them to learn. I included duct tape for a reason. Becides, if you kill all the stupid kids, then 100% of kids population will be smart.
00justSomeAccount00 theyre not getting guns theyre making nuclear warheads and attempting to hold the world hostage. We can easily deal with them making AK’s, not so much for WMD’s.
@@harrietriddle2197 I love this pun. I didn't even know until I checked but it's the most pure form of pun. For those who don't understand: vitriol /ˈvɪtrɪəl/ noun 1. bitter criticism or malice. "her mother's sudden gush of fury and vitriol" 2. ARCHAIC•LITERARY sulphuric acid. "it was as if his words were spraying vitriol on her face"
There were several studies done that showed charging admission increased the number of visitors and as well as improving the behavior of those visitors vs a open to all or "honor" system. Weird people will pay to behave but if it's free they tend o be more destructive. Humans are strange.
I'd imagine it's the psychology of it being a privileged, not a right. If you have to pay to use it, it's not yours and can be taken away. If you can just waltz in there, it's public property and you have a right to be in there.
Person 1: This pool is toxic, nobody will ever come here. Person 2: Charge people $3 to go to it, the illusion of an affordable attraction entices people who otherwise wouldn’t care.
I live in Idaho, and during a school trip down to Yellowstone we stopped here. It's quite the experience hearing the little jolly voiceover from the speakers talking happily about this disgusting pit while you stand there in horror.
I know I'm nearly two years two late, but have lived in a village outside Butte for most my life, my high school chem teacher used to be the head chemist at the berkeley pit, and my grandfather used to be a miner ther.; I just think its really neat that you stopped by our weird town, and the horrible historical scar in it we created, so thanks for having it on your show. Also, you should research the anaconda smelting tower, its one of the worlds largest freestanding stonemasonry structures and it is in the next town over; could be an interesting sight if you ever visit the area again.
Never heard a Montanan describe their origin as a village, so I'm curious where you're from. I'd also say "we" didn't create the pit, it was rich industrialists making bad decisions they couldn't fix decades ago. I know you didn't mean anything by using "we" but it is an important distinction.
@@SuperCatman "We" is more accurate. The "rich industrialists" were providing capital to produce an important material we all need and use, and were providing jobs as well. Everyone was involved, from the industrialists all the way down to the consumer.
@@raydunakin @raydunakin no, sorry, I don't agree. environmental destruction was a decision made by rich industrialists. the workers followed their plans because the alternative was sleeping on the streets. the consumers would not have generally known what went into it (and the vast majority was shipped out of Montana, the subject here, anyway), so I cannot blame Montanans for this. participating in the economic system that objectively exists is not an endorsement of it.
My town in Northern Illinois has an old house that has storage rooms and hidey-holes from the underground railroad era. We had to tell several Chicago tourism companies to stop sending tourists out here because a.) we didn't have the hotel infrastructure at the time (and this was pre AirB&B) and b.) somebody lived at the house in question, which made for awkward conversations of "No, you cannot tour my house, scaring my entire family" The St.Charles area has a lot of really neat history Between the McCormick, Norris, and Baker families, but no, these companies wanted to see some stone walls where former slaves fleeing the south would hide when southern hunters would come knocking. That said, look up the McCormick b17 story, it's hilarious.
I wonder... If you got enough old coins from the US Mint, could you actually generate enough power to run the water treatment plant? Now that would be *BIG BRAIN.*
@@b_mb4948 The power generation is more effective the smaller the distance between the plates, but that's not even the problem, beside having to somehow manage howevermany thousands or even tens of thousands of metal plates in open water you would also have to ignore the fact that the acid is leeching even MORE metals into the water!
4:30 to be clear... You don't need admission to see the pit. The fee is for the little area that overlooks the pit with little facts and such there. You can absolutely see the pit for free.
Went to high school in Bozeman and every time we played Butte in football we would chant “dirty water!” Across the field to them on account of the disgusting Berkeley Pit. This tradition has existed since the beginning of time as far as I know
I went to this mine several times when it was operating, there was a platform where you could pay a small fee and look down into the pit while they were mining . Possibly the same platform that you now pay to look over the polluted mess. The massive trucks that would move the ore looked smaller than a match box toy when they were at the bottom, and when I stood next to one of the trucks the top of my head did not even reach the axel. Hopefully you also took the opportunity to visit the Anaconda smelter stack while you were there. The pit and the stack histories go hand in hand and both are impressive. The drop in acidity that the worker mentioned from 2.2 Ph to 4.1 Ph was caused by an experiment in trying to recover copper from the water. As you mentioned the iron pyrite forms sulfuric acid which reacts with copper ore to form water soluble copper sulfate. They would pump out water from the pit into large holding tanks and add a pile of iron scrap metal. The iron would replace the copper and after draining the tank they could pick up copper nuggets deposited in the process. The solution of now iron sulfate was just pumped back into pit where it reacted with the polluted water and precipitated to the bottom of the pit in various forms of iron minerals. This process removed a large amount of sulfate ions from the pit water thus lowering the acidity, they have concerns that some types of water treatments to lower the acidity could react with the precipitate and inadvertently cause the water to become more acidic.
This actually makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately this was caused by not foreseeing the full set of falling dominos caused by different mining operations and not knowing/ not testing all the different minerals in the hill. It's easy to make the same mistake trying to correct the toxic pit that still contains unknown contaminants. It's a shame and further chemical testing of the water may yield some information for possible routes of correction, but the silt contaminates are hard to properly measure.
@@FOLIPE yes but it still goes into their pocket and it's a muddy area because in many cases money like this goes to pay above-market wages, usually to "management" or the owner of the business.
I don't see what's so bad about charging people $3 too see it. Let's be serious if they didn't let people in in a controlled manner some stupid people would just sneak in plus the money can help prevent it from getting worse. As long as they don't start charging extra and begin maintaining it ;) I say good for them
@@UAVwaffle PLus I'm guessing that much of the money goes towards purification efforts, and because America, the price tag brings people in because it's not worth seeing if it's free
"Wait... but you just said you shoot AT birds so that they don't die?" "Correct" "But doesn't shooting the birds kill them?" "No no, you see I shoot AT the birds, not AT the birds." "O_O that doesn't make any sense"
For those interested, a pH of 2 is essentially lemon juice. it would be irritating quickly if you were swimming in it and it can definitely dissolve calcium carbonate. but that is not instant skin-melting stuff either.
Someone found a way to charge the US government a small fortune for setting up a company to run the guard shack. When the government denied, they got the animal welfare groups to put pressure on them. Of course, i'm just guessing here.
There was a lot of pressure once an entire flock of migrating geese mistook it for a lake and decided to take a break there. After the geese melted, they had to start doing something.
You're wrong. If you actually look at the facts, you will realize that you're not even close. I hate you for not able to grasp the reality and you suck for being wrong
This is my hometown.!! Also F.Y.I. about two holes open up per year as parts of those 10,000 miles of tunnels collapse in uptown Butte. I hope you enjoyed Butte!! This video made my day! Thank you!
@@piguyalamode164 I don't if this actually possible, but I'm doing educated guessing. You could do chemical reactions to try to get the copper out (like Cody's Lab does) or you may be able to do electrolysis and get the copper to stick onto something.
And once it and everything around it was too toxic to touch, they just packed up their bags full of money and left, likely giving the middle finger to anyone left in their wake.
Tes you can remove the copper from the water using electrolysis. Same with other metals washing into the water. The question is, why not find the source of the water and blow the tunnels capping off the water flow. They could then drain the remaining water and blow the remaining tunnels forever sealing the metals from ever reaching the surface again. Those metals have been in the ground for centuries why not just cap it all off. They could even pump concrete into the tunnel entrances stopping the water. but no.
Yep. Odds are they use the cheapest ammo they can get since little precision is needed which means that when aiming at a spot ~18" in front of the bird with bullet that could have a +- 24" variance off ideal at 500+ yards means there is a small percentage of shots that will hit one. That and some birds are just old and or weak and will die there of natural causes regardless.
So you're telling me there's thousands of miles of abandoned mine shafts at least partially flooded with acid and bird corpses? That's both a truly metal idea for a video game level and my ideal summer home.
This is so surreal, I live in montana and love watching your videos. I've been to the berkeley pit a couple times standing where you were standing in the video. And to think that you were so geographical close to me is really cool. Thanks for making this video to raise awareness about these kind of places. Much love and appreciation from Montana. ❤️
What about the other place Tom did which had the pH of bleach/ammonia? What would happen if you mix those together hmmm 🤔 (I’ll probably go check it after and then brush up on my chemistry knowledge...)
Part of our family worked there as well. I had uncles that worked at the pit. Great paying jobs and dangerous. My dad would fix the tires on those huge monster dump trucks. There was a viewing platform even back in the 70s where you could look below and see the trucks working below and see how deep it was. It shocked me on a return visit a few years ago to see it filled with water. Maybe open pit mining wasn’t the best way to do things but it was a grand sight to see when it was still a massive functioning pit.
I-115 is among the shortest, but it's only the fourth shortest signed Interstate and sixth shortest counting unsigned routes. I-110 in El Paso, TX is the shortest signed, and the unsigned I-878 is the shortest overall, officially designated on a short piece of freeway near the JFK Airport that was supposed to be extended.
@00justSomeAccount00 you are a bright one, shooting directly at then is a whole lot worse; but, they weren't shooting at them, they were shooting very close to them, which I assume is only reliably or not at all by the person they find unreliable. That modern bird deterrent doesn't work all the time, so it is essential that they employ what is the only alternative to a bird being eaten alive by acid because some birds don't care about that modern deterrent going off.
Welcome to my hometown! You'd be interested in the Yankee Doodle Tailings Pond right above the pit as well, they still hall tailings the (owned by MRI) while the Berkeley Pit is owned by ARCO BP. It's a fascinating problem if you look past the destruction. Also for firing guns to scare birds, they found very little success with other deterrents.
So... you're telling me that while the town struggles to deal with a mile-wide toxic acid pit, meanwhile MRI is still dumping sludge in an open pond, in a place that may as well just be pouring straight into the pit? That's even more insane than almost shooting birds.
i grew up in an iron mining town in western australia! the major open mine in the area is still active and pumping out water faster than it can fill up but i remember being taught that once abandoned and filled with water it would become toxic. really cool to learn about something very similar
"So, what should we do about these birds landin--" Americans: "Guns." "Surely there are some alarm bells or scarecrows or --" Americans: "High powered rifle gunnnn"
@@Satori079 exactly its cheap and effective and so what if it just happens to be fun. there is no rule saying you can't have fun while protecting the wildlife. I just like the fact that they are using guns to protect the wildlife and is a nice bit of irony. also they will be absolutely fine if the contaminated water suddenly starts a zombie outbreak in the nearby town.
@Tommi Nummelin What do you think the timer’d propane cannons are, if not alarm bells and a scarecrow in one. It’s a Fricken mile wide, what would you have done?
Mt Morgan, Queensland, Australia, has a pit much like this one. It is a former open pit gold mine. As the mine aged, gold processing waste began to be pumped into the pit. Nowadays the pit (a mile deep) is full of toxic waste that has at times leaked into the nearby river making it uninhabitable for wildlife. And yes, birds die if they land on or attempt to drink the water.
tom has 2 videos on giant lakes in pits that used to be mines, one incredibly acidic, and one incredibly basic. the basic one has a few idiots per year who figure out why swimming there is a bad idea, the acid one has an admission fee.
“Now remember Bob you aren’t shooting the birds you are shooting near them.” “But they look so delicious!” Obviously those workers would care about birds but this is reminding me of that Onion skit where archers have to train explicitly on how to not shoot spectators because the instinct is simply too powerful.
@@MissEwe Oh, nononono, I just thought you meant it seriously. I've spent the better part of the last couple months trying to combat covid deniers so I've just started to assume that everyone's trying to mess with me.
I've been here! Naturally, the gift shop was selling copper items. I considered buying a copper glass to make Moscow Mules, but fortunately I found out that unless the glass has a tin lining inside (this one didn't), the copper can leach into your drink and poison you. What better souvenir to bring home from Butte than metal poisoning?
@@psirvent8 i think its due to the alcohol reacting with copper to leech it out of the cup. So unless your pipes are full of vodka, you should be fine.
Hey Tom, here in germany we have the Hambacher Forst. It is the last bit of forrest being defended by the local population - over the last few decades massive areas were destroyed and turned into vast coal mining operations, all caused by the energy giant "RWE". Whole neighbourhoods had to move, even though they recieved good compensation they were forced to. Since last year that last bit of forrest has been occupied by left activists, stopping RWE from further destroying the environment. This topic has recieved lots of publicity here in germany, caused a massive debate & support and might be worth digging into (pun intended).
KotSR maybe Germany shouldn't have virtue signaled about becoming an "all renewable nation" and decommissioning every single nuclear power plant by 2022. Since so called renewable sources have not been able to make up the difference from the decommissioned nuclear plants, Germany has relied on coal and natural gas to make up the difference.
@@JonnyRicter That is not entirely true. Yes, that goal very likely won't be met. But there are programs being rolled out into laws right now that will tax CO2 emissions, which fully redistributes back to society. When an individual and/or company uses CO2, you pay taxes on it. But no ordinary taxes, these all go into one big money pot. At the end of the year, households that used less than the average get money paid from that pot depnding on how low the emissions have been. This will cause companies to produce more energy efficient, because it is cheaper. It also only punishes those that cause the biggest damages and rewards those who do less. Over time, all households will use less energy because it is profitable. This system will be enrolled soon and presents a good approach. Apart from that, renewable energy projects are on the rise. We are not as advanced as for example the netherlands, but we are also not the only ones behind. Due to recent public uproars regarding the energy politics, germany shifts to be greener.
KotSR ah, carbon credits/taxes...a leftists pipe dream. It's been implemented in many places across the globe, except I don't think it's been implemented in a nation that is an industrial powerhouse like Germany. You do realize that the factories in Germany, which produces some of the worlds finest products, are going to be the largest consumers of CO2 and that they will pay the ridiculous tax ( or the large companies most likely will receive an exception due to their powerful political influence) and will merely pass the cost onto the German (and global) consumer. But let's tax everyone for CO2, while closing down an efficient power source that produces absolutely no emissions, nuclear fission.
@@JonnyRicter In the long term products wont increase in price because the price for energy won't significantly increase by switching to green energy (look at sweden/netherlands). I agree on your fission point though, also an alternative. Those who do have big CO2 output will optimize their production pipeline to be greener, since that is more profitable. In the end it is wealth redistribution based on a panalty factor that undermines destructive behaviour. I take that. No need to slap a "liftists" label on that approach, since it is about the only approach that seems resonable - why demonize it? Any alternatives?
I live in Montana. I avoid Butte at all costs except for one scenario. St. Patrick's Day. 364 days a year it's a fuckin' miserable place and one magical day per year it's the best party west of the Mississippi.
Not quite. The acidity can be brought down. The real issue is in all the other toxic materials. There are bugs that thrive in that kind of environment and work to 'fix' the toxic stuff so that it can be reduced to sludge and then dry powder that can be disposed of. We were using that process back in the 70s in industrial quantities. The process itself goes back further than that even. I suspect we are looking at a lack of political will in this case as well as a reluctance to spend money.
We actually get fed funds for the treatment. We'd also still be mining if the environmentalists just stayed in California. We'd also still have saw mills in the treasure state.
"how do we keep these birds alive, Bob" "we gotta scare them away from landing in the pond" "alright should we throw rocks at them? Maybe yell?" "nah" *grabs AR-15*
I couldn't find a way to mention this in the video but: next door to the pit, there's still an active copper mine! Of course, they're being a bit more careful with the environment there.
Why does this say this comment was posted a month ago? I saw this on another video too.
Because they are still mining, no doubt.
Video upload today, this comment is from last month. What gives?
hey tom! i love your videos. you’re one of the most talented creators of the modern age, maybe throughout the history of film. your amazing places series is going to inform a generation.
I know that sulfuric acid is used in a lot of different industries. You'd think that one of those industries could set up shot in this town and tap that resource until it's no longer an issue. Cheap, ready to use acid for all your industrial needs.
"So what's your job?"
"I am a professonial scarecrow for a toxic pit"
I feel like people would think you were a bouncer at a particularly nasty bar, until you explained.
Honestly a dream job
so... a Facebook comment moderator
my tools are explosives and assault rifles..
@@SpiderTalon an AR15 isnt an assault rifle. assault rifles are select fire meaning they can fire in full auto. i know you were joking, but terms matter
"Sir, why do you need TWO semi-automatic rifles at a bird sanctuary?"
"For when you absolutely, positively have to scare off 30-50 geese in 3-5 minutes."
AR-15 rifles being put to good use.
@TATTOO VAMPIRE1966 what is it referencing?
@@kevinmoore4887 They look like they're in 7,62×51 mm (.308), so that would be an AR-10 clone. Also, 5,56×45 (.223) is relatively high-powered, but then every rifle, save .22's and specialised varmint rifles, is relatively high powered, so labelling a 5,56 "high powered" would be too much.
Other than that, I agree, saving birds is more useful to the general good than sport. Everyone needs a hobby, though, don't they?
In all reality most likely it's for constant coverage. The gun has to be cleaned at some point. That and really big flocks...
@@vaclav_fejt Looking at the mag wells, looks like a 308 (7.62) and a 223 (5.56). Someone said one rifle is a Ruger Precision bolt rifle (308 on left.) Looks like an AR15 style on the right.
“What do you do for a living?”
“I don’t shoot birds.”
"Cool, uh... me neither?"
@@Saucy-ws6jc and then you would get fired after 2 days because there are plenty of people capable of that task.
For REAL!!
@@Saucy-ws6jc Hey, there's no bullets in Skyrim...
I’d love that job.
Surprisingly I'd imagine a 5.56mm high velocity round hitting the water nearby where I was swimming would motivate me to leave too.
You know what's funny it's toxic due to copper and these guys are firing copper and lead rounds into it making it even more toxic that's some low IQ right there
Looks like they were using an ar-10 so more likely it was the much larger .308 or even a 6.5 creedmor.
@@TheFish711 I'm not sure upping the caliber would up my motivation.
@@bigolmemoryhole6944 harder bullet harder dip
@@bigolmemoryhole6944 what if we up it to tankshell size?
So, where do I apply for the "Shooting high powered rifles close to birds for their own good" job?
What a dream job, birdwatching and occasionally shooting rifles all day.
At that pit homie
I know right?? Sounds great haha
Exactly,sweet ass guns,no one on your ass,and you're actually helping animals not killing them. Perfect job,bet it pays well.
@@northide8785 Sounds fun but boring
Very bold of him to say “Tourists will go anywhere” with all those tourists around
And UA-camrs will watch anything
Most people live here. If you ever come to butte do an underground mine tour
As a tourist, I agree with sentence "tourist will go anywhere"
tourists are a different species of human
source: i live in a tourist area
Those tourists are a dangerous breed, I'm surprised they didn't rip him apart for saying that.
"Caution: Cannon on Timer" is a sign you don't see every day.
Wonder how often the automated cannon hits birds...
@@Kaotiqua it does not shoot any projectils - it is only the "kapow"-sound that comes out of it, far as i understand
@@rumpelpumpel7687 ye they’re just air cannons, they have the same thing on crop farms
The warning sign is probably there cause a shockwave like that is harmful if you are standing in front of it
I want the same sign for my front door
Thank you for bringing awareness to this! I've called Montana home for my whole life and it still astounds me that Butte residents are proud of this thing. My father worked for 30 years trying to clean up mining waste across the state and it is an uphill battle. People often refuse to believe how bad these contaminants actually are and so actions that need to be taken are not. Awareness and education is key.
Butte VS everyone
Butte citzens really aren't proud they view it as a fault of the company that owned the pit before closing. This was really a story of bone headedness and greed. It's like watching a freak show you dont go for the best intentions you go to see something bizarre.
I am just wondering, how does this affect the rain in Butte Montana? Does the rain gets toxic there as well?
@LICKHER&STICKHERINTHEPINK &OTHERPLACES yes, but the copper mining company in question is leaving near permanent damage to the ecosystem. Normal copper mining, plastic production, and metal production leaves temporary damage to the ecosystem, as long as something is done about it. Now to your credit, 99% of the time nothing is done about it but atleast there is an option to fix it. The copper mining in montana is bad because all the work done to help it can only prevent it from becoming worse, not actually stopping the issue at hand.
@LICKHER&STICKHERINTHEPINK &OTHERPLACES So we shouldn't do anything to prevent it? Even though we can?
"What d'you do with this gun?"
"Protecting birds"
"... by shooting toward hunters?"
"By shooting toward birds"
Guns solve every problem. That and duct tape.
@@StolasXB "oh the kids are bad at math? Just shoot them lmao"
Hugo 57k OR duct tape them to chairs and force them to learn. I included duct tape for a reason. Becides, if you kill all the stupid kids, then 100% of kids population will be smart.
00justSomeAccount00 theyre not getting guns theyre making nuclear warheads and attempting to hold the world hostage. We can easily deal with them making AK’s, not so much for WMD’s.
PepiOnLine Oh no, a random person on the internet doesnt like me? so sad.
"The Mile wide, incredibly toxic pit" - but enough about Twitter.
Truth!
I thought it was the League of Legends community =x
Amusingly, both are toxic for the same reason, in that they're full of various vitriols.
@@harrietriddle2197 I love this pun. I didn't even know until I checked but it's the most pure form of pun.
For those who don't understand:
vitriol
/ˈvɪtrɪəl/
noun
1.
bitter criticism or malice.
"her mother's sudden gush of fury and vitriol"
2.
ARCHAIC•LITERARY
sulphuric acid.
"it was as if his words were spraying vitriol on her face"
See also Tinder.
There were several studies done that showed charging admission increased the number of visitors and as well as improving the behavior of those visitors vs a open to all or "honor" system. Weird people will pay to behave but if it's free they tend o be more destructive. Humans are strange.
where there is the illusion of order, people will naturally adhere to that order
Maybe make the entrance free then so tourists will destroy the toxic pit that nobody wants to exist anyway 🤔
@@nadyarek ok how exactly do you expect tourist’s to fix that…
I think it has more to do with the quality of the people willing to pay vs ones entering for free than the psychology of paying for something
I'd imagine it's the psychology of it being a privileged, not a right. If you have to pay to use it, it's not yours and can be taken away. If you can just waltz in there, it's public property and you have a right to be in there.
I’m American and honestly when you said it was $3 I was shocked at how cheap it was. Fully expected $12-$21 and was still ready to go check it out.
So what do you do for a living?
"I almost shoot birds."
Someone beat you to this comment. Try something a little more original next time.
@ Jedian who are you the UA-cam police
@@du4lstrik3 I almost make original comments.
That would be a great job, for like a week.
Jedian
Alright UA-cam police, don’t got anything better to do?
Person 1: This pool is toxic, nobody will ever come here.
Person 2: Charge people $3 to go to it, the illusion of an affordable attraction entices people who otherwise wouldn’t care.
@@abigailr1207 That water isn't clear, its tinted a dull green, you can't see in
@@writwits5826 Looks like any other lake I've been to that isn't toxic. Or at the very least it is hard to tell by visual inspection.
I think that probably a better indicator is if you can see any plant life or wildlife in the lake in general. No fish and birds? That's a bad sign!
3 dollars is probably just enough to deter rabble-rousers, more so than some signs would I bet
There just forgot to punp the water.
I live in Idaho, and during a school trip down to Yellowstone we stopped here. It's quite the experience hearing the little jolly voiceover from the speakers talking happily about this disgusting pit while you stand there in horror.
Explain to me what drugs your admins were on to make you take a 2 hour detour to see that?
We have had an alkaline lake.
We have had an acidic lake.
So tom, when shall you visit a perfectly neutral lake?
I believe Creater Lake is the quintisential lake for water quality...I think.
People bring this comment to the top
"The most neutral lake in the world". Get on it Tom, the people have spoken!
Connect them with two canals!
@@SimonClarkstone Surely just one canal would do?
Scaring birds away by shooting a lake with high-powered rifles is the most American form of wildlife conservation
Seriously...
Super Smash Dolls well it works
God bless
This comment makes no sense on any level. I cannot tell if you are being serious...perhaps that is the point.
@@geraldhenrickson7472 What
Well at least it's not a load of arsenic dust that could kill everyone on the planet, this time
*This comment posted by macro #1763901*
Just scrolling down the comments far enough meeting you randomly :D
How many buttons did you press to type this?
Actually there is a lot of arsenic in the water and a lot more in the sediment at the bottom of this pit.
TASTY!!
Well what else can we use arsenic for or turn it into?
I know I'm nearly two years two late, but have lived in a village outside Butte for most my life, my high school chem teacher used to be the head chemist at the berkeley pit, and my grandfather used to be a miner ther.; I just think its really neat that you stopped by our weird town, and the horrible historical scar in it we created, so thanks for having it on your show. Also, you should research the anaconda smelting tower, its one of the worlds largest freestanding stonemasonry structures and it is in the next town over; could be an interesting sight if you ever visit the area again.
Anaconda is taller than the Washington Monument and is a State park, well worth the stop.
Never heard a Montanan describe their origin as a village, so I'm curious where you're from. I'd also say "we" didn't create the pit, it was rich industrialists making bad decisions they couldn't fix decades ago. I know you didn't mean anything by using "we" but it is an important distinction.
@@SuperCatman "We" is more accurate. The "rich industrialists" were providing capital to produce an important material we all need and use, and were providing jobs as well. Everyone was involved, from the industrialists all the way down to the consumer.
@@raydunakin @raydunakin no, sorry, I don't agree. environmental destruction was a decision made by rich industrialists. the workers followed their plans because the alternative was sleeping on the streets. the consumers would not have generally known what went into it (and the vast majority was shipped out of Montana, the subject here, anyway), so I cannot blame Montanans for this. participating in the economic system that objectively exists is not an endorsement of it.
"Tourist will go anywhere interesting" so accurate
As Tom does
I mean, the literal definition of tourism..
God: creates humans
Humans: send bread to space
God: you weren't suppose to do that...
My town in Northern Illinois has an old house that has storage rooms and hidey-holes from the underground railroad era. We had to tell several Chicago tourism companies to stop sending tourists out here because a.) we didn't have the hotel infrastructure at the time (and this was pre AirB&B) and b.) somebody lived at the house in question, which made for awkward conversations of "No, you cannot tour my house, scaring my entire family"
The St.Charles area has a lot of really neat history Between the McCormick, Norris, and Baker families, but no, these companies wanted to see some stone walls where former slaves fleeing the south would hide when southern hunters would come knocking.
That said, look up the McCormick b17 story, it's hilarious.
Come to Missouri to check out our Nuclear Waste Adventure Trail.
Tom Scott, 2015: "Here's a blue lake that's highly alkaline"
Tom Scott, 2019: "Here's a blue lake that's highly acidic"
I knew I remembered him talking about another lake that was really wonky on the PH scale. Thanks for confirming that.
I have a solution! Mix them!
Tom Scott, 2023: "Here's the most neutral blue lake in the world"
@@bbgun061 Ha, "solution".
@@imveryangryitsnotbutter if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate
i just wanna dip a copper and nickel plate in it and make the biggest 1volt battery ever
Would that even be possible ?
@@knowledgenuke6029 Well that is sorta how car batteries work. Would make for an interesting science experiment.
I wonder... If you got enough old coins from the US Mint, could you actually generate enough power to run the water treatment plant?
Now that would be *BIG BRAIN.*
The lake is grounded though, youd need to insulate the bottom from the ground presumably.
@@b_mb4948 The power generation is more effective the smaller the distance between the plates, but that's not even the problem, beside having to somehow manage howevermany thousands or even tens of thousands of metal plates in open water you would also have to ignore the fact that the acid is leeching even MORE metals into the water!
4:30 to be clear... You don't need admission to see the pit. The fee is for the little area that overlooks the pit with little facts and such there. You can absolutely see the pit for free.
... I mean, it's a mile wide!
How much is it to go for a swim?
@@beardedchimp ah it typically can cost from some of your health to your entire life depending on how many hours you plan to stay for
I love that they have a bird spotting book in the little shack...
'Ooh look, that's a rare one... PREPARE THE METHANE CANNONS. SOMEBODY GET MY M4A1!'
*propane cannon. They ain't launching farts at them.
Did anyone else read that with the voice of Gary Brannan in their mind?
@@uggooga1437 This is where they're going wrong.
Jake Richardson
Propane, not methane, propane is a much better gas, and it comes with accessories.
@@allthenewsordeath5772 my home made methane will also come with extras.
Went to high school in Bozeman and every time we played Butte in football we would chant “dirty water!” Across the field to them on account of the disgusting Berkeley Pit. This tradition has existed since the beginning of time as far as I know
Which makes it so much better when they beat your asses
To what tune?
@@drpibisback7680 it probably goes something like DIR-TEE WAH-TER DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN. Americans really only have one chant and its to that tune
@@fancypants5782 God, that gave me a good laugh
Go griz 👍
Can't believe they lowered the price for E3 tickets!
underrated
Ok this one is good
league tournament
lmfao
Now soon to be Blizzcon tickets
I have family up in Montana and have driven past here several times and thought it was just water. Now I know that it’s where Dasani is sourced
I went to this mine several times when it was operating, there was a platform where you could pay a small fee and look down into the pit while they were mining . Possibly the same platform that you now pay to look over the polluted mess. The massive trucks that would move the ore looked smaller than a match box toy when they were at the bottom, and when I stood next to one of the trucks the top of my head did not even reach the axel.
Hopefully you also took the opportunity to visit the Anaconda smelter stack while you were there. The pit and the stack histories go hand in hand and both are impressive.
The drop in acidity that the worker mentioned from 2.2 Ph to 4.1 Ph was caused by an experiment in trying to recover copper from the water. As you mentioned the iron pyrite forms sulfuric acid which reacts with copper ore to form water soluble copper sulfate. They would pump out water from the pit into large holding tanks and add a pile of iron scrap metal. The iron would replace the copper and after draining the tank they could pick up copper nuggets deposited in the process. The solution of now iron sulfate was just pumped back into pit where it reacted with the polluted water and precipitated to the bottom of the pit in various forms of iron minerals. This process removed a large amount of sulfate ions from the pit water thus lowering the acidity, they have concerns that some types of water treatments to lower the acidity could react with the precipitate and inadvertently cause the water to become more acidic.
I don't believe you
This actually makes a lot of sense.
Unfortunately this was caused by not foreseeing the full set of falling dominos caused by different mining operations and not knowing/ not testing all the different minerals in the hill.
It's easy to make the same mistake trying to correct the toxic pit that still contains unknown contaminants.
It's a shame and further chemical testing of the water may yield some information for possible routes of correction, but the silt contaminates are hard to properly measure.
So, a cobra effect.
@@denelson83 I had to look up what a cobra effect was and I learned something new.
nifty!
The pit's water contains so much metal, you can almost hear it perform a kickass guitar solo!
that water is prety blue how much copper is in there i wonder
@@nonec384for a while they “mined” copper directly from the pit’s water
Hopefully the $3 fee helps pay for the cleanup of the area and doesnt just go into someones pocket
Well it goes into people's pockets as wages. That's always a gray and muddy area.
@@macmcleod1188 As long as those people make money cleaning the area, it's expected they receive wages
obviously it pays for the bullets of the fortunate, uh i mean charitable people who get to shoot at the birds
@@FOLIPE yes but it still goes into their pocket and it's a muddy area because in many cases money like this goes to pay above-market wages, usually to "management" or the owner of the business.
You must be new here. Here being any capitalist country.
Tom: "And the $3 dollar admission? That's capitalism."
Me (an American): "Naw, that's a deal right there!"
And that's Capitalism!
I don't see what's so bad about charging people $3 too see it. Let's be serious if they didn't let people in in a controlled manner some stupid people would just sneak in plus the money can help prevent it from getting worse. As long as they don't start charging extra and begin maintaining it ;) I say good for them
@@UAVwaffle PLus I'm guessing that much of the money goes towards purification efforts, and because America, the price tag brings people in because it's not worth seeing if it's free
me (an European),Jump in it ,yankee!
@@UA-camSucks666 Me (an American): After you, Red Coat!
As an American: I must marvel that our solution to protecting birds is guns.
@@jackchilders3028 The sound bombs are done with propane but they use AR-15s to scare the birds if the sound bombs don't work.
Please impart your better method? How then would you do it, on a lake one mile wide?
@@jackchilders3028 I'll tell you hwat.
Guns are simple small-projectile launchers, useful for many things
Its a very practical solution.
Not everyone gains all their knowledge about guns from action movies or the news.
Some people actually use them.
"Caution: Cannon on Timer"
Custom-sign-maker: "Eh?"
I laughed so hard my housemate woke up.
Hol up
Probably had to remake it after clarifying that they did mean "cannon" rather than the camera brand.
I’ve seen stranger. Though that one would be up there.
Best job ever. "what do you do for a living?" "I shoot at birds =D" "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!" "To make sure they don't die 👍"
"Wait... but you just said you shoot AT birds so that they don't die?" "Correct" "But doesn't shooting the birds kill them?" "No no, you see I shoot AT the birds, not AT the birds." "O_O that doesn't make any sense"
@@dustysparks
I shoot AT the birds, I don't shoot the birds!
For those interested, a pH of 2 is essentially lemon juice. it would be irritating quickly if you were swimming in it and it can definitely dissolve calcium carbonate. but that is not instant skin-melting stuff either.
The pH isn't what makes it dangerous though. The pH causes other heavy metals, arsenic and other poisonous minerals to dissolve.
most lemon juice isn’t toxic
@@jessebeegee still wouldnt recommend swimming in it
I love that they care about the birds enough to have a watch and set up 24/7 scare methods
Someone found a way to charge the US government a small fortune for setting up a company to run the guard shack. When the government denied, they got the animal welfare groups to put pressure on them. Of course, i'm just guessing here.
Jesper Monsted link?
@@knowledgenuke6029 "Of course, i'm just guessing here."
It’s the least they could do tbh
There was a lot of pressure once an entire flock of migrating geese mistook it for a lake and decided to take a break there. After the geese melted, they had to start doing something.
Not as toxic as UA-cam's comments sections
ACTUALLY...
"Feck off cup!!!"
There. All better?
No u!
u suk
noon
hahaha haha
lolololol
I win
You're wrong. If you actually look at the facts, you will realize that you're not even close. I hate you for not able to grasp the reality and you suck for being wrong
"Okay guys, so we oofed up the environment. Guess we have to clean it up now."
"How about charging $3 for people who want to see it?"
I mean if the money goes towards cleaning it.
"I see this as an absolute win"
I mean, someones gotta pay for it.
@@Chrome2105 how about the company that did the mess? Their mess their responsibility
@@ozymantiasVI Company probably doesn't exist anymore
@@Chrome2105 I see what you did there
"The go-to is high-powered rifles"
Of course it is.
I was having a hard time opening the pickle jar yesterday, so I went with the obvious go-to, a high-powered rifle.
The high powered jobbies are the ones with synthetic materials right?
🇺🇲
I couldn't find my car keys, so I went with the obvious go-to, a high-powered rifle.
@@jamesbelshan8839 If you shoot near the pickle jar, it will scare it open.
This is my hometown.!! Also F.Y.I. about two holes open up per year as parts of those 10,000 miles of tunnels collapse in uptown Butte. I hope you enjoyed Butte!! This video made my day! Thank you!
My family is from Butte. I haven't been there in a few years but this video made my day
I also am from Butte! Strange to see it in a UA-cam video like this
Do you hear these propane cannons at your place?
I am also from butte and I still live here
"We are actually 99% effective"
1% of birds: Why do I hear boss music
bubbles: _drops_ _the_ _bass_
Mr. SisterFister we don’t do that here
I'm gonna fight'em off...
Birds are a victim of their own stupidity. They'll sit in acid water for *18 hours* and then just die.
The 1% is when they 'miss' with the rifle.
"The pit's water contains so much metal that at one point one of its owners, Montana Resources, mined copper directly from the water."
Wait, what? What is this from? How?
@@piguyalamode164 I don't if this actually possible, but I'm doing educated guessing. You could do chemical reactions to try to get the copper out (like Cody's Lab does) or you may be able to do electrolysis and get the copper to stick onto something.
I live here in butte Montana if you need any info
And once it and everything around it was too toxic to touch, they just packed up their bags full of money and left, likely giving the middle finger to anyone left in their wake.
Tes you can remove the copper from the water using electrolysis. Same with other metals washing into the water. The question is, why not find the source of the water and blow the tunnels capping off the water flow. They could then drain the remaining water and blow the remaining tunnels forever sealing the metals from ever reaching the surface again. Those metals have been in the ground for centuries why not just cap it all off. They could even pump concrete into the tunnel entrances stopping the water. but no.
Dude imagine going to university for 5 years and then ending up just making sure birds don't land on a lake.
I hope they get paid well, at least
Tbh there are worse jobs
I mean, I went to uni for 6 years and I'd dig it
@@CallMeNIBSI think the point is that we don't want more of these pits
@@smalltime0 :D
Dr Stone warned us, Tom pointed to us
hp1221WTF This makes me happy
Best comment
Get excited
I knew I'd find one
Dude it’s almost 5 months ago I loved that show so much
Same pH as that of a soft drink
I'll call it _Pep-sea_
bravo
Mountain dew
@@pluto8404 Undermountain Dew.
Get out
Pluto :
Whoosh
"we are over 99% effective"
1% of the birds get shot by accident
Nah about 1% of the birds are actually just going there to die
No...better watch the video again.
"by accident" (guys just got bored)
@@geraldhenrickson7472 It's a joke! Just like the other comment that you didn't get.
Yep. Odds are they use the cheapest ammo they can get since little precision is needed which means that when aiming at a spot ~18" in front of the bird with bullet that could have a +- 24" variance off ideal at 500+ yards means there is a small percentage of shots that will hit one.
That and some birds are just old and or weak and will die there of natural causes regardless.
So you're telling me there's thousands of miles of abandoned mine shafts at least partially flooded with acid and bird corpses?
That's both a truly metal idea for a video game level and my ideal summer home.
When you put it that way it reminds me of that game the iron lung that blew up a couple months ago
This is so surreal, I live in montana and love watching your videos. I've been to the berkeley pit a couple times standing where you were standing in the video. And to think that you were so geographical close to me is really cool. Thanks for making this video to raise awareness about these kind of places. Much love and appreciation from Montana. ❤️
I really love how this channel consistently has captions!
"Nothing can survive there except a few hardy bugs", There's always a few hardy bugs!
2:02 that makes me really happy that they save the birds :)
1:11 "That's a propane cannon!"
Hank Hill:
Anyone know of any giant spoil heaps of alkali salts that need dumping?
Just drop a lot of lime and you'll end up with a lot of gypsum
1. Find random soda lake
2. Pump water from it
3. Find ways to transport that water
4. ????????
5. Profit
What about the other place Tom did which had the pH of bleach/ammonia? What would happen if you mix those together hmmm 🤔 (I’ll probably go check it after and then brush up on my chemistry knowledge...)
fetchstix™ you’d most probably create extremely toxic gasses due to all the random metals floating about
NaOH sludge from aluminium ore mines
I would stay on the good side of those bird watchers. Seems to me they have a perfect means to dispose of a body.
Given how deep this pit is, I'm 100% sure there are already bodies in it.
@@johnnamkeh1290 deepness of water increases how likely bodies are to be found? At how many feet are you garenteed to find bodies?
@@nonnaurbisness3013 None, if the probability converges monotonically somewhere below 100% ;)
@@nonnaurbisness3013 dude trynna brag about how you know the best way to dump a body
@@nonnaurbisness3013 Considering its not water but highly concentrated acid, id say depth is far less important in this situation
My mom was raised in Butte. That mine was part of our family. So cool to see you did a bit on to it.
Part of our family worked there as well. I had uncles that worked at the pit. Great paying jobs and dangerous. My dad would fix the tires on those huge monster dump trucks. There was a viewing platform even back in the 70s where you could look below and see the trucks working below and see how deep it was. It shocked me on a return visit a few years ago to see it filled with water.
Maybe open pit mining wasn’t the best way to do things but it was a grand sight to see when it was still a massive functioning pit.
A goose: attempts to land on an acid lake
Workers: So anyway, I started blasting
Only I didn't miss this time.
I live here and saw them do that
“Jeff, you’re supposed to aim *next* to the birds, not *at* the birds.”
@@joshuahadams No no, you shoot *at* the birds and *miss*
Butte is also home to the shortest Interstate highway in America. I-115, 1.3 miles. Starting in Butte, MT, ending in Butte, MT
and its currently under construction
I-115 is among the shortest, but it's only the fourth shortest signed Interstate and sixth shortest counting unsigned routes. I-110 in El Paso, TX is the shortest signed, and the unsigned I-878 is the shortest overall, officially designated on a short piece of freeway near the JFK Airport that was supposed to be extended.
@@qzfwcp Hey, its Montana. Two seasons: winter and construction.
I trust Roadsguy on this subject matter
Can it really be considered an interstate if it doesn't cross a state border?...
“There were whole neighborhoods destroyed” is absolutely true. My grandpa’s home suburb of Meaderville is 100% pit now
My mom's old home was there too.
Greed of the Anaconda Company.
“A few hardy bugs”
I just imagine 3 bugs walking around the surface treating it as it’s own kingdom
"Oh no, there's bird in the pit that could kill them"
"Quick, shoot at them"
A m e r i c a
Yee yee, I won’t let no stinkin pond to steal my kill, that bird is mine
@@bruh6217M e r i c a*
00justSomeAccount00 did you even watch? It doesn’t work all the time, that’s why it isn’t 100% automated.
@00justSomeAccount00 you are a bright one, shooting directly at then is a whole lot worse; but, they weren't shooting at them, they were shooting very close to them, which I assume is only reliably or not at all by the person they find unreliable. That modern bird deterrent doesn't work all the time, so it is essential that they employ what is the only alternative to a bird being eaten alive by acid because some birds don't care about that modern deterrent going off.
Welcome to my hometown! You'd be interested in the Yankee Doodle Tailings Pond right above the pit as well, they still hall tailings the (owned by MRI) while the Berkeley Pit is owned by ARCO BP. It's a fascinating problem if you look past the destruction.
Also for firing guns to scare birds, they found very little success with other deterrents.
Ay fellow Montanan, took me way to long to find one
So... you're telling me that while the town struggles to deal with a mile-wide toxic acid pit, meanwhile MRI is still dumping sludge in an open pond, in a place that may as well just be pouring straight into the pit? That's even more insane than almost shooting birds.
Or Acid Lake 😳 I’ve never seen a color like that anywhere else in this world!
You can use the UA-cam comment section for free don't need to pay $3
You are giving them ideas
I think I prefer the copper mine pit.
@@ragnkja I've got no idea whether or not you missed the joke.
Why do you have 2 coments bro
@@tonster5559 ikr its so annoying when people go over the 1 comment rule
i grew up in an iron mining town in western australia! the major open mine in the area is still active and pumping out water faster than it can fill up but i remember being taught that once abandoned and filled with water it would become toxic. really cool to learn about something very similar
What ore they mining?
"A toxic pit with a $3 Admission fee" sounds like my ex tbh
oh snap
Nice
What?
@Robert whittle ur mom
Gay
"What should we use to scare them off?"
*grabs rifle*
"There's only one option."
Murica, the only place where sitting in a booth and occasionally shooting an AR in the general direction of a bird counta as wildlife conservation.
@@nibs7252 And they pay you to do it.
What would you recommend instead?
"So, what should we do about these birds landin--"
Americans: "Guns."
"Surely there are some alarm bells or scarecrows or --"
Americans: "High powered rifle gunnnn"
Hey if it works
@@Satori079 exactly its cheap and effective and so what if it just happens to be fun. there is no rule saying you can't have fun while protecting the wildlife. I just like the fact that they are using guns to protect the wildlife and is a nice bit of irony. also they will be absolutely fine if the contaminated water suddenly starts a zombie outbreak in the nearby town.
@Tommi Nummelin What do you think the timer’d propane cannons are, if not alarm bells and a scarecrow in one. It’s a Fricken mile wide, what would you have done?
Godamm BIG environment disaster! Answer: bring in the BIG GUNS!
99% effective...
Mt Morgan, Queensland, Australia, has a pit much like this one. It is a former open pit gold mine. As the mine aged, gold processing waste began to be pumped into the pit. Nowadays the pit (a mile deep) is full of toxic waste that has at times leaked into the nearby river making it uninhabitable for wildlife. And yes, birds die if they land on or attempt to drink the water.
I love that they actually go to the effort of protecting the birds.
@Stella Hohenheim I agree with you.
@Stellvia Hoenheim open pit mines never existed in the USSR?
@@selkirk154 It's fine if it's for the good of the party...I mean...people.
@Stellvia Hoenheim When you learn where Chernobyl is, your whole world is gonna flip upside down💀💀💀💀
@Another Wacko it wouldn’t overflow and the birsd would be completely dissolved so they won't be rotten
I used the stones to destroy the stones
I saved the birds by shooting at the birds
Cool, next time I'll try to save myself, too, by shooting at me.
@@RuyVuusen oy, be careful with your comment, my finger almost got cut
same vibe
make sense
@@RuyVuusen Actually ... If the government is about to send you to war it might be a promising strategy.
"What is your job?"
"I shoot at a lake of acid to protect birds."
Thanks Tom. I just visited this place… all the way from Ontario, Canada
Edit: It’s now 5 bucks to get in.
so this where Dr.Stone get his sulfuric acid.
Sang Maew I was looking for this comment
When in the US, yes
Came here for this :D
Nah this is Senki's sulfuric acid lake that almost killed that watermelon kid
1:08 "Why that's one of the eight uses of propane I haven't tried yet" -Hank Hill
tom has 2 videos on giant lakes in pits that used to be mines, one incredibly acidic, and one incredibly basic.
the basic one has a few idiots per year who figure out why swimming there is a bad idea, the acid one has an admission fee.
I'd like to see the water from one lake pumped into the other. That would be fun.
@@reddwarfer999 actually that could be a solution for both problems cuz they would cancel each other out
I live in Montana, and my one of the chants my high school did when we were facing Butte sports teams was “dirty water”
Why do you have 50 high powered rifles sir...
To scare off birds
Don't catch ya slippin now
Birb.
Ok good nvm
30-50 feral birds
A guy breaks into your home, and you dont have a gun. How are you going to shoot them?
Wonder if the same people that made money from the mine are paying for the upkeep right now
lilpeach101 the answer is no because capitalism has continually failed since its inception
Hence probably why there's an admission fee.
Hahahaha, you're adorable!
That's what bancruptcy is for. And reselling the "responsible" entity...
@@TheWolfboy180 throw the baby with the bath water then
(looks at a pit of toxic waste)
"Now THAT'S a tourist attraction!"
_Problem:_ _"The stupid birds won't stop dying in the acid."_
_Their solution:_ *_"Shoot 'em"_*
Modern problems require American sloutions
They don’t shoot the birds but the water so that birds fly anway
*_AMERICA 100_*
Problem: low IQ dip turd infestation on the internet
Solution: none
_Their solution: "Shoot 'em"_
Correction: "Shoot *at* them"
Wait so theres a job out there to sit all day birdwatching and firing guns?! Where do i sign up?
It’s called a hunting guide and most earn over $200K a year!
I wonder if the one percent of the birds that don't get saved are those that get shot accidentally
I mean..... the guys in the shack need to eat, right?
$3 admission fee is an excellent way to help maintain the barriers that need to be around anything that toxic.
At least this toxic pool has snipers on the ready if instagram clout chasers want to go in to take selfies.
Only if the clout chasers don't pay the admission fee.
In case the acid doesn’t kill them?
“Now remember Bob you aren’t shooting the birds you are shooting near them.”
“But they look so delicious!”
Obviously those workers would care about birds but this is reminding me of that Onion skit where archers have to train explicitly on how to not shoot spectators because the instinct is simply too powerful.
@@MissEwe It was a joke, mate.
@@MissEwe Ah, sorry then
@@MissEwe Oh, nononono, I just thought you meant it seriously. I've spent the better part of the last couple months trying to combat covid deniers so I've just started to assume that everyone's trying to mess with me.
I've been here! Naturally, the gift shop was selling copper items. I considered buying a copper glass to make Moscow Mules, but fortunately I found out that unless the glass has a tin lining inside (this one didn't), the copper can leach into your drink and poison you. What better souvenir to bring home from Butte than metal poisoning?
Aren't drinking water pipes within your home made of copper by any chance ?
@@psirvent8 i think its due to the alcohol reacting with copper to leech it out of the cup.
So unless your pipes are full of vodka, you should be fine.
I love everyone they interviewed they all seem cool af
Hey Tom,
here in germany we have the Hambacher Forst. It is the last bit of forrest being defended by the local population - over the last few decades massive areas were destroyed and turned into vast coal mining operations, all caused by the energy giant "RWE". Whole neighbourhoods had to move, even though they recieved good compensation they were forced to.
Since last year that last bit of forrest has been occupied by left activists, stopping RWE from further destroying the environment.
This topic has recieved lots of publicity here in germany, caused a massive debate & support and might be worth digging into (pun intended).
KotSR maybe Germany shouldn't have virtue signaled about becoming an "all renewable nation" and decommissioning every single nuclear power plant by 2022. Since so called renewable sources have not been able to make up the difference from the decommissioned nuclear plants, Germany has relied on coal and natural gas to make up the difference.
@@JonnyRicter That is not entirely true.
Yes, that goal very likely won't be met. But there are programs being rolled out into laws right now that will tax CO2 emissions, which fully redistributes back to society.
When an individual and/or company uses CO2, you pay taxes on it. But no ordinary taxes, these all go into one big money pot. At the end of the year, households that used less than the average get money paid from that pot depnding on how low the emissions have been.
This will cause companies to produce more energy efficient, because it is cheaper. It also only punishes those that cause the biggest damages and rewards those who do less.
Over time, all households will use less energy because it is profitable.
This system will be enrolled soon and presents a good approach. Apart from that, renewable energy projects are on the rise. We are not as advanced as for example the netherlands, but we are also not the only ones behind. Due to recent public uproars regarding the energy politics, germany shifts to be greener.
KotSR ah, carbon credits/taxes...a leftists pipe dream. It's been implemented in many places across the globe, except I don't think it's been implemented in a nation that is an industrial powerhouse like Germany. You do realize that the factories in Germany, which produces some of the worlds finest products, are going to be the largest consumers of CO2 and that they will pay the ridiculous tax ( or the large companies most likely will receive an exception due to their powerful political influence) and will merely pass the cost onto the German (and global) consumer. But let's tax everyone for CO2, while closing down an efficient power source that produces absolutely no emissions, nuclear fission.
@@JonnyRicter In the long term products wont increase in price because the price for energy won't significantly increase by switching to green energy (look at sweden/netherlands). I agree on your fission point though, also an alternative.
Those who do have big CO2 output will optimize their production pipeline to be greener, since that is more profitable.
In the end it is wealth redistribution based on a panalty factor that undermines destructive behaviour. I take that.
No need to slap a "liftists" label on that approach, since it is about the only approach that seems resonable - why demonize it? Any alternatives?
@@Kugelschrei Why demonize it? Because it's not how we do things in 'Murrica. /sarcasm
I went there a month ago! Butte is one of those post industrial depression towns. Good butcher shop.
Western meat block is fantastic. Anaconda and deer lodge have some good places to visit as well if you're still in the area.
I live in Montana. I avoid Butte at all costs except for one scenario. St. Patrick's Day. 364 days a year it's a fuckin' miserable place and one magical day per year it's the best party west of the Mississippi.
@@XanCrews Grew up in Butte, can confirm.
Heh. Butte.
I live there right now
“how do we stop the birds from dying?”
“shoot at them”
AMERICA
YEE HAW
For real many of Tom's videos is humans fixing the long term consequences of their mistakes damn
"Tourists will go anywhere interesting."
...so Tom went too.
It's really commendable how much effort they put into saving wildlife.
I never thought I would enjoy hearing about things I don't care about this much until I found this channel like 20 minutes ago 🤣
This is the pinnacle of humanity, taking pictures of the environment you messed up and the waste that you created
The simple answer to this is mix the alkaline lake, with this acidic lake, and it'll cancle each other out. Boom, problem solved. 👌
as long as it doesn't go Boom!
Not quite. The acidity can be brought down. The real issue is in all the other toxic materials. There are bugs that thrive in that kind of environment and work to 'fix' the toxic stuff so that it can be reduced to sludge and then dry powder that can be disposed of. We were using that process back in the 70s in industrial quantities. The process itself goes back further than that even.
I suspect we are looking at a lack of political will in this case as well as a reluctance to spend money.
It's as deep as a sky scraper
@EMKP there was an episode of the red green show where they did that. It was a much smaller lake however
EMKP send the water to Flint, Michigan.
Mine rehab... Hard to assign responsibility for cleanup for something that predates knowledge or regulation, hence it falls to the state.
We actually get fed funds for the treatment. We'd also still be mining if the environmentalists just stayed in California. We'd also still have saw mills in the treasure state.
@@Beelixir Don't you think more than likely the expense of running the mine simply outweighed the mines copper yield and that is why it shut down?
@@_blank-_ That doesn't work for big business. With them it's privatisation of profit but socialisation of loss. Heads they win, tails we lose.
I live in Montana! I’ve been there a couple of times. The whole town of Butte is a historically amazing place.
"So where do you live?" - "I live in Butte" *giggity*
@@FlymanMS Shelby; an hour and a half north of Great Falls. I went to college in Dillon last year.
@@Coyeauxt Why the heck are you an LSU fan then?? ARGOS OR BUST
@@PC3Otechnowarfare Because SEC football baby!!
It's steep, it's cold, it's poisonous- let's get drunk-Butte Montana.
my senior paper advisor in college wrote an entire book on this pit and on bute in general! very cool to see this
"how do we keep these birds alive, Bob"
"we gotta scare them away from landing in the pond"
"alright should we throw rocks at them? Maybe yell?"
"nah" *grabs AR-15*
Soooo American
I don't think I'd trust throwing rocks or yelling to scare away birds in a mile wide pit
Considering how big the thing is I don't think throwing stones is gonna work...
Probably AR-10 they did say high-powered.