Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Land swap ends 50-year fight to block mining near Crested Butte
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Monday, July 15, 2024
Mount Emmons near Crested Butte, Colorado. Photo: Ning Tranquiligold Jin, Flickr ([link removed])
The U.S Forest Service has approved a land swap deal ([link removed]) that will permanently block hard-rock mining on thousands of acres above the town of Crested Butte, Colorado. Locals refer to the pink-hued Mount Emmons as the "Red Lady" and fought nearly fifty years against a proposed molybdenum mine in the peak's watershed.
Chad Stewart, the supervisor of the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests wrote in his decision ([link removed]) , “I am convinced that this land exchange is in the public interest.” The land swap calls for the Forest Service to take over management of 625 acres of undeveloped parcels and inholdings across four ranches, as well as wetlands inside the 15,000-acre Whetstone Roadless Area in Gunnison County, and habitat for the federally threatened Gunnison sage-grouse in Saguache County, including along sections of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail and Colorado Trail.
“The underlying analyses by the federal government supporting the recent Red Lady decisions are unique in that they clearly articulate that the economic importance of tourism and biodiversity supported by our natural ecosystems outweighs the value of mining,” Crested Butte Mayor Ian Billick said in a statement ([link removed]) .
The Mount Emmons Mining Company will get 539 acres on three federally managed parcels that includes the company’s water treatment plant, tailings storage, and retention ponds. The agreement stipulates that the company must place conservation easements and surrender mineral rights on all the land it owns, essentially creating two levels of protection to prevent future mining. Adding conservation easements prevents any residential or commercial development on the mine-owned land, while allowing non-motorized recreation.
** Quick hits
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In an era of dam removal, California is building more
High Country News ([link removed])
Marathon Oil agrees to record penalty for oil and gas pollution
Washington Post ([link removed])
Firefighters contend with heavy gear, unforgiving terrain, backbreaking work, and now extreme heat, too
Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
Land swap ends 50-year fight to block mining near Crested Butte
Colorado Sun ([link removed])
Wyoming looking into newly identified mule deer migration route near Grand Teton National Park
Jackson Hole News & Guide ([link removed]) | WyoToday ([link removed])
Editorial: If Utah wants the feds to butt out, it has to step up environmental protections
Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])
Why Washington's wolf count is under scrutiny
Cascadia Daily ([link removed])
Six national parks you can explore without a car
Sierra Magazine ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” Western water policy treats rivers as a sum of parts and not a living entity of interconnected processes. Temperature, flow, nutrient cycles—all are connected.”
—Ann Willis, California director of American Rivers, High Country News ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@nationalparkservice ([link removed])
“A Møøse once bit my sister…” - Monty Python and the Holy Grail
No realli!
We apologize for the fault in the captions. Those responsible have been sacked and are being chased by a moose.
Mynd you, møøse are pretti fast and can run at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour whether or not you’re carrying a sharpened tøøthbrush. Think you can escape in water or deep snow? Think again! Møøse have long legs that allow them to easily wade into lakes and rivers or through deep snow. Let’s just keep a safe distance and never try to scare a møøse, or do the Fandango. It will only lead to thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening. Once again, we apologize for the fault in the captions. Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked have been sacked and also being chased by a møøse.
When will they learn?
Image: Bull møøse stands tall in shallow water at Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Alaska. NPS/J. Mills
#moose ([link removed]) #nationalparks ([link removed]) #lakeclark ([link removed]) #montypython ([link removed]) #travel ([link removed]) #meese ([link removed])
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