Take Action to Stop Goat Mountain Mine

The threat of exploratory drilling has returned to Goat Mountain, which sits just north of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

In 2006, WTA listed the Goat Mountain Trail (#217) as one of the most endangered in the state, because  a proposal to develop a copper mine there seemed imminent. But after a hard fight, the Bureau of Land Management denied the mine application in 2008, much to the relief of the many thousands of people who called for protecting the natural beauty and recreation opportunities in the area of the trail.

But another threat looms as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released an Environmental Assessment (EA) on exploratory drilling at Goat Mountain.

You can comment on this proposal until August 15* by sending a letter to:

Portland, OR 97208

You can also comment via email at: BLM_OR_Prospecting_EA@blm.gov

Goat Mountain, Mount St. Helens has more to offer than a mine

Those who have hiked the trail know that it puts on a spectacular wildflower display in the summer and huckleberries in the early fall. On any clear day, open ridgetop hiking provides views of Mount Adams, Mount Rainer, Mount Hood, and St. Helens. But the BLM’s decision in 2008 did not prevent future attempts to mine there. The issue flared up again last year when Ascot Resources, Inc. a Canadian corporation, signed an option agreement to purchase interests in the Mount Margaret deposit, which lies in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

More exploratory drilling, the next step in developing the full project, would have happened without an opportunity for public input, but last summer the Gifford Pinchot Task Force filled an injunction pressuring the BLM into conducting an Environmental Assessment (EA) that gives the public the opportunity to comment on the project.

Ironically the land in question was purchased in the 1980s by the Trust for Public Land (TPL) from a mining company to protect it from mining. In 1986 the Forest Service used Land and Water Conservation Funds, a federal program established for conservation and recreation, to purchase the land.

This spring, WTA joined an extensive coalition of recreation and conservation groups voicing opposition to building a large mine adjacent to Mount St. Helens National Monument. Such an operation would threaten all of the recreational activities for visitors to the area, including hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, and horseback riding. Indeed the proposed test drilling sites are just across the road from the popular Green River Horse Camp. Increased noise, dust and traffic from exploratory drilling could grow into full-blown mining, which would threaten recreation opportunities and wildlife with earthmoving equipment, toxic chemicals and possible obliteration of trail miles.

Comment to protect Mount St. Helens by August 15

Add your voice to help protect one of SW Washington’s cherished recreation areas by sending a letter. Let them know how much you value Goat Mountain and Mount St. Helens, and how devastating a mining project would be to this one-of-a-kind resource. You can send your letter to:

Portland, OR 97208

You can also comment via email at: BLM_OR_Prospecting_EA@blm.gov

*Updated 7/30/12 with a new deadline for submitting comments.