The Stranger: A Canadian Mining Company Just Got Approved to Drill Near Mount St. Helens

[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]by Chetanya Robinson • Aug 24, 2017 at 1:16 pm
The U.S. Forest Service just allowed a Canadian mining company to start exploratory drilling in a national forest 12 miles from Mount St. Helens, The Columbian reports.

The drilling will be relatively small-scale for now. The company, Ascot Resources Ltd. in Vancouver B.C., is authorized to drill 63 small holes, two to three inches in diameter, in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The company is looking for copper, gold and molybdenum (commonly used in metal alloys).

The fear is that this will lead to further mining in the area, which is near the Green River, one of the most endangered rivers in the country.

In the Forest Service’s draft decision accepting the company’s application, Cowlitz Valley District Ranger Gar Abbas wrote that people shouldn’t be worried about a mine coming to the area.

Opposing the project are U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, and according to Matt Little, executive director of the Cascade Forest Conservancy, more than 20 conservation and recreation groups.
If you’re just hearing about this, live in the area and want to submit your objection to the proposal…good luck with that. Starting today, the public will have 45 days to object to the proposal. Though only people who previously wrote comments on the proposal will have a chance to object.
Little of the Cascade Forest Conservancy told The Columbian: “I think it’s mind-boggling how the agency could totally ignore tens of thousands of citizens who’ve asked them to protect the Green River Valley and instead cater to the Canadian mining company.”
 
Visit the article: http://www.thestranger.com/slog/2017/08/24/25375086/a-canadian-mining-company-just-got-approved-to-drill-near-mount-st-helens[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

JPR: Forest Service Approves Exploratory Mining Near Mount St. Helens

[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]

Originally published on August 25, 2017 11:51 am
The U.S. Forest Service is moving forward with a plan to allow exploratory mining near Mount St. Helens.
The agency issued a draft decision approving Canadian company Ascot Resources Ltd.’s plans to drill for copper and gold in Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
The decision opens a 45-day period for the public to object to the U.S. Forest Service’s draft decision.
Cowlitz Valley District Ranger Gar Abbas acknowledged in the report that “there is a great deal of concern that this decision somehow makes the potential for future approval of a new mine in this area easier or more likely.”
Abbas went on to stress the permit is not for mining, but for exploratory drilling. If Ascot decides there are enough resources to make it financially viable to open a mine, they would have to go through an additional permitting process.
The area in question is about 900 acres of forestland 12 miles northeast of the Mount St. Helens crater. It sits just outside the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. A permit approval would allow Ascot to test drill at 63 sites within the Green River Valley near Goat Mountain.
“There is a lot at stake here,” said Matt Little, the executive director of the Cascade Forest Conservancy.
He and other environmentalists worry the prospecting could endanger Green River, a state designated gene bank for wild salmon. The river also flows downstream into the Toutle and Cowlitz River systems, a source of drinking water for communities like Kelso and Longview.
“This river valley is so special to so many people,” Little explained. “Not only is it the source of drinking water for many communities, but it’s the source of life for so many species, from wild steelhead to elk. A mine would completely destroy this.”
The area used to be owned by the Trust For Public Land, but was purchased by the Forest Service three decades ago with money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
“Everyone thought this area would be protected,” said Little. “And now we have a mine proposal.”
The Cascade Forest Conservancy said they have been fighting against drilling in the area for about a decade. A previous permit approval by the U.S. Forest Service in 2012 was vacated after a 2014 federal court decision. The court objected to the environmental assessment and ruled the Forest Service had not adequately addressed groundwater concerns and mitigation measures.
Ascot did not return calls for comment.
“This is an environmental fight we’ve been engaged in for going on several years,” said Steve Jones, a Camas resident and a member of the Clark-Skamania Flyfishers. He believes the prospecting will threaten the three species of endangered salmon that reside in Green River.
“It’s a real disappointment for us,” said Jones. “This river needs to be conserved, not exploited.”

Copyright 2017 EarthFix. To see more, visit EarthFix.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

OPB: Forest Service Approves Exploratory Mining Near Mount St. Helens

[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]

by 

Updated: Aug. 25, 2017 11:51 a.m.

The U.S. Forest Service is moving forward with a plan to allow exploratory mining near Mount St. Helens.The agency issued a draft decision approving Canadian company Ascot Resources Ltd.’s plans to drill for copper and gold in Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
The decision opens a 45-day period for the public to object to the U.S. Forest Service’s draft decision.
Cowlitz Valley District Ranger Gar Abbas acknowledged in the report that “there is a great deal of concern that this decision somehow makes the potential for future approval of a new mine in this area easier or more likely.”
Abbas went on to stress the permit is not for mining, but for exploratory drilling. If Ascot decides there are enough resources to make it financially viable to open a mine, they would have to go through an additional permitting process.

The area in question is about 900 acres of forestland 12 miles northeast of the Mount St. Helens crater. It sits just outside the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. A permit approval would allow Ascot to test drill at 63 sites within the Green River Valley near Goat Mountain.

“There is a lot at stake here,” said Matt Little, the executive director of the Cascade Forest Conservancy.
He and other environmentalists worry the prospecting could endanger Green River, a state designated gene bank for wild salmon. The river also flows downstream into the Toutle and Cowlitz River systems, a source of drinking water for communities like Kelso and Longview.
“This river valley is so special to so many people,” Little explained. “Not only is it the source of drinking water for many communities, but it’s the source of life for so many species, from wild steelhead to elk. A mine would completely destroy this.”
The area used to be owned by the Trust For Public Land, but was purchased by the Forest Service three decades ago with money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
“Everyone thought this area would be protected,” said Little. “And now we have a mine proposal.”
The Cascade Forest Conservancy said they have been fighting against drilling in the area for about a decade. A previous permit approval by the U.S. Forest Service in 2012 was vacated after a 2014 federal court decision. The court objected to the environmental assessment and ruled the Forest Service had not adequately addressed groundwater concerns and mitigation measures.
Ascot did not return calls for comment.
“This is an environmental fight we’ve been engaged in for going on several years,” said Steve Jones, a Camas resident and a member of the Clark-Skamania Flyfishers. He believes the prospecting will threaten the three species of endangered salmon that reside in Green River.
“It’s a real disappointment for us,” said Jones. “This river needs to be conserved, not exploited.”

Visit article: http://www.opb.org/news/article/washington-mount-st-helens-mining-forest-service-gifford-pinchot-national-forest/

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Columbian: Exploratory mining permit for near Mount St. Helens advances

[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]

By Dameon Pesanti, Columbian staff writer
Published: August 23, 2017, 8:06 PM
20

Exploratory mining near Mount St. Helens is now one step closer to happening.
The U.S. Forest Service found no reason to object to an application by Ascot Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C., to prospect or explore for minerals in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest about 12 miles northeast of the Mount St. Helens crater.
The agency issued a draft decision to consent to the Bureau of Land Management approving Ascot’s plans.
Starting Thursday, the public will have 45 days to object to the Forest Service’s decision.
But, according to the decision notice, “objections will be accepted from only those who’ve previously submitted timely, specific written comments regarding the proposed project unless based on new information arising after designated comment opportunities.”
In the draft decision, Cowlitz Valley District Ranger Gar Abbas acknowledged “a great deal of concern” that approving the exploratory drilling would pave the way to a new mine, but he emphasized several times throughout the document that wasn’t the case.
“This consent decision is not for mining,” he wrote. “It is specifically and only for authorization of up to 63 roadside exploration holes measuring 2-3 inches in diameter, subject to specified conditions and protective design features.”
Abbas’ assertions are unlikely to quell the discontent of those who’ve watched and opposed the project since at least 2011.
“I think this decision is ridiculous,” said Matt Little, executive director of the Cascade Forest Conservancy, a Portland-based conservation group. “I think it’s mind-boggling how the agency could totally ignore tens of thousands of citizens who’ve asked them to protect the Green River Valley and instead cater to the Canadian mining company.”
Ascot wants to search for copper, gold and molybdenum on a mining claim in the upper Green River Valley at Goat Mountain, where its subsurface rights are evenly split with the federal government.
While the BLM has the authority to grant Ascot’s permits, the Forest Service must consent to the project since it would occur in the national forest.
In January 2016, the agencies released a modified environmental assessment for the exploratory drilling permit application to address a federal court’s 2014 decision that invalidated Ascot’s drilling permits and held that the two agencies violated the National Environmental Policy Act. The decision was the result of a lawsuit filed by the Cascade Forest Conservancy, formerly known as the Gifford Pinchot Task Force, in which they sued to halt Ascot’s drilling plans.
The Cascade Forest Conservancy claims more than 20 recreation and conservation groups oppose the project and any potential mine that could ultimately result. And Little said he’s urging opponents to take the time to formally object to the Forest Service’s decision.
“After that it gets into a potential lawsuit,” he said.
In a stakeholders letter, Abbas said his decision “best addresses the balance between resource use and resource protection with an emphasis on the protection of riparian reserves.”
But in response to the decision, Steve Jones, director of Clark-Skamania Flyfishers, said the prospecting is a threat to wild steelhead in the nearby Green River and the rest of the Toutle and Cowlitz River system.
“This river drainage needs to be conserved, not exploited,” he said.
The Green River is a state-designated gene bank for wild winter steelhead, meaning hatchery fish are verboten within. It’s also a candidate for a federal Wild and Scenic River designation. Some of the land in question was purchased by the U.S. Forest Service in the 1980s with money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is meant to serve the interests of recreation and conservation.
The Washington, D.C.-based conservation organization American Rivers has twice declared the Green River, with its headwaters running close to the proposed mining area, as one of the most endangered rivers in the nation.
In March of last year, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., wrote in opposition to the project in a letter to then-Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell, arguing that mining activity would likely interfere with recreation and conservation on the land, which were the reasons behind the purchase.
More information on the project is available from the Forest Service at www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=46996.

Visit article: http://www.columbian.com/news/2017/aug/23/exploratory-mining-permit-for-near-mount-st-helens-advances/

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

TDN: Volcano area mineral drilling approved

[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]

The U.S. Forest Service Tuesday tentatively approved a plan by a Canadian company to do exploratory drilling for minerals north of Mount St. Helens.
The move, which is bound to enrage environmentalists, would allow Ascot USA Inc. to test drill at 63 roadside sites within a 900-acre area in the Green River watershed near Goat Mountain in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The area is within the Mount St. Helens blast zone and just outside the northern border of the 110,000-acre Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
The public has 45 days to comment or object to the plan.
Approval of exploratory drilling is not an approval to undertake mining itself. If Ascot wants to proceed with a mine, it would have to file a separate application and undergo a separate, and likely far more rigorous, public review process through the Forest Service, which manages the area.
Ascot has not announced what type of mine it would develop, though opponents widely believe it would be an open pit mine.
To obtain permission to mine, Ascot would have to prove that the mineral deposits are available in commercially-viable amounts. That could be problematic. Small-scale mining has taken place in the area periodically for more than a century, and during the last 30 years, mining interests have tried and failed to kick-start mining efforts on the 900 acres. They all ran into the same problem: It just didn’t pay to mine on Goat Mountain.
In fact, in a little-noticed 1993 legal decision, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management denied a prospecting company, Vanderbilt Gold Corp., permission to explore the claim after an agency review found mineral concentrations too low to be profitable. The BLM review concluded that a mine in that area would lose nearly $200 million over its life.
Conservationists have opposed any kind of exploration. They say the area in question was purchased with funds specifically meant to conserve lands and that mining could pollute the Green River and compromise the volcanic monument, which was set up for scientific research and to preserve natural processes without human interference.
“We’re definitely opposed to (the draft decision). This land was purchased by the Forest Service for conservation and recreation purposes, not for mining. So we feel the Forest Service’s decision to even allow exploratory drilling is really contrary to the initial purpose of the purchase,” said Nicole Budine, spokeswoman Cascade Forest Conservancy (formerly Gifford Pinchot Task Force).
Even exploratory mining could damage steelhead habitat by increasing the temperature of the Green River and introducing mining additives and copper to the river, Budine said. The Green River feeds into the Toutle and Cowlitz Rivers, which supply drinking water to Kelso and Castle, although it’s not clear if exploratory mining would affect water quality, she said.
Cascade Forest Conservancy will be filing an objection to the Forest Service’s draft decision within the 45 days, Budine added.
Ascot officials could not be reached for comment.
Ascot has been attempting to get permission to drill for about a decade. A previous approval by the Forest Service in 2012 was thrown out in federal court in 2014. The proposal, according to the Forest Service, has been modified to meet with the court’s objections. The Forest Service said in its notice of decision that it conducted an entirely new environmental evaluation of the proposal and is taking measures to prevent drilling from damaging the land or water.
In its notice of decision, the Forest Service acknowledged that “It has become clear there is a great deal of concern that this decision somehow makes the potential for future approval of a new mine in this area easier or more likely. This consent decision is not for mining.”
It goes on to say that the test drilling that it will allow “is very similar to other investigative activities routinely authorized on National Forest Service lands in support of endeavors such as volcanic activity research, river side channel restoration, road construction and maintenance” and other activities.
The Forest Service says it will allow “approximately” 63 small-diameter (two-three inches) boreholes at 23 drill sites, affecting about a quarter acre of ground. Rock core samples would be collected and analyzed for the presence of copper and other minerals.

“It has become clear there is a great deal of concern that this decision somehow makes the potential for future approval of a new mine in this area easier or more likely.  This consent decision is not for mining.” U.S. Forest Service

Contact City Editor Andre Stepankowsky at 360-577-2520.

View Article: http://tdn.com/news/local/volcano-area-mineral-drilling-approved/article_796257ab-5280-56b7-b91b-ef4851a5307b.html[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Cascade Forest Conservancy Calls on Citizens for Scientific Adventures in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest

[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]

From The Chronicle, 

Huckleberries, carnivores and coniferous forest canopies are all out in the great outdoors and waiting to be studied by citizen scientists like you. The Cascade Forest Conservancy will be spearheading a series of volunteer trips into the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in upcoming months so citizens can get hands on in the effort to better understand the ecosystem that lies hidden beneath a sea of green in the Cascade foothills.

The goal of the trips is to collect field data for conservation projects and to undertake the groundwork for additional habitat restoration projects. Volunteers will have the opportunity to gather firsthand information about wildlife, forests and streams.

In a press release, the Cascade Forest Conservancy noted that when citizens get involved directly it helps to connect the general population with large-scale conservation projects that are currently underway in the nearby national forest.

Those projects include wildlife camera surveys to monitor habitat use of carnivores, surveys to investigate effects of forest roads on aquatic health, timber sale surveys to improve our work with timber harvest projects, beaver habitat surveys to identify distributions and reintroduction needs, huckleberry monitoring to gauge effects of forest thinning on huckleberry restoration, and riparian planting to improve aquatic habitat in the streams of the Cascade Range. 

“These trips offer a unique opportunity to get involved with conservation and to be part of broader scientific projects,” said Shiloh Halsey, conservation science director with Cascade Forest Conservancy, in a press release. “Last year, we brought volunteers out to the Mount Adams area to locate old-growth ponderosa pine trees and identify priority areas for protection and restoration. It was a fun trip for folks and their work was used to improve the upcoming forest thinning project.”

No prior experience or expertise is required to participate in the citizen science field trips. Additional information, such as trip dates and projects, can be viewed online at www.cascadeforest.org/get-involved.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

PRESS RELEASE: GPS Project brings volunteers out to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest

[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]GPS Project: Bringing People Outdoors for Conservation
Press Release – May 24, 2017
Contact:
Shiloh Halsey, Conservation Science Director
Office: 503-222-0055
Cell: 503-258-7774
shiloh@cascadeforest.org
Cascade Forest Conservancy
4506 SE Belmont St., Suite 230A
Portland, OR 97215
 
The Cascade Forest Conservancy will be leading volunteer trips to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest this summer and fall to collect field data for conservation projects and to carry out habitat restoration projects. The citizen science trips offer an opportunity for the public to help gather important information about wildlife, forests, and streams and to strengthen the voice of conservation in their public lands. The restoration trips connect local community members to large-scale conservation projects occurring in their national forest. The projects include activities such as wildlife camera surveys to monitor habitat use of carnivores; surveys to investigate effects of forest roads on aquatic health; timber sale surveys to improve our work with timber harvest projects; beaver habitat surveys to identify distributions and reintroduction needs; huckleberry monitoring to gauge effects of forest thinning on huckleberry restoration; and riparian planting to improve aquatic habitat in the streams of the Cascade Range. Cascade Forest Conservancy also works with local schools to offer these stewardship opportunities to high school students in Portland and Vancouver.
Shiloh Halsey, Conservation Science Director with Cascade Forest Conservancy and trip leader for many of the trips, notes that “these trips offer a unique opportunity to get involved with conservation and to be part of broader scientific projects. Last year, we brought volunteers out to the Mount Adams area to locate old-growth ponderosa pine trees and identify priority areas for protection and restoration. It was a fun trip for folks and their work was used to improve the upcoming forest thinning project.”
If you are looking to head out to the forest on a mission, consider joining us for a trip to help restore habitat and collect important data about the streams, roads, and trees of Washington’s South Cascades. No prior experience is necessary. Our GPS Project video can be seen here (www.cascadeforest.org/get-involved) where you can also view trip dates and sign up![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

MINING PLAN THREATENS A MOUNT ST. HELENS RIVER

[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]

By Jared Kennedy for The Outdoor Project

In the heart of Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest and in the intermediate forest north of the Mount St. Helens blast zone, a pristine waterway will soon be lost if current mining plans are allowed to continue. Canadian mining company Ascot Resources, Ltd., is close to receiving the permits it needs to begin exploratory mining at the upper extent of the Green River watershed. This watershed runs through Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and continues its westward course to the Toutle River, ultimately providing drinking water to the communities on its path that include the towns of Castle Rock and Kelso, Washington.
[…]
Read the full article here: https://www.outdoorproject.com/blog-news/mining-plan-threatens-mount-st-helens-river[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Green River declared endangered

[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]

Group says it’s among nation’s most vulnerable due to proposed mining

By Dameon Pesanti, Columbian staff writer
“For the second time, a national rivers conservation organization has declared Southwest Washington’s Green River as one of the nation’s most endangered waterways due to proposed mining near its headwaters near Mount St. Helens.
“We’re talking about an industry that has been documented as the most polluting in the nation,” said David Moryc, a senior director with American Rivers. “When you’re thinking of siting a mine, place matters.”
American Rivers, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, calls the Green the sixth most endangered river in the U.S. because of a mining company’s plans to search for precious metals near the river’s headwaters at Goat Mountain, just north of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument boundary. The organization also called the river endangered in 2011.
In its report, the organization urges the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to deny the exploratory drilling permits and to protect the area from future mine proposals.”

Read the full article in The Columbian here:

http://www.columbian.com/…/13/green-river-declared-endange…/

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Tree poaching in the Gifford Pinchot

[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]

A great story has been released by High Country News about catching tree poachers in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest:  Busting the tree ring – How a landmark investigation unraveled a Washington timber-poaching gang.”How did an anonymous tip, DNA evidence and a century-old conservation law help the Forest Service take down a gang of maple poachers?”  Click here to read more: http://www.hcn.org/issues/49.5/busting-the-tree-ring

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row]