Raise your voice: tell congress this is no place for a mine
Protect the Green River Valley by Mount St. Helens from the threat of mining!
Help protect the Green River Valley from the threat of an open-pit mine! This area is beloved for its natural beauty and provides incredible outdoor recreation opportunities for hikers, bikers, horseback riders, hunters, and anglers! A mine could devastate the Green River, damage the surrounding old-growth forest, and cause great harm to the health and economies of downstream communities. Please sign our petition asking Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Maria Cantwell, and Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler to support a mineral withdrawal for the Green River, thus prohibiting mineral activity in this area and protecting this incredible landscape.
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Note: signing the petition will take you to a thank you page on the Green River Valley Alliance webpage.
To: Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Maria Cantwell, & Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler
Dear Sen. Murray, Sen. Cantwell, and Rep. Herrera Beutler,
Ascott Resources Ltd., a Canadian mining company, has been seeking permits to conduct exploratory drilling for copper, gold, and molybdenum in the Green River Valley bordering the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. If this mine becomes a reality, the environmental, cultural, and economic impacts to southwest Washington could be catastrophic.
The Green River Valley is no place for a mine!
Read the full petition text
People come from around the region and the world to enjoy world-class hiking, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, backcountry horseback riding, and other recreation opportunities which help fuel the local economy.
The Green River is eligible to be a Wild & Scenic River candidate and provides fresh drinking water to downstream communities as it flows into the North Fork Toutle River and on to the Cowlitz River. The river is also a designated wild steelhead gene bank, offering critical spawning and rearing habitat for this iconic species.
This land is culturally and spiritually significant to the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and the Confederated Tribes of the Yakama Nation. Mount St. Helens (Lawetlat’la) is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural Property of the Cowlitz people due to its significance in traditional beliefs and cultural identity. Both the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and the Yakama Nation oppose the proposed mine.
We, the undersigned concerned citizens, are asking you to support the Green River Valley Alliance in their efforts to secure a legislative mineral withdrawal for the Green River Valley. This designation would end the threat of mining by prohibiting mineral extraction within the boundaries of the roughly 46,000 acre withdrawal. This designation would not impose any additional restrictions on other activities allowed in the area. By supporting this effort, you would be supporting our vision of the future where the Green River Valley by Mount St. Helens is able to continue to inspire and be enjoyed for many years to come.Â
The construction of an open-pit mine neighboring Mount St. Helens would be disastrous for the environment, put public health at risk, and would devastate outdoor recreation opportunities. With your support on Capitol Hill, we will secure a mineral withdrawal, put a stop to this mine, and permanently protect this beautiful and vitally important part of Washington. Together, we will ensure that the Green River Valley is #NoPlaceForAMine!