Tag Archives: British Columbia

BC government signs order banning resource extraction activity in Canadian Flathead

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The government of British Columbia has signed an order that apparently bans mining and other resource extraction activity in the Canadian Flathead watershed. The Missoulian has a good write-up, including a map . . .

British Columbia’s government has formalized its promise to protect wildlands north of Glacier National Park, signing a legislative order that effectively bans mining in the Canadian Flathead.

Called the Flathead Watershed Area Order, the law signed Tuesday completely reverses a longstanding land-use plan for the area, which gave drilling and mining primacy over all other uses.

Read the entire article . . .

More coverage of BC’s North Fork mining and energy development ban

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We’re starting to see more — and more detailed — coverage of British Columbia’s decision to forgo resource extraction activities in the Canadian Flathead River Valley. Two good articles appeared today.

The Daily Inter Lake did a nice, balanced job . . .

The lieutenant governor of British Columbia announced Tuesday that all types of mining and oil and gas development “will not be permitted” in the province’s portion of the Flathead Valley.

It was news that was well received in Montana.

Read the entire article . . .

Unsurprisingly, the Environmental News Service write-up was a bit heavier on quotes from various environmental outfits, but also includes considerable background information . . .

Mining and drilling for oil, gas and coal will be banned in the Canadian portion of the Flathead River Basin, under a new partnership with the state of Montana announced Tuesday in British Columbia’s Speech from the Throne, an annual address that identifies the Province’s legislative priorities for the coming year.

British Columbia Lieutenant Governor Steven Point declared, “A new partnership with Montana will sustain the environmental values in the Flathead River Basin in a manner consistent with current forestry, recreation, guide outfitting and trapping uses. It will identify permissible land uses and establish new collaborative approaches to transboundary issues.”

Read the entire article . . .

BC declares North Fork off limits to mining & energy development

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In the annual “Throne Speech,” British Columbia Lt. Gov. Steven Point declared the Canadian portion of the Flathead River Valley off limits to mining and energy extraction. Assuming no subtle weasel-wording, this means B.C. just shut the door to activities such as coal and gold mining and coalbed methane development in the Canadian North Fork. Word is, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer will be flying to Vancouver, B.C., next week to sign a memorandum of understanding committing both the state and the province to work towards the same goals for the Flathead River Basin on their respective sides of the border.

Currently, the Missoulian has the most detailed coverage . . .

British Columbia Lt. Gov. Steven Point declared the Canadian portion of the Flathead River Valley off limits to mining and energy extraction in a speech to his parliament on Tuesday.

Citing a new partnership with Montana, Point said the Flathead River Basin would be managed for existing types of forestry, recreation, guide outfitting and trapping uses.

Read the entire article . . .

The Flathead Beacon has an Associated Press write-up . . .

British Columbia’s government said Tuesday it will not permit mining or drilling in a remote valley along the Montana border that companies have been trying to develop for 25 years.

Read the entire article . . .

Ninth World Wildlife Congress addresses Transboundary Flathead threats

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Here’s an item your friendly web-weenie meant to post earlier. Alas, the press of business sometimes interferes with such things…

The resource development threats to the Canadian Flathead, and the Trans-boundary Flathead in general, have become a bit of a cause célèbre. Enough so, that they were a significant point of concern at the 9th World Wilderness Congress (“Wild9”) held in Merida, Mexico last month. The World Wilderness Congress is not some annual meet-and-greet; it’s a major international event. The one in Merida was only the ninth such meeting since 1977.

Two items from Wild9 are of particular interest to efforts to protect the Transboundary Flathead.

The first is a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on “Cooperation for Wilderness Conservation between the U.S., Canada and Mexico.” According to an announcement sent out by Dave Hadden of Headwaters Montana, “The MOU establishes a voluntary framework for cooperation and coordination of parks and wilderness areas important for conserving wildlife of all three nations. Further, the MOU establishes a fresh, new benchmark for transboundary cooperation and provides an excellent opportunity for Canada and the U.S. to apply the principals of the MOU to finding a solution the Transboundary Flathead.” National Geographic has a good write-up on the provisions of the MOU.

Wild9 delegates also passed a resolution targeted specifically at the Canadian Flathead. Again, letting Dave do most of the work: “Wild 9 delegates unanimously passed ‘Resolution 5‘ calling for ‘the Governments of Canada and British Columbia to take action for the protection of the Flathead River Valley and wildlife connectivity in Canada’s Southern Rocky Mountains’.”

Gold mining threat to North Fork growing

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Uh, oh. It appears the threat of a gold mining operation in the trans-boundary North Fork is growing. From today’s online edition of the Missoulian . . .

Expanded gold exploration north of Glacier National Park has Montana interests worried about downstream environmental and economic impacts.

“The mining company has apparently made a business decision that investment in the Canadian Flathead may bear fruit for them,” said Will Hammerquist of the National Parks Conservation Association. Hammerquist called the gold exploration “just one more example of an industrial land use that fails to recognize the importance of this area.”

Located about 10 miles north of the Montana border, the mining zone drains south into the North Fork Flathead River. That waterway forms the western edge of Glacier Park before spilling into Flathead Lake.

For decades, the two countries have battled over Canadian coal mining proposals, often pulling the federal governments into the fray.

Read the entire article . . . [link repaired]

Flathead Coalition review pans BP’s environmental study

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The Flathead Coalition is less than amused at BP-Canada’s approach to environmental science. They don’t think much of British Columbia’s fox-guarding-the-henhouse rules for conducting environmental studies, either.

A press release pubished today by Citizens Concerned About Coalbed Methane summarizes the issue . . .

The Flathead Coalition announced today that its internal evaluation of BP-Canada Energy Company’s environmental science demonstrates bias toward understating the likely environmental impact of its proposed Mist Mountain CBM project.

The Mist Mountain CBM project is being planned by BP-Canada for the Crowsnest Coalfield area that spans the Elk River and Flathead River hydrologic divide. The B.C. government granted tenure last December for the Elk Valley portions of the coalfield. BP says it plans to start exploratory drilling in early 2010, though it may commence sooner.

Read the entire article . . .

Endangered river designation for North Fork draws more coverage

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The Flathead Beacon posted a tardy, but well-written article covering both of  the North Fork’s recent “endangered river” designations . . .

As the threat of large-scale mining continues to bear down on the headwaters of the Flathead River Basin – and as funding for conservation research hits a snag – Ric Hauer believes the North Fork Flathead River’s recent designation as one of the most endangered rivers in North America arrives with appropriate timing.

Read the entire article . . .

Blankenship press outing discusses endangered North Fork

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The Hungry Horse News has a nice article about a press conference held at Blankenship to discuss American River’s listing of the North Fork as one of the ten most endangered rivers in the U.S.

Here’s the lead . . .

On a bright blue day at Blankenship black bugs come off the water and land on your head and arms and hat. They would be annoying if they weren’t such a good omen, because these black bugs are no ordinary bugs.

They’re stoneflies and they make their living in the tiny cracks between the rocks of the North Fork of the Flathead River. They’re annoying to us, maybe. But to trout they’re like candy. To trout they’re food staple.

Stoneflies in a river mean it’s clean and pure and unpolluted. Because streams that are polluted have sediments and filth that fill those cracks between the rocks that ultimately choke out the stoneflies entirely.

Put a coal mine along a stream and that’s what gets squeezed out first — the stoneflies from sediment washing into the river…

Read the entire article . . .

Flathead’s North Fork makes another ‘most endangered’ list

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Following up on our earlier post about about the North Fork Flathead River making the American Rivers organization’s list of “America’s Most Endangered Rivers,” here’s the Missoulian’s write-up, which includes some additional information . . .

The North Fork Flathead River, a wild waterway forming the western edge of Glacier National Park, has recently been listed as one of the most endangered rivers in North America.

Canadian coal mine proposals and plans for coalbed methane and gold exploration all threaten the North Fork’s headwaters, according to both U.S. and Canadian watchdogs.

“Countries may recognize borders, but rivers don’t, and pollution doesn’t stop at the border,” said Will Hammerquist of the National Parks Conservation Association. His group, along with the Flathead Coalition, recently nominated the North Fork for inclusion in “America’s Most Endangered Rivers.”

Read the entire article . . .

North Fork fifth on US endangered rivers list

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Today’s Daily Inter Lake reports that the North Fork Flathead River ranks fifth on American Rivers’  2009 list of endangered rivers due to the threats posed by resource development in the Canadian Flathead.

Here’s the lead . . .

An “indefinite opportunity” for coal mining and other resource development in Canada has put the North Fork Flathead River on a list of the nation’s 10 most endangered rivers.

American Rivers, the country’s leading river conservation organization, ranks the North Fork fifth on its 2009 list.

Read the entire article . . .