Organizations, Citizens Support Mining Ban in the Methow

Today Washington Wild, a member of the Methow Headwaters Campaign, joined 8 other conservation and recreation organizations urging the Forest Service to take immediate action upholding their commitment to a mineral withdrawal for the Methow Headwaters region of Washington State. You can still make your voice heard! Take Action here and urge the Forest Service to prevent mining in the Methow until 10/31/2016!

Photo Courtesy of Hannah Dewey

Nested on the east slope of the North Cascades just outside North Cascades National Park, the Methow Valley and Headwaters region of Washington is one of the state’s most popular destinations. The Methow offers exceptional recreation opportunities, is home to diverse wildlife and is the source of cool, clean waters for famers, residents and fish. Recently, mining interests have targeted the Methow Valley for exploratory drilling near Flagg Mountain as a preliminary step to developing a mine in the watershed.

The joint comment letter expressed the need to act quickly and protect the Methow from mining interests by officially starting the mineral withdrawal process by the end of the term and prevent facing down another exploratory drilling season on Flagg Mountain. Mining in the area could have harmful effects on clean water for fish and residents, as well as have negative impacts on recreation and tourism in the Methow Valley which brings nearly 1 million visitors to the area and more than $150 million annually to Okanogan County.

Additionally, Washington Wild and other organizations mobilized their members to generate hundreds of individual comments into the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service calling for an administrative ban on mining in the Methow Valley headwaters.

Read the joint comment letter.