Revett'Äôs proposed copper mine

Should we hide Yellowstone? Is this area’Äôs Ross Creek Cedar Grove in danger of being clear cut? Some of our last, best remaining protected places are being threatened. Some people view any part of our planet as another place to make money. They interpret protection as failure. The rest of us call pristine ground a gift for our souls, a blessing, and proof of good accomplishments.

Many live in Sanders County because of its many special qualities. Without them it’Äôs just like everywhere else. The least we residents can do is protect our homes from unreasonable harm. You protect everything special in your life, why not the place you live? We are very lucky to have such a spectacular neighborhood worth protecting. Revett’Äôs proposed unneeded copper mine would destroy the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness Area. This project would affect your life as a resident. What is your opinion? Why create a reason to fill the bars and highways? Why create a reason to increase highway traffic 150 to 200 percent? The noise would never stop ’Äî we would hear it 24 hours a day. Why destroy high mountain animal habitat? Why slaughter all the animals trying to cross the highways?

This proposed project is good proof of how badly outdated from reality to 1872 mining law is. Why destroy what could be a tourist trade? Avoid death, injury and safety violations that occur in other mines. Avoid polluting Rock Creek ’Äî an extremely important brown trout habitat. Avoid any more toxic mine waste dumped in Clark Fork River. The monster Butte and Anaconda mines dumped the worst toxic waste they had into the river for 130 years. The river has exceeded its duty and proper moral limits. I challenge you to find another American river treated as badly by the mining industry. Recently the Mill town dam was removed. It is depressingly curious how some blame the ones trying to help and not the ones who caused the damage in the first place. Weather changes could cause residents’Äô wells to dry up. The Clark Fork could be the only water left for our children.

Growth and development are unstoppable, but we can stop the worst way to do it.

L.J. LaBelle

Noxon