3 minute read
Stopping Mines in Greater Yellowstone 40 YEARS
1872
General Mining Act is signed into law on May 10.
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1996
GYC stops a Canadian Mining Company from mining near Cooke City, Montana, halting a threat to Yellowstone National Park and the Wild & Scenic Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River.
2018
20-year Administrative Mineral Withdrawal is signed to protect public lands from mining north of Yellowstone.
2019
Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act signed into law, protecting 30,370 acres of public lands from mining, forever.
2020
The Montana Supreme Court rules in favor of GYC and our partners to reject Lucky Minerals’ permit to explore for gold in Paradise Valley, citing a loophole in state law that violates the constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment.
2021
Second Draft Environmental Assessment for Kilgore Gold Exploration Project in Idaho released for public comment. GYC and our partners find it lacking in substantive environmental review for impacts to water quality and trout.
2023
GYC announces legacy campaign to buy out Crevice Mining Group, LLC, and fully extinguish the threat of mining north of Yellowstone, once and for all.
1872
Yellowstone Protection Act is signed into law on March 1.
1983
Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC) is formed.
2016
Two-year Administrative Mineral Withdrawal (ban on mining) is signed to protect public lands from mining north of Yellowstone.
2019
GYC and its partners win a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service, which permitted the Kilgore Gold Exploration Project. The court ruled the agency failed to examine the project’s potential impacts to water quality and Yellowstone cutthroat trout.
2021
GYC quietly negotiates with Crevice Mining Group to halt mining activities on the northern boundary of Yellowstone.
2023+
GYC’s work continues to stop the Kilgore Gold Exploration Project. GYC also completes the buyout of the mine proposed on Crevice Mountain.
*graphic not to scale
Read more about GYC’s 40-year legacy and our recent accomplishments at GREATERYELLOWSTONE.ORG/ BLOG
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Upcoming Events
We are gathering in various communities across the region this summer. We hope you can join us! greateryellowstone.org/events
Aug. 8 | Cody, WY
Meet new staff! Hear from our executive director.
Aug. 9 | Lander, WY
49 Tribes, and the park draws millions of visitors each year who come to witness awe-inspiring lands and iconic wildlife. People who love Yellowstone come from all nations, political affiliations, and backgrounds.
At GYC, we see firsthand the power of Yellowstone to bring people together. One of our core principles is to work with all people to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Alongside activists, ranchers, scientists, politicians, business owners, and everyday community members, we have fought and won campaigns against toxic mining proposals that would have forever altered the face of Yellowstone if they had been allowed to proceed.
When President Clinton (D) came to the region in 1996 to mark the victory against the New Word Mine proposed near Cooke City, Montana, he coined the phrase “Yellowstone is more valuable than gold.” For years, the threat of toxic mine waste loomed over the Yellowstone River and its Wild and Scenic tributary, the Clarks Fork. Stopping the mine was hard work, but our dogged approach showed the power of a group of passionate people who just won’t quit. After all, everyone involved knew that Yellowstone was worth the fight.
Two decades later, mining proposals again galvanized local communities and led to Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Interior during the Obama Administration, enacting a two-year ban on mining north of Yellowstone. This was followed up in the next administration by Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke enacting a 20-year ban. At the time, he was quoted as saying, “I love hard rock mining, but there are places to mine and places not to mine.”
In 2019, GYC, National Parks Conservation Association, Park County Environmental Council, and local business leaders united to advocate for the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act. With bi-partisan support from Montana Senators Jon Tester (D) and Steve Daines (R), and Representative Greg Gianforte (R), President Trump (R) signed the act into law, permanently protecting 30,370 acres of public land north of Yellowstone from gold mining.
Yellowstone has the power to unite, even in times of deep division. GYC is committed to working with all people who care about this region, now and in the future.
Meet new staff! Hear from our executive director.
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We hope you enjoy receiving this biannual update. We want to honor your generosity and commitment to GYC by keeping in close touch with you. Please let us know how you prefer to hear from us by calling 406.586.1593 or emailing us at gyc@greateryellowstone.org. In the meantime, learn about other efforts to protect the region online: THANK YOU for all you do for Greater Yellowstone’s lands, waters, and wildlife, now and for future generations.
