Last week a group of UNESCO scientists released a report that recommended all mining be suspended in the areas surrounding Glacier National Park. This conclusion has gone over well with locals on both the Canadian and US borders of the park, as it’s something they have been suggesting for quite some time. The report contained some very strong conclusions, including the statement that “there is no possibility whatsoever of proceeding with mining in the Canadian Flathead without having substantial impacts on the World Heritage Site,” according to Stephen Morris, the chief of international affairs for the National Park Service.
In 1995 the area was declared a World Heritage Site, and shares a border with Canada’s Waterton Lakes national park. The United States and Canada have teamed up to preserve the area’s natural resources and beauty. Being a World Heritage Site provides the best protection the area could possibly have. However, there are a few Canadian mining companies that are anxious to get at those valuable resources (gold, coal, and coalbed methane).
The suspension recommendation can be traced back to a petition signed by 400,000 people last year. As a result of the petition, UNESCO toured the area in September 2009 and began to piece together their current recommendations. However, the issue is not new to the area. The controversial mining can be traced back to the 1970s, with both sides of the issue bringing large coalitions. Fast forward to today and a recent study in Canada shows about eighty-percent are in favor of protecting the area. We’ll have to wait till July to learn more about the future of the area, when the field report is presented to the World Heritage Committee in Brazil.
For more information, check out last week’s article in the Missoulian.
[...] month we wrote about the recommendation to ban mining near Glacier National Park in British Columbia. The latest development of the issue was announced Monday–British [...]