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The Flathead River Valley is threatened by plans for mountain-top removal coal mining and other mining and energy development. Currently the BC government is considering one proposal by Cline Mining Corp to demolish a scenic Flathead mountain and remove 40 million tonnes of coal. Pollutants and slag from this strip mining operation will be dumped into Foisey Creek, a headwaters stream identified as critical spawning habitat for threatened bull trout. Other companies want to mine gold and drill for coal-bed methane in the Flathead Valley. For the past three years, because of these industrial threats, BC’s Outdoor Recreation Council has listed the trans-boundary Flathead River as one of BC’s most endangered rivers.

BC’s Flathead River Valley located in the southeast corner of the province.
National Geographic magazine calls the Flathead River Valley “one of the most diverse and ecologically intact natural ecosystems in the temperate zones of the world.”

Located in the southeast corner of BC and never settled, the Flathead River Valley teems with many species that are threatened elsewhere, including grizzlies, lynx, fishers, wolverines and gray wolves.

The Flathead, has the greatest diversity of plants in all of Canada, is compared to Africa’s Serengeti for its richness of plant species—more than 1,000 wildflower species alone. Water in the Flathead River is so pure that scientists use it as a benchmark by which to measure water quality in rivers around the world.

Threats to the Flathead River Valley

The Flathead River Valley is threatened by plans for mountain-top removal coal mining and other mining and energy development. Currently the BC government is considering one proposal by Cline Mining Corp to demolish a scenic Flathead mountain and remove 40 million tonnes of coal. Pollutants and slag from this strip mining operation will be dumped into Foisey Creek, a headwaters stream identified as critical spawning habitat for threatened bull trout.

Surface coal mining dramatically alters the landscape. Coal companies throughout Appalachia remove entire mountain tops to expose the coal below. The wastes are mostly dumped in valleys and streams.

In West Virginia, more than 300,000 acres of hardwood forests (half the size of Rhode Island) and 1,000 miles of streams have been destroyed by this practice.

Other companies want to mine gold and drill for coal-bed methane in the Flathead Valley.

What You Can Do?

Join Friends of the Flathead now!  It doesn’t cost anything to join.

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Sierra Club BC and Wildsight are campaigning to protect the lower one-third of the Flathead River Valley as a National Park. The Sierra Club BC wants to establish a Wildlife Management Area in the rest of the valley and adjoining habitat. Every voice counts!

Posted by JackBoyle on March 31, 2009 11:08:50
Filed in : Water Resources & Water Pollution, Ecosystems, Wildlife & Biodiversity, Air Pollution