the green river valley & Mount St. Helens:

No Place For A Mine

fIGHTING A PROPOSED OPEN-PIT MINE IN THE SHADOW OF MOUNT ST. HELENS (LAWETLAT'LA)

the Green River Valley alliance: A COALITION FIGHTING TO SAVE AN irreplaceable landscape

Since 2005, the Cascade Forest Conservancy and our partners have been working to protect the Green River Valley, near Mount St. Helens, from an open-pit hard rock mine. So far, we have stopped a series of permits for prospecting operations through lawsuits, coalition building, and advocacy. But, after each victory, our opponents filed new applications and received new permits. Fighting each new attempt to mine here won’t work forever. We need to protect this place from the threat of mining permanently.

The best way to do that is to secure a mineral withdrawal, a federal land management tool that prohibits mining activities within a set boundary. To accomplish our goal, CFC founded the Green River Valley Alliance campaign–a growing coalition of Tribes, businesses, organizations, and individuals working together to protect Mount St. Helens from mining for good!

Tell Congress you support a mineral withdrawal for the Green River Valley. Sign the Green River Valley Alliance’s petition today. Together we can ensure that Mount St. Helens and the Green River Valley are no place for a mine.

A mine in the Green River Valley would be:

A Threat to Water, Fish, and People

If the mine is built, polluted groundwater and potential tailing pond breaches of toxic mining waste would threaten the Green River and the life that depends on it. The Green River is an important habitat for many species, a gene bank for wild steelhead, and is eligible for a Wild and Scenic River designation. The Green River also flows into drinking water sources for thousands of people living along the North Fork Toutle River and Cowlitz River.

This area remains very seismically active, increasing the chances that a tailing pond breach will lead to a disaster for communities in SW Washington.

A Threat to Recreation

The construction of a mine in the Green River Valley would be a huge disappointment to the many hikers, cyclists, back-country horse riders, hunters, and anglers who come here to experience a beautiful and remote corner of the Cascades. Much of the area that would be impacted by mining was purchased by the Forest Service using funds designated to support conservation and recreation, but the mine would prevent or limit future recreation opportunities and negatively impact tourism, particularly in eastern Lewis County.

A Threat to old-growth

The mine would destroy some of the only old-growth stands in the area that survived the irresponsible clear-cut logging practices of the 20th century and the 1980 eruption. It is vital for the health of our climate and the survival of many iconic NW species to preserve the remaining stands of old-growth in the Cascades before they are gone forever.

SPEAK UP FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Since 1985, Cascade Forest Conservancy has been your voice speaking for the areas in and around the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southwest Washington. Join the 12,000 other members who support Cascade Forest Conservancy and are making a difference now.

News & Updates

NEWS RELEASE: CFC Objects to Upcoming Timber Sale In Gifford Pinchot National Forest

NEWS RELEASE | March 25, 2024 Vancouver, WA – Cascade Forest Conservancy, a Vancouver-based conservation nonprofit, is objecting to plans for the upcoming Yellowjacket timber sale, which will occur on national forest lands in Lewis and Skamania counties east of Mount St. Helens in the Camp Creek-Cispus River and Yellowjacket Creek watersheds. The conservation group...

HISTORIC NEW PROTECTIONS FOR THE GREEN RIVER

On December 18, the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) announced new rules designating portions of three waterways, the Cascade River, Napeequa River, and Skamania County’s Green River, as Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs). The new designations are the end result of a multi-year effort by several organizations, including Cascade Forest Conservancy, to safeguard some of Washington’s...

SALMON ARE ALREADY BENEFITING FROM HABITAT ENHANCEMENT AT STUMP CREEK

After building instream structures in a dry creek bed this past summer, we headed back to Stump Creek in early November to see how the structures faired following the first bout of rain. As we headed down to the project site, we saw new channels that had formed, sediment had built up behind structures, and...

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JUNE 20 IN VANCOUVER, WA