Bill protects Methow Headwaters from future mining Permanent protection from mining for the upper Methow Valley is only a presidential signature away from reality. The Methow Headwaters Protection Act, which would ban mining on approximately 531 square miles of U.S. Forest Service land in rugged mountains surrounding Mazama, was included in the legislative package of […]
Methow Headwaters campaign
BLM hosts public meeting on Headwaters mining withdrawal
Final step toward preserving USFS land A public meeting is set for next Tuesday (Nov. 13) at the Winthrop Barn on a proposal to prevent future mining on 340,079 acres in the upper Methow Valley. The meeting, hosted by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), begins at 6 p.m. Public input on the proposal […]
Public meeting set on Methow Headwaters mining withdrawal
A public meeting is set for Nov. 13 in Winthrop on a proposal to prevent future mining on 340,079 acres in the upper Methow Valley.
A new public comment period is also open until Nov. 13 on a proposed mineral withdrawal, which would protect the U.S. Forest Service land from mining for up to 20 years. The public meeting and comment period are among the final steps required for the withdrawal, which must get final approval from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Forest Service endorses mineral withdrawal for Methow headwaters
The effort to protect the upper Methow Valley watershed from future mining has reached a significant milestone, with the U.S. Forest Service recommending that a proposed mineral withdrawal go forward.
The Forest Service released an Environmental Assessment (EA) last week examining the impacts of removing 340,079 acres of Forest Service land in the upper valley from new mining activities for up to 20 years. Based on that EA and other information analyzed, the Forest Service supported withdrawing the land for 20 years “while Congress considers legislation to permanently withdraw the lands, and to protect the value of ecological and recreational resources of the Methow Valley.”
Federal official’s visit boosts Headwaters Campaign’s efforts
A key decision-maker in a process that would protect the upper Methow Valley from mining visited the valley last week to get a first-hand look at the land that is proposed for protection, and to hear about its value to the Methow Valley.
Joe Balash, assistant secretary for lands …
Headwaters Campaign message carried to D.C. by local delegates
Six months after a delegation of Methow Valley residents traveled to Washington, D.C., to urge progress on protecting the upper Methow Valley from mining, advocates were back in the nation’s capitol last month with the same message.
With a year-end deadline approaching to complete key steps in …
Newhouse makes strong push for headwaters protection
Several key steps must be accomplished in the next 10 months if 342,079 acres of Forest Service land at the headwaters of the Methow River is to gain protection from future mining.
The Methow Headwaters campaign, a local grassroots organization, has worked for the past two …
Methow delegation in D.C. to promote Headwaters protection
Advocating for protection of the upper Methow Valley from future mining, a three-person delegation from the valley traveled to Washington, D. C., last week to meet with Congressional representatives and federal agency officials.
The goal of the trip was to push for progress on a …
Public comments sought on headwaters protection proposal
The public is invited to submit comments during the next month on a proposal that would protect more than 340,000 acres of federal land in the upper Methow Valley from mining.
The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest is beginning an environmental analysis of a proposed mineral withdrawal …
Methow Headwaters protection from mining included in federal legislation
By Ann McCreary Federal legislation aimed at protecting more than 340,000 acres in the upper Methow Valley has been included as part of a larger bill called the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017. The Energy and Natural Resources Act, introduced last week by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, […]
