Hi Everyone, it’s sad, but true. County has voted to begin mining at Lost Horse. Little to no numbers, cost comparisons, scope, impacts, or boundaries have been described. Bottom line is that the County Commissioners don’t care about recreation, climbers, the recreational value of the canyon and nor does the FS. Their goal is purely resource extraction for financial gain, with 8-10 other projects (no detail, no scope) also proposed.
Write to Dave Bull and the other folks below, send your letters to the Ravalli Republic and Bitterroot Star. Dave has given us an ear in the past. Impress upon him the high recreational value of this site. Our hope is that he will take that into consideration and limit the impact of mining at the site. Use the email addresses below if easiest for you. Tell the respective people that Lost Horse Canyon is a valuable recreational site that you use. Further industrialization and therefore degradation of the canyon, in the form of active rip/rap and road rock mining for financial gain is counter-productive to the high recreation value in that canyon. Be clear that you are against further mining in the canyon, that other sources of rock are available that do not conflict with high use, high value recreation. Demand that the County and Forest Service recognize your recreational use of the canyon. We are not against resource extraction, but we are against it when it conflicts with a high use, high value area. See the latest news story below for more information.
Thank you for your effort and support
“Ya gotta freakin fight for everything!”
BCC
WRITE LETTERS!
Dave Bull, Forest Supervisor, Bitterroot National Forest
1801 North 1st Street
Hamilton, MT 59840 59840
dbull@fs.fed.us.
Ravalli County Commissioner
C/o Glenda Wiles, Administrative Assistant
Ravalli County Commissioners Office
215 S. 4th Street, Suite A
Hamilton, MT 59840
commissioners@ravallicounty.mt.gov
Senator Max Baucus
Missoula Field Office
1821 South Avenue West, Suite 203
Missoula, MT 59801
(406) 329-3123
www.baucus.senate.gov
Senator Jon Tester
Missoula Field Office
116 West Front Street Missoula, MT 59802
(406) 728-3003
www.tester.senate.gov
Congressman Denny Rehberg
Kelly McQuiston, Field Representative
301 East Broadway, Suite 2
Missoula, MT 59802
(406) 543-9550
www.house.gov/rehberg
THE MISSOULIAN
oped@missoulian.com
Letters to the Editor
PO Box 8029
Missoula, MT 59807
www.missoulian.com
The Bitterroot Star newspaper
thestar@montana.com
Ravalli Republic Newspaper
editor@ravallirepublic.com
05/01/08
Lost Horse quarry reopened by commission
by ANTHONY QUIRINI – Ravalli Republic
The Lost Horse Quarry issue reared its head again, despite immense public opposition to halt any action at the site in the past.
On Wednesday, Ravalli County commissioners agreed to let the county road department take 1,000-cubic yards of rock from the Lost Horse Quarry to be used for rip-rap near a new bridge being built on Kootenai Creek Road.
The commission voted 4-0 to extract the rock. Commissioner Kathleen Driscoll abstained from the vote, similar to when the issue came before the commission in 2007.
The commission said the rock would save the county thousands of dollars and if the county didn’t come up with the rock, the grant money from the bridge project would be pulled.
Also, Commissioner Carlotta Grandstaff said that during past hearings citizens were opposed to the rock crushing, not just taking rock from the quarry.
According to Ravalli County Road Supervisor David Ohnstad, the department will not be using any crushers or explosives to extract the rock and the project should take a week. The rock will be taken from 500 to 600 feet west of the quarry’s access road, and in another location 100 feet north toward a vertical rock wall, Ohnstad said.
Forty-three truckloads of rock will be hauled from the quarry. There is no date for when the project will begin.
For the 15 or so citizens who attended the meeting, which was posted on Monday, the resurrection of the issue wasn’t well accepted.
Residents who live in the canyon have serious concerns about the truck traffic and safety concerns.
“Safety is my biggest concern,” J.C. Howell said in an interview after the meeting. “But the biggest problem I have today is we will be hearing this conversation a year from now.”
During the meeting, the Forest Service hinted that it will be looking at the quarry for additional projects down the road, a topic that raises citizens’ hackles.
“So, in a year from now are we looking at the quarry being used for crushing?” Tori Nobles asked the commission and Forest Service officials.
Kent Miller of the Bitterroot National Forest said it’s a possibility the agency will use the quarry for more rock and rock crushing.
Recreational users, primarily rock climbers, are opposed to quarry being used. The rock in the quarry is hard, clean granite with many natural features which make it an ideal climbing area.
When the quarry issue first arose it prompted climbers to organize to keep the quarry for recreational use. Climbers formed the Bitterroot Climbing Coalition.
“In our opinion it is a very valuable recreational area and it has a high use for residents in the county,” Steve Porcella of the BCC said. “The value they think they are getting out of that quarry is counter productive to recreational use.”
Porcella is the western Montana coordinator for the Access Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving climbing environments for rock climbing, mountain climbing and bouldering.
“We want to work with landowners regardless if they are public or private to represent the sport or to mitigate or deal with impacts to areas,” Porcella said.
This past weekend climbers cleaned up garbage, gun shells and spray paint off boulders in the area.
Last fall, a number of recreation users created a proposal to upgrade the quarry, placing a toilet, dumpster and signs to deter off-road damage to the environment. The funds would have come from federal payments to the county, but that proposal barely failed because of the plan’s location for the toilet, Porcella said.
Four weeks ago recreational users met with the Forest Service to try to work out a solution.
“All we were asking for is input on what they’re thinking,” Porcella said. “I understand that the county has constant and forever rock needs, but I think it’s dependent upon the county and Forest Service to get their resources in a place that doesn’t have a conflict with a valuable recreational area.”
As well, the canyon is popular for bikers, hikers and fisherman – all of which may be impacted with heavy truck traffic.
“Frankly, from a Forest Service perspective this goes against everything they are trying to accomplish – for this to be a premier recreation area,” Howell said.
Others questioned Ohnstad’s numbers.
“It seems like we’re hearing erroneous numbers again,” Mark Bearman said during the meeting.
In 2007 the Ravalli County commission was deadlocked 2-2 on a vote to re-open the quarry. Commissioner Driscoll abstained from voting, saying she wanted to review Ohnstad’s numbers.
After researching those numbers, Driscoll was ready to vote, but the commission indefinitely tabled the issue after dozens upon dozens of citizens protested the issue.
The Forest Service is supposed to conduct an analysis on how to mitigate dust and road issues, officials said. At this point, many questions remain – such as when it will occur and what residents and recreational users can expect.
“There’s a bigger picture in this thing,” Driscoll pointed out. “Is this the only time we’re going in there?”
Reporter Anthony Quirini can be reached at 363-3300 or aquirini@ravallirepublic.com
Continue Reading…
Posted by Steve Porcella on May 01, 2008
Hi folks, I have pasted the latest news on Lost Horse, which appeared in the Ravalli Republic this week. Not sure where the reporter got her information, many errors in the article, for example, it was a new 5 year proposal for rip-rap that was on the table for the vote. The 10 yr proposal was voted against months ago by Driscoll. Also, in the article it appears to be a back door-like arrangement is being implemented to avoid the negative public reaction. Myself and others, Jimmy, Bob Oset, Access Fund, ... are drafting a big document to propose permanent non-use of the Lost Horse Quarry, re-hab of the site and dedication of the site as a climber rec. area, to be supported by local climbers/users and the Lost Horse Land Owners. In other words, a partnership with rec. users and FS. More later
Cheers,
Steve
Council tables Lost Horse quarry discussion
by JENNY HARRIS – Ravalli Republic
Ravalli County commissioners recently put the decision to re-open Lost Horse Quarry to rest.After six months of discussion, a unanimous 4-0 vote indefinitely tabled a proposal to re-open Lost Horse Quarry for county rock and gravel use.Commissioners Kathleen Discroll, Carlotta Grandstaff, Greg Chilcott and Alan Thompson supported the decision, while commissioner Jim Rokosch was absent.“We couldn’t come to an agreement on how to proceed,” Grandstaff said. “We were faced with overwhelming public opposition, not only from across the valley, but out-of-state as well.”
“We know indefinitely tabling something, to some people, may seem an interesting way of handling the issue,” Grandstaff said. “The fact is, by tabling this, we are allowing the county the possibility to obtain rip-rap from the quarry when needed, rather than approving 10 years of use.”The county could at some point come to an agreement with the Bitterroot National Forest to use material from the quarry.“The approval to begin hauling 125,000-cubic yards of material, couldn’t be justified,” she said. “Those numbers seemed too high and it made more sense to allow the county to enter into an agreement with the Forest Service on an as-needed basis.”Ravalli County Road and Bridge Supervisor Dave Ohnstad said he’s looking forward to continue working with commissioners when the county needs certain material.“There’s value in what we proposed and we hope we can find accommodations,” he said.The Ravalli County Road and Bridge Department’s proposal was detailed in a 22-page plan that requested the use of the Lost Horse Quarry for a period of 10 years. According to the plan, the total area of the proposed mine was approximately 4.9 acres.The plan stated an average of 15,000 tons of hard aggregate per day was expected to be extracted during operations, and the quarry would operate between mid-October and mid-April, Monday through Friday, from approximately 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Bitterroot National Forest would allow the county to take raw materials from the Lost Horse mine for free, and the county would not charge the Forest Service for the aggregate it gets to keep from the mine.“Our decision still allows the possibility of an agreement between the Forest Service and the county,” Grandstaff said. “But only when the county finds a need to gather a certain amount of rip-rap for certain projects.”Approximately 15,000-cubic yards of material was expected to be extracted from the quarry each year over the 10-year period and a total of approximately 125,000 to 150,000 cubic yards of material was expected to be extracted over the life of the mine.The proposal outlined equipment and activities at the quarry to include a crushing plant, conveyors, screens, a hydraulic excavator, dump trucks, a 7-cubic-yard loader and potentially one smaller loader and a diesel-powered portable generating plant.The plan also stated that during the operation of the mine, Ravalli County Road and Bridge Department would increase the level of service for Lost Horse Road n something that drew a host of negative public comment regarding recreational use.Reporter Jenny Harris can be reached at 363-3300 or at jharris@ravallirepublic.com
Continue Reading…
Posted by Steve Porcella on Jan 18, 2008
A decision will be rendered by the Ravalli County Commissioners by a vote on Jan. 11th at 9:00AM, on the new Lost Horse Proposal submitted by the Road Dept’s Dave Olhnstad and the Forest Service. Meeting location is 215 S. 4th Street, Suite A in the old Daly Hospital Building. Go up front steps, through front doors, climb another series of steps to the meeting room.
Currently there are three or more County Commissioners in favor of the new proposal, which is 5 yrs or more in length, involves 125 trucks or more per year, creates an industrial site, and will negatively affect and impact all climbing, recreation, travel and living in the area. We are trying to get as many people as possible to the County Commissioners office that morning to have a show of strength against this proposal and vote. Get there at 8:45 if you can, we hope it will be standing room only. We really need everyone there. Bring anyone you can think of.
See the information below for the latest.
Continue Reading…
Posted by Steve Porcella on Jan 07, 2008
After Kathleen Driscoll (Ravalli County Commissioner) finally decided to cast her tie-brteaking vote, (she had abstained as the tie breaker for more than 3 months), she voted against the 10yr quarry proposal submitted by the Ravalli County Road Department (Dave Ohnstadt) and the Forest Service out the Darby office (Supt. Chuck Oliver). Therefore, Driscoll, Grandstaff and Rokosch (all county commisioners, 3/5 total) comprised the majority vote against the proposal, with Thompson and Chilcott still supporting it. Within about a month, Dave Ohnstadt then
submitted a scaled down proposal that is as follows as described by Commissioner Carlotta Grandstaff:
- The Forest Service is contributing between $30,000 and $35,000 to the county road dept. for this project. This is apparently money that was left over from another FS project somewhere in the county. The money must be obligated by Aug. 31, 2008.
- The armor rock, or rip rap, the road dept. proposes to take out of the quarry will be used to stabilize the new bridge at Kootenai Creek that washed out in Nov. 2006. Dave estimates he’ll need 860 cubic yards for that project. The total cost for the replacement is $90,000, half of which will be funded by the Treasure State Endowment Program; the other 50% will be an in-kind match consisting of the armor rock. He also proposes to use armor rock on the Rye Creek road sediment reduction project, the Edwards Road project and routine, ongoing maintenance.
- The elevation of the quarry floor won’t change.
- The rock crusher will be brought to the quarry in the spring of 2008 and will crush rock for 4-6 weeks. The gravel will be stockpiled at the quarry to be used by the FS and the road dept. to lay down a half-foot of gravel on Lost Horse Road from the end of the pavement to the Lick Creek turn-off. The only other work anticipated on Lost Horse Road is possible replacement of one culvert.
- The FS is proposing maintenance of Schumaker Campground at Twin Lakes over two seasons: the summer of 2008 and the summer of 2009. They will get the gravel for this project from either the Lost Horse quarry or from some other, as-yet-unidentified source. If from the latter, it will, of course, have to be trucked up the road from the highway to the site.
- The gravel crushed at the quarry will be stockpiled on site for a period of 10 years. Estimated number of truck trips on Lost Horse Road is 125 trips per year.
- Crushing operations would be limited to Sept. 1 to Nov. 30 for a maximum five years. However, Dave anticipates he may only need to crush rock the one time – in the spring of 2008 for that 4-6 week period described above. If he does need to return during that Sept.-Nov. period, he anticipates returning only once.
- This has not yet been placed on the agenda for decision.
Hope this answers all your questions.
Carlotta
So, what now?
First, we believe that this scaled down proposal is just an attempt to get their feet back into that old quarry, where once in, they will never leave. Also, no discussion on restrictions to the site during operation is mentioned. No mention of impact to climbers. Also, no cost analysis numbers have been provided for this new proposal. In other words, if local quarry operators are offering the same or better rock at less cost than what it would take to get it out of Lost Horse and processed, why is that not included or acknowledged? Talking with the Lost Horse Land Owners,
and others, we are all pretty disappointed that Carlotta is now supporting the new proposal for the Road Dept. and the Forest Service. It’s a shock quite frankly because she was one of the most vocal opponents previously. Rumors circulate that it is because she is now good friends with the Lost Horse Lodge Owner who has been aggressively pursuing improvement of the Lost Horse road to make his business more profitable. Also, apparently, Carlotta is using the argument that we need to support our partner the Forest Service because they are a good neighbor. Since when do county Tax Payer dollars support the FS? Also, workers within the County road department say the Road Dept. has not been in the RipRap business for 5-10 years and even they say this smells fishy. Lastly, as mentioned above, local quarry owners have offered to sell the county and FS rip rap or road rock for less than what it costs to mine, process, and transport it out of Lost Horse. Surprisingly, Carlotta and the other commissioners and Road Dept and FS continue to push their agenda while ignoring this alternative. We have written too many letters, sent free copies of the new Lost Horse guide book to all of them, to no avail. We all agree that the best argument is to continue to argue that county taxpayer dollars should not support the FS, the Lost Horse Lodge and rebuilding of FS roads, given that the County is
always broke, and in the process of enacting impact fees on all development. Therefore, the Lost Horse Quarry operation is not an appropriate use of tax payer dollars.
What can we do? Everyone must continue to write to the County commissioners, particularly, Carlotta Grandstaff, Jim Rokosch and Kathleen Driscoll to stop this waste of taxpayer dollars and side with the recreationalists and property owners who are against this new proposal. Here is the address for writing those letters:
Glenda Wiles, Administrative Assistant
Ravalli County Commissioners Office
215 S. 4th Street, Suite A
Hamilton, MT 59840
Please emphasize that County Taxpayer dollars must not be spent on FS roads. Also, you can mention any of the points above and remind the Commissioners, that if they vote in favor of this new proposal, we will go to the news media to point out these issues and problems, which won’t look good for them, and could impact their re-election efforts.
Please also send your letters to the Ravalli Republic (send to: editor@ravallirepublic.com ) and BitterrootStar (send to: thestar@montana.com ).
Continue Reading…
Posted by Steve Porcella on Jan 03, 2008
