5/1 - Latest Loho Blues
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