BC Protects Glacier National Park

With the Flathead Valley being one of the topics that we are going to be discussing after reading break, I thought that I would start my first blog post with a story about it.






Feb. 9th marked a day that many hoping for the protection of the Flathead had been waiting for. British Columbia's Lt. Gov. Steven Point announced that a new plan would be worked on with the state of Montana in which "mining, oil and gas development and coalbed gas extraction will not be permitted in British Columbia's Flathead Valley". This new plan effectively kills any future plans for mineral and energy exploration in the area.

This plan also halts any future development of the "Crowsnest" gold deposit. This was started in 2009 when MAX Resource Corp. found gold in the valley. President Stuart Rogers says that he is disappointed in the announcement after the great results they had seen in the past year, he also stated that they will be seeking compensation.

This news has been welcomed with open arms by environmental groups, but are waiting to see the full details of the plan. They are happy though that this plan signals a shift away from the original plan which had a huge focus on mining. Their hope for the future of the Flathead Valley is to see it become a National Park