Flathead Valley mining ban “good first step” but national park still needed, environmentalist says
Submitted by admin on October 4, 2011 - 22:10
Chloe O’Loughlin is welcoming the B.C. Liberal government’s “huge announcement” that it plans to legislate a ban on mining and oil and gas development in the Flathead River Valley.
But the Vancouver-based environmentalist cautions that the move is just a “good first step”, as more needs to be done to ensure the area in the province’s southeastern corner is protected.
O’Loughlin, the director of terrestrial conservation for the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, told the Straight that for decades environmentalists have been calling for the permanent preservation of the Flathead Valley.
“It’s where, in the Rocky Mountains, the wildlife and flora from the Pacific, from the Prairies, from the Arctic, and from Yellowstone, they all meet in the Flathead,” O’Loughlin said by phone. “So, it’s really rich in flowers. It’s really rich in animals. It’s got the most number of grizzly bears in that part of North America. If you’re in the Flathead, you’re probably within a kilometre of a grizzly bear, and it’s not protected.”
Chloe O’Loughlin is welcoming the B.C. Liberal government’s “huge announcement” that it plans to legislate a ban on mining and oil and gas development in the Flathead River Valley.
But the Vancouver-based environmentalist cautions that the move is just a “good first step”, as more needs to be done to ensure the area in the province’s southeastern corner is protected.
O’Loughlin, the director of terrestrial conservation for the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, told the Straight that for decades environmentalists have been calling for the permanent preservation of the Flathead Valley.
“It’s where, in the Rocky Mountains, the wildlife and flora from the Pacific, from the Prairies, from the Arctic, and from Yellowstone, they all meet in the Flathead,” O’Loughlin said by phone. “So, it’s really rich in flowers. It’s really rich in animals. It’s got the most number of grizzly bears in that part of North America. If you’re in the Flathead, you’re probably within a kilometre of a grizzly bear, and it’s not protected.”
