Coal mine threat to Glacier draws United Nations attention

A United Nations delegation will travel to Glacier National Park and the North Fork to see for itself the threats of mining and coal bed methane development could have on the Park.

Meeting in Spain last week the 21-member United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's World Heritage Committee voted unanimously to send a mission to Waterton-Glacier and the Canadian Flathead.

American and Canadian interests were in Spain last week to lobby UNESCO to list Glacier as a "World Heritage Site in Danger" — a dubious distinction as Glacier nears its 100th birthday.

Will Hammerquist, the Glacier representative of the National Park Conservation Association and Ryland Nelson, of the Canadian environmental organization Wildsight, testified in front of the panel.

"This is a good step forward," Hammerquist said Tuesday. "The goal is a long-term solution that keeps the North Fork special."

Glacier faces threats from coal mining and coal bed methane development in the Canadian Flathead. It's feared that pollution from such mines would, in turn, pollute the Park. The Cline Mining Co. has proposed a coal mine in the North Fork's headwaters and British Petroleum has proposed coal bed methane development in the region.

The North Fork makes up the entire western border of Glacier and is currently nearly pristine. The Canadian Flathead is also a beautiful place and is largely uninhabited.

Montana Sen. Max Baucus applauded UNESCO's decision.

"Today's action brings us another step closer to establishing the safeguards we need to protect Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park from mining and energy development proposals. The development of the joint state of conservation report by the United States and Canada is the beginning of a long partnership between our two nations to protect the Flathead Valley once and for all from potential threats of mining and energy development," he said.

The conservation report Baucus refers to should be completed by February of next year and will examine the cumulative impacts of energy development in the region. The delegation is expected to visit the area soon.

The Canadian government in the past has said the North Fork isn't threatened.

"We disagree with the presumption made by Sen. Baucus that the Waterton-Glacier World Heritage Site is in danger from resource development activities in Canada," said Tristan Landry, spokesperson for the Canadian Embassy in an e-mail to the Hungry Horse News in May. "Canada has federal and provincial regulations in place for the evaluation of resource development projects. We believe that these processes are rigorous and lead to good decision making."

But American scientists have long maintained that it's not possible to have an open pit coal mine in the Flathead and not have an impact on the river. Canadian officials, at least on the federal level, appear to be softening their stance with the eyes of the world on it.

Glacier was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995.