N. Fork plight in U.N. spotlight

Sen. Max Baucus last week said he would push to have the North Fork of the Flathead designated as a World Heritage Site in Danger, a dubious distinction as Glacier National Park turns 100 next year.

The North Fork will see the international limelight in June, when Will Hammerquist, the Glacier representative of the National Park Conservation Association and Ryland Nelson, of the Canadian environmental organization Wildsight, will testify in front of a United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage panel.

Several groups on both sides of the border petitioned UNESCO last year to have the North Fork listed, including the Flathead Basin Commission and the Flathead Coalition. Both groups have members with broad interests, but all agree the North Fork should be protected.

"It's rare to have a petition accepted and put on the agenda," Hammerquist said Monday. He said the Canadian representation was paramount to their case.

"It's not an 'us versus them,'" he said.

The North Fork is largely protected on the U.S. side of the border and makes up the western border of Glacier National Park. In Canada the landscape is just as pristine, but is currently threatened by a coal mine, coal bed methane development, gold mines and phosphate mines.

Baucus met with Canadian Ambassador Michael Wilson recently to air his concerns.

"I told Mr. Wilson this about protecting our outdoor heritage for future generations and preserving good paying jobs in this challenging economy," Baucus said. "The Flathead River is a treasure, not just to Montana but to the entire region, including Canada. That is why I have consistently fought to make sure that it is protected from damaging mining operations and why I'll continue to do all I can to keep this land the Last Best Place."

Wilson, however, disagrees with Baucus that the North Fork is even in danger.

"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. "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."

Landry claimed that two companies, British Petroleum and the Cline Mining Co., have both withdrawn from projects in the Flathead. They did that in the winter, 2008. Cline proposed an open pit coal mine in the headwaters of the Flathead and BP proposed coal bed methane development.

Even if they did put those proposals on hold, environmental groups note the threat of mines in the Flathead raises its head nearly every time commodity prices go up. The battle over mines in the Flathead goes back decades.

Glacier Park is a United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage site.

Giving it a "Heritage Site in Danger" designation would put it on a list of other sites that have seen significant degradation in modern times, most from wars, strife, illegal logging and poaching.

The North Fork would be the only U.S. and Canadian site currently on the list. Yellowstone National Park and the Everglades have previously been on the list, but were taken off. Yellowstone, too, was threatened by mining until a solution was reached and a plan is in the works to protect the Everglades.

The designation is a political black eye for a region, but also raises awareness that generally results in positive action. Hammerquist noted that the UNESCO panel doesn't necessarily have to list it as a site in danger, it could also make land management recommendations for an area.

In the Canadian Flathead, one suggestion has been to expand Waterton Lakes Park to the river. Another would make it a primitive area where sustainable logging and other practices would be allowed, but mining wouldn't. The latter proposal seems to have more support in Canada.

Mining interests, however, continue to push for exploration in the Flathead.

"For the benefit of all citizens, the hidden value of minerals should be properly evaluated and considered as part of any discussion about land access and use," Gavin C. Dirom, president and CEO of the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia said last month. "Along with recognizing other societal values, we need to better understand and be informed about the various mineral development opportunities that exist in the Flathead."