More than 60 people showed up Tuesday evening for a second public hearing in Fairbanks on a proposal that could permit mining in the White Mountain National Recreation Area. And like last month’s meeting, almost all who spoke strongly encouraged the federal agency that manages the area to maintain the ban on mining there.
You couldn’t help but notice the passion in the voices of the three dozen people who got up to speak at the hearing held at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center.
One after another shared personal stories of their deep connection to the White Mountains National Recreation Area developed over decades of hiking, skiing, hunting, fishing and camping there with friends and family. Like Jenna Hertz, who talked about last month’s ski trip.
“It’s really amazing that we have this place that’s in our backyard, really close, and really inexpensive, and really rich,” Hertz said. “It’s really a gift and it’s something that I really love about living here.”
Craig Smith urged federal Bureau of Land Management officials to maintain the agency’s existing policy that bans mining in the White Mountains to protect the sustainable outdoor recreation economy that thrives here because of the nearby attraction.
“It’s a beautiful place – it’s an amazing place,” Smith said. “And, there’s so many people making their living up there off the recreation. And there’s people like, as people have been saying here tonight, (who) go there all the time, so many of us from this community. It’s a community thing now.”
All but three of the speakers urged the BLM to reject the proposed provisionfor hardrock mineral leasing in about 16 percent of the million-acre White Mountains National Recreation Area. The BLM doesn’t favor mining in the recreation area, but the agency included the provision during a routine revision of the documentthat spells out the management plan for BLM lands in the Eastern Interior that include the recreation area.
Rourke Williams says BLM should adopt the mining provision because it would allow further exploration in the recreation area for rare earth elements, which are essential for manufacturing materials used in optics and high-tech devices.
“Now, I don’t want to see a big mine up there. I really don’t,” Williams said. “But I think we should find out what we’ve got before the discussion of closing those areas off permanently. Because we all use these rare earth minerals, in our everyday life.”
But John Schauer says even exploring for rare earths would seriously impact the recreation area.
“We talk about rare earth minerals – those are low-concentration deposits,” Schauer said. “Hard-rock mining. Just the exploration they’re talking about some big impacts. Not just helicopters, but pushing a road into the White Mountains Rec Area that doesn’t exist today.”
More public hearings on Eastern Interior Resource Management Plan are scheduled this week and next in Fort Yukon, Eagle and Eagle Village and Chalkytsik.
BLM officials say a final decision on the area resource management plan will be issued next year.