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May 1, 2008
Click here for the announcement from the Ravalli Republic
It’s sad, but true. Ravalli County has voted to begin mining at Lost Horse immediately. Little to no numbers, cost comparisons, scope, impacts,
or boundaries have been described. Bottom line is that the County Commissioners (Carlotta Grandstaff-chairman) don’t care about recreation,
climbers, the recreational value of the canyon and nor does the Forest Service. Their goal is purely resource extraction for financial gain, with 8-10 other
projects (no detail, no scope) also proposed.
Write to Dave Bull and the other folks below, send your letters to the Ravalli Republic and Bitterroot Star. Dave has given us an ear in the past.
Impress upon him the high recreational value of this site. Our only hope is that he will take that into consideration and limit the impact of mining at
the site. Use the email addresses below if easiest for you. Tell the respective people that Lost Horse Canyon is a valuable recreational site
that you use. Further industrialization and therefore degradation of the canyon, in the form of active rip/rap and road rock mining for financial
gain is counter-productive to the high recreational value of that canyon. Be clear that you are against further mining in the canyon, that other
sources of rock are available that do not conflict with high use, high value recreation. Demand that the County and Forest Service recognize your
recreational use of the canyon. We are not against resource extraction, but we are against it when it conflicts with a high use, high value area. See
the latest news story below for more information.
Thank you for your effort and support
“Ya gotta freakin fight for everything!”
BCC - Steve Porcella
WE NEED YOUR HELP WRITING LETTERS
Dave Bull, Forest Supervisor, Bitterroot National Forest
1801 North 1st
Street
Hamilton, MT 59840 59840
dbull@fs.fed.us <mailto:dbull@fs.fed.us> .
Ravalli County Commissioner
C/o Glenda Wiles, Administrative
Assistant
Ravalli County Commissioners Office
215 S. 4th Street, Suite A
Hamilton, MT 59840
commissioners@ravallicounty.mt.gov
<mailto:commissioners@ravallicounty.mt.gov>
Senator Max Baucus
Missoula Field Office
1821 South Avenue West, Suite
203
Missoula, MT 59801
(406) 329-3123
www.baucus.senate.gov <http://www.baucus.senate.gov/>
Senator Jon Tester
Missoula Field Office
116 West Front Street Missoula, MT
59802
(406) 728-3003
www.tester.senate.gov <http://www.tester.senate.gov/>
Congressman Denny Rehberg
Kelly McQuiston, Field Representative
301 East
Broadway, Suite 2
Missoula, MT 59802
(406) 543-9550
www.house.gov/rehberg <http://www.house.gov/rehberg>
THE MISSOULIAN
oped@missoulian.com <mailto:oped@missoulian.com>
Letters to
the Editor
PO Box 8029
Missoula, MT 59807
www.missoulian.com <http://www.missoulian.com/>
The Bitterroot Star newspaper
thestar@montana.com <mailto:thestar@montana.com>
Ravalli Republic Newspaper
editor@ravallirepublic.com <mailto:editor@ravallirepublic.com>
The Backstory:
Imagine a beautifully colored 600 foot crag with splitter cracks and crisp edges looming over the ice cold emerald green waters of a blue ribbon trout stream with some of the finest peaks in Montana off in the distance. Scattered throughout the forests are dozens of Yosemite quality boulders. This isn't a dream, it is Lost Horse Canyon near Darby in the Bitterroot Valley. It is arguably, the best climbing area in the state. Comparisons to the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite are not hyperbole. To be described for the first time in the upcoming " Lost Horse Canyon, A Climber's Guide," Lost Horse has been the buzz of Western Montana climbing for over a decade.
Yet just as the guide is being printed, if the Bitterroot National Forest and Ravalli County have their way, this sublime and tremendous climbing venue will never be the same. They want to quarry the cliff for the next 10 years to provide chip seal aggregate.
Ravalli County Commissioners deadlocked on what to do with Lost Horse Quarry.
An excellent overview of the issue by Ross Lynn in "Off the Grind" magazine.
"Valley Viewpoint" by Joe Josephson, Ravalli Republic, September 11, 2007
An impressive "Letter to the Editor," Ravalli Republic, August 28, 2007
Ravalli Republic article, July 24, 2007
Read the article from the July 25th Missoulian.
Read the article from the July 5th Missoulian.
Stay posted for Updates on this Critical Issue. In the mean time, read on for more information and action steps!
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! ACTION STEPS !
1/ Join the list of folks interested in this issue and offer any support by emailing and joining the Bitterroot Climbers Coalition:
bitterrootclimbers@gmail.com
2/ Go climbing at Lost Horse!
3/ Spread the word to others and volunteer to help.
4/ Write your Federal Congressional Delegation and let them know your concern about protecting the valuable recreational asset of Lost Horse Canyon.
see below for addresses
5/ Carbon Copy (CC) that letter to the Bitterroot National Forest Supervisor:
Barry Paulson
Acting Forest Supervisor, Bitterroot National Forest
1801 North 1st Street
Hamilton, MT 59840
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The Issue:
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Ravalli County needs crushed rock for road projects. Given the recent closure of other quarries, and the need, the Forest Service believes they have a plan to get rock from Lost Horse, mitigate all impacts to user groups and the environment in the process. However, the quarry sits 50 feet from a three-way intersection for multiple camping sites, fishing, access to Lake Como, and Access to Twin Lakes. More importantly, the quarry sits next to and below some of the best and most unique climbing in all of Montana. The Forest Service wants to set up an industrial site for operating the quarry from Oct-April for the next 10 years.
Gates, closures, heavy equipment operation and expansion of the footprint of the quarry (to 4.9 acres!) are planned. Re-activation of the quarry will negatively impact the scenic nature of the area, produce noise, disrupt wildlife such as migrating herds and peregrine falcons (which nest on the cliff), create a bigger footprint scar in the area and basically make the area too dangerous or impossible to climb at.
The Forest Service proposes to move parking for climbers about a 1/4 mile away to an undertermined location. Their belief is that this will not negatively impact climbers. In short, they do not understand or recognize the unique recreationial asset of Lost Horse, nor the hundreds of climbers and other users in the area. They do not realize climbers enjoy Lost Horse every month of the year and grossly underestimate the safety and egress issues (access from the observation point). In a nutshell, quarring even part of the cliff will make the enitre area too dangerous to climb and effectively disenfranchise a major user group from a significant public resource.
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Photo Above: Steve Porcella topping out on the 2nd
pitch of The Mountaineers Route (10c).
First established in the 1980s.
Photo Below: the popular Skyport Chimney (8)
and Ledge.
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Forest Service Scoping Letter - Please take a moment to download and read this short letter outlining the Forest Service plan to quarry Lost Horse.( , 36 Kb)
Sunday June 24th Lost Horse Land Owners and Climbers collected at the quarry for a gathering of support and question and answers from Darby District Ranger Chuck Oliver.
Jimmy Pinjuv put together a brief survey about user behaviour and interest in the Lost Horse area. If you are interested in completing this survey or for more information please email:
attention: Jimmy Pinjuv at bitterrrootclimbers@gmail.com
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Photo Right: Just another three star classic called "Bubba Lung" (10c).
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Ravalli County Commission
Attn Commissioners:
Kathleen Driscoll
Carlotta Grandstaff
Alan Thompson
James E. Rokosch
Greg Chilcott
To: Glenda Wiles
Administrative Assistant
Ravalli County Commissioners Office
215 S. 4th Strett, Suite A
Hamilton, MT 59840
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
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Senator Max Baucus
Missoula Field Office
1821 South Avenue West, Suite 203
Missoula, MT 59801
(406) 329-3123
www.baucus.senate.gov
Senator Jon Tester
Missoula Field Office
116 West Front Street
Missoula, MT 59802
(406) 728-3003
www.tester.senate.gov
Congressman Denny Rehberg
Kelly McQuiston, Field Representative
301 East Broadway, Suite 2
Missoula, MT 59802
(406) 543-9550
www.house.gov/rehberg
Governor Brian Schweitzer
PO Box 200801
Helena, MT 59620
www.governor.mt.gov
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Photo Above:
V3 Eliminate on Clearcut Boulder
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Photo Right: This incredible 5.11a crack will become road surface material if the proposed Lost Horse quarry happens.
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Photos courtesy: Steve Porcella, Justin Petterson, and Joe Josephson.
Lost Horse Map © First Ascent Press.
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