Environmentalists Vow to Fight Copper Mine in Clayoquot Sound

Reported today in the "Globe and Mail," the agreement is a step towards economic development for the remote Ahousaht band, who can no longer depend on fishing for survival. The copper deposit is on traditional lands of the Ahousaht.

But environmentalists fought long and hard to preserve Catface Mountain and the forested hills of Clayoquot Sound from logging, and they are ready to fight again to prevent open pit copper mining from damaging this ecosystem.

If mining takes place, plans include the development of a new port for container ships, several giant open pit mines, new dams and lakes to contain the most toxic waste products, kilometers of conveyor belts that can emit toxic dust, diesel generator power stations, and roads - all visible from the town of Tofino and from Ahousaht.

"To say that we are dismayed at this news is an understatement," said Joe Foy, Wilderness Committee national campaign director. "I could scarcely think of a more environmentally damaging project than an open pit copper mine smack in the middle of the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve."

Catface Mountain overlooks Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island. (Photo by Wesley Picotte)

"If the Selkirk Metals actually believes this open pit mine project will ever see the light of day then I think they must have rocks in their head," said Foy "Opposition to this project will be local, national, global and massive."

Andy Miller, staff scientist at the Wilderness Committee, who has been studying the Catface mine proposal for over a year, is also concerned.

"The Catface copper deposit has been known to exist for 50 years," he said. "The reason it was never developed is that it is economically marginal because the copper is of such low quality (0.37 percent copper), so diffuse, and so deep under-ground (up to 350 metres)."

"The only way this proposed open pit mine would be economically feasible is if it is built on a huge scale," warned Miller. "The proponent is even considering dumping the waste rock in the ocean."

"If this mine proceeds, said Miller, the side of Catface Mountain visible from Ahousaht and Tofino will be reduced to a pile of rubble. The deposit is 1000 feet deep, and 99.7 percent of the mined rock will be dumped on site as polluting waste."

Ahousaht Deputy Chief John Frank told the "Globe and Mail" his community is suffering an unemployment rate of 65 percent. He said the council felt "compelled" to consider Selkirk Metal's offer.

Copper mines similar to that proposed at Catface have horrible environmental records. The Copper Mines at Butte Montana, for example, are the site of the largest and most expensive toxic waste cleanup in United States history, and cancer rates are off the charts.

The copper mine at nearby Mt. Washington, BC wiped out all five species of salmon in the Tsolum River.

At Catface, a stream emerging from one of the exploratory drill sites contains deadly copper at concentrations 21 times greater than that considered safe for humans, and other testing revealed copper and arsenic up to 60 times above the safe limit.

"If the mine goes ahead," warned Miller, "it will be one of the lowest quality copper mines of similar size in the world, and could be an environmental catastrophe for Clayoquot Sound and its residents."

But Graham Keevil, Selkirk's business development manager, told the "Globe and Mail" that the company believes about 155 million metric tonnes of copper lies beneath the surface of Catface Mountain, making it one of the richest copper deposits on Earth.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008. All rights reserved.