Directly on the northern edge of Yellowstone National Park, Crevice Mountain rises some 3,000 feet above the Yellowstone River and is a prime example of what makes the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem so extraordinary. The area provides vital habitat for grizzly bears; is an important migration corridor for elk, mule deer, and big horn sheep; and is one of the few designated places outside the park where Yellowstone bison can roam.

Now imagine a full-scale gold mining operation right in the middle of this wild landscape. That’s exactly what’s in store for Crevice Mountain. New roads, clear cuts, blasting, heavy equipment traffic, and a host of other industrial activities would permanently scar the landscape and negatively affect the wildlife that depend on this remote habitat. On top of that, industrial gold mining is a notoriously dirty and destructive activity with the potential to severely impact water quality - and in this case, that means the health of the Yellowstone River.  As the communities adjacent to the park have been saying for years: Yellowstone is no place for a gold mine.

So, how do we stop a gold mine? On this episode, we sit down with Scott Christensen, the executive director of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. Scott and the GYC team are taking on the substantial challenge of preventing Crevice Mountain from being mined. Join us as we discuss GYC’s history of stopping mines near Yellowstone, the background behind this new mining threat on Crevice Mountain, and what Scott and the GYC team are doing to put an end to mining on the Yellowstone border once and for all.

Voices of Greater Yellowstone was created by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, a conservation nonprofit dedicated to working with people to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, now and for future generations.

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the land of 49+ Indigenous Tribes who maintain current and ancestral connections to the lands, waters, wildlife, plants, and more.

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