Brett French reports: Gold mine lands near Yellowstone purchased

A gold mine proposed near the northern border of Yellowstone National Park, just outside Gardiner, won’t move forward after a conservation group bought out the land, mining leases and water rights across more than 1,300 acres. Crevice Mining Group LLC had proposed in 2015 to mine gold in the area. About 400 local businesses and groups united to fight the mine, along with another one proposed near Chico Hot Springs. The Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act was the end result, removing around 30,000 acres of public land from mining. The act didn’t affect Crevice Mining, however, since those were private leases. In negotiations spanning about two years, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition agreed to buy the mine holdings for $6.25 million. The group had that short timespan to raise the money from donors. After going public with its fundraising efforts last spring, the group announced at the end of last month it had reached the goal and signed the purchase agreement. Once the Forest Service can arrange a buyout, it will buy the land from the coalition and put it into public ownership. To learn more about the work, and the location, check out my story at https://billingsgazette.com/outdoors/crevice-mountain-yellowstone-national-park-greater-yellowstone-coalition-scott-christensen-michael-werner-gold-mine-jardine/article_9557de6c-5ee7-11ee-9076-af531e9989e7.html.

Written by Brett French | Outdoors editor | Billings Gazette Communications