BRITISH COLUMBIA, Canada – Environmental activists in Skagit County are celebrating today.
The British Columbia government announced Wednesday, January 19th, the surrender of mining rights at the headwaters of the Skagit River.
The Seattle Times reports that Imperial Metals, a mining company, will return the rights to the provincial government, after a buyout that included $4.5 million from Washington State’s supplemental operating budget.
The move is intended to protect natural resources and recreational opportunities along the Skagit River.
The Swinomish Tribe had been pushing for the move for years and celebrated the announcement.
Most of the Skagit’s headwaters are surrounded by BC parkland, but they’d set aside a large area known as the “donut hole” for potential mining.