Saving Emigrant Gulch: From planned mine to public land

Yellowstone National Park is home to some of the most magnificent landscapes and iconic wildlife in North America. Its peaks are high and rugged, its rivers are cold and clear, and its wild residents still have the freedom to roam across wide swaths of undeveloped open land.  

 It is, in short, an ecosystem worth protecting. It is also an ecosystem at risk from the persistent threat of destructive gold mines around its border. 

GYC works hard to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which is why we are so pleased to announce that a 75-acre parcel of land in Montana’s Paradise Valley—just north of Yellowstone—once slated to become a destructive gold mine is now officially public land instead. Instead of being destroyed for profit, this land is now preserved for the enjoyment of all. Let me tell you, it was a journey.

An aerial view of the 75-acre parcel sold to the U.S. Forest Service. (Photo Bill Campbell, Aerial Services EcoFlight)

Stopping gold mines around Yellowstone National Park requires a commitment to creativity and a willingness to use every tool in one's quiver. So, in 2017, when the owner of 75 acres of land in Paradise Valley’s Emigrant Gulch approached the Greater Yellowstone Coalition to see if we were interested in purchasing his land and mineral rights, we jumped at the opportunity. 

The land in question consists of steep, rugged terrain that slants down from Emigrant Peak toward the Yellowstone River below. It is home to charismatic species like grizzly bears, Canada lynx, and wolverines and has a high potential for recreation, from backcountry skiing to rock climbing. But deep in the earth beneath the rugged slopes and clear creek that runs through the property lies an ore body of base metals—including the alleged presence of low-grade gold alongside a host of heavy metals such as copper, lead, zinc, and molybdenum. This ore body was one of six key ore bodies targeted by Canadian mining company Lucky Minerals, Inc, which was actively promoting and pursuing a mine that would require the removal of up to two billion tons of ore from Emigrant Gulch.

These acres—also known by their original survey names as the Great Western and Eastern lodes—were originally privatized in the first year of the twentieth century through the “patent” process under 1872 Mining Law. Signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant just 70 days after the creation of Yellowstone National Park, “1872” as it’s become known, remains the law of the land today. As such, mining is still a persistent threat to the ecological integrity of this storied landscape.

Emigrant Peak near the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park. (Photo GYC/Joe Josephson)

Beginning in June 2015, GYC staff hit the ground to meet with residents, landowners, agency officials, Senator Jon Tester, Park County commission, chambers, and other non-profit organizations as part of our mobilization to stop the threat of a massive new gold mine in Paradise Valley. This grassroots outreach became critical to fully understanding the threats and the possible solutions while building the support required. I quickly got acquainted with as many of the landowners in the gulch as I could, including the owner of this particular parcel. A retired nuclear engineer and hobby miner, he had purchased the Great Western and Eastern years earlier for its natural beauty—to escape into the woods and simply “listen to the creek.” 

Despite being a miner himself, the landowner knew that Lucky Minerals’ plans were outrageous and would ruin his beloved gulch with inappropriate and massive industrialization. Upset at their constant trespassing on his land during their explorations, he supported GYC throughout our successful efforts to challenge the inadequate environmental review from the state while moving the landmark Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act through Congress. So, once he decided it was time to move on from the gulch, GYC was his preferred buyer—he trusted us to ensure this land stayed intact. The relationship that made this possible didn’t occur overnight—it was built from honesty, transparency, and a lot of good old-fashioned listening. 

This relationship relied entirely on three things the landowner and I had in common: we are both straight-shooters and able to take one another at face value, we both recognize how unique Emigrant Gulch truly is, and finally, neither of us wanted to see Lucky Minerals turn it into one of the biggest, dirtiest gold mines on the planet. Without any of these key factors and mutual understanding, the deal would never have happened. GYC was prepared to steward this property for as long as it might take for the opportunity to transfer it back into public hands, which would protect it forever thanks to provisions in the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act. Fortunately, through persistence and making resolving inholdings a priority, Custer Gallatin National Forest was able to secure Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Critical Inholding funds to transfer these lands into public ownership once and for all. 

An aerial view of Chico Hot Springs near the base of Emigrant Peak. The 75-parcel of land is located seven miles southeast of Emigrant, Montana. (Photo Bill Campbell, Aerial Services EcoFlight)

This brings us to today. In a historic win for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, its wildlife, and anyone who loves public land, the 75 acres of land GYC purchased to protect it from Lucky Minerals’ destructive plans has just officially become part of Custer Gallatin National Forest. Thanks to our partnership with the previous owner and with the U.S. Forest Service, the new landowner of this beautiful piece of Emigrant Gulch is...you. That is to say, all of us.  

The Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act was a historic win that protected public lands around Yellowstone from the threat of mining forever. But the threat of mines on private lands remains. The only way to end these zombie mining districts once and for all is to remove the ore bodies from the marketplace. It will take trust, relationship building, and mutually beneficial agreements with landowners to make that happen.  

For more details or information on our landmark work to protect the gateways to Yellowstone National Park and the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness please reach out. I look forward to the conversation. 

—Joe Josephson, Senior Montana Conservation Associate

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.

Banner photo - Bill Campbell / Aerial Services - EcoFlight