The New York Times Monday captured our collective win of protecting Yellowstone National Park from the last viable gold mining threat along the park’s northern border.

On September 25, 2023, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition raised the $6.25 million needed to stop the mine on Crevice Mountain, just north of Yellowstone National Park. People from across the country and globe gave to stop this mine, proving once and for all that Yellowstone is more valuable than gold.

In a historic win for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the 75 acres of land GYC purchased to protect from Lucky Minerals’ destructive plans has just officially become part of Custer Gallatin National Forest.

The Montana Supreme Court ruled with GYC that amendments made to the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) were unconstitutional. The ruling stops Lucky Minerals’ gold exploration on private lands just north of Yellowstone National Park.

As we all focus on staying healthy and safe with our loved ones, it’s important to remember the ecosystem, and the threats to it, continues to function. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition has been fighting inappropriate gold mines our entire existence. It’s in our DNA. GYC continues to work on new solutions to the persistent problems created by our nation’s antiquated laws that obligate hard rock mining as be “the highest and best use” of the land.

Today, the president signed the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act into the law of the land. Included in this sweeping, ground-breaking legislation was the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act. Now and forever, 30,370 acres of public land on the northern doorstep of Yellowstone National Park will be protected from destructive and toxic gold mining.

Today, we have achieved a remarkable victory. The United States House of Representatives passed the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act, which will forever prohibit gold mining on 30,370 acres of public lands at Yellowstone’s northern gateway. It now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into law, making it an extraordinary bipartisan win.

Today, Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), with Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) as co-sponsor, reintroduced the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act into the 116th Congress. When passed, the law will prohibit large-scale mining on 30,370 acres of our public lands at Yellowstone’s northern gateway forever.

Victory! Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke extended the temporary timeout on mining at Yellowstone’s northern gateway today for another 20 years, giving us a critical safety net to work with Montana’s Congressional delegation to pass a bill that will keep mines away from Yellowstone, forever.

A bill that will keep gold mining away from some 30,000 acres of our public lands at Yellowstone’s northern gateway has cleared two committee hurdles in both the House and the Senate in the past 10 days. This is great news! The Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act is now one step closer to becoming law after these hearings.