By Katherine O’Brien | Friday, July 17, 2015
Montana—where I’m fortunate to live and work—is often called “the last best place.” The moniker is a tribute to what makes our state unique: vast expanses of undeveloped land on a scale that can be found in few places in the lower 48. This unspoiled wildness makes Montana an incredible place to explore and an invaluable area for wildlife conservation.
In the northwest corner of the state is a place that epitomizes some of the best features of our nation’s remaining wild spaces. The Cabinet Mountains Wilderness is a 35-mile expanse of glaciated peaks that supports countless species of native wildlife, including mountain goats, bighorn sheep, pikas, wolverines, moose, elk, deer, wolves, mountain lions and Canada lynx. The Cabinet Mountains also harbor populations of grizzly bears and bull trout—threatened species protected by the Endangered Species Act. These species are now under even greater threat from a proposed copper and silver mine in the core of their wilderness habitat.
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Wildlife Photography ©Jim Robertson, 2015. All Rights Reserved
Exposing the Big Game 
That possibility is really scary. Sent a donation yesterday to EarthJustice. I notice that the comments on the site are very much against the mines and many reflect a deep ecology viewpoint, e.i., the land should be saved for itself and the animals, not just for future human pleasure. At least some progress is being made. I can’t believe the mines could go there or how the mining will be done. Anyone wondering how bad copper mining can get should see Butte, Montana.