The specter of giant gold-mining rigs chewing into the slopes of the Sierra and spewing toxins into Yosemite National Park has an environmental group fanning out across the state collecting petitions to ban mining within 10 miles of the park.
Environment California, a nonprofit advocacy group, hopes to gather 50,000 signatures by the end of the summer asking President Obama for a ban like the one his administration enacted in January forbidding new mining claims near the Grand Canyon.
There aren't any big industrial mining operations active now near Yosemite, advocates of a ban said. But with the price of gold having tripled in recent years, to $1,583 per ounce as of last week, there's been a rush to stake out mining claims in the historic Gold Rush areas around the park.
At any time, mining opponents say, any of these could be turned into a huge dig site.
"Industrial mining is one of the biggest, dirtiest and most dangerous businesses around," said Dan Jacobson, legislative director of the Sacramento group. "Obviously, you don't want that around the crown jewel of American parks."
Mining has long been prohibited within Yosemite, but there are 185 mining claims recorded within 10 miles of the park's borders, mostly in the Stanislaus National Forest. More than half of those have been staked out since 2006 - when gold was selling for only $500 an ounce - according to a report by the Pew Environment Group.
"Most of those are mom-and-pop operations," Jacobson said. "But no matter how small they are, there is always the threat of them selling to a big company if they find significant gold there and becoming big."
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The STATIST never sleeps...eerrrr.... or is that that the Communist?
