For decades, conservationists have fought against gold mining at the edge of Yellowstone National Park, fearing hard-rock extraction could fragment its wildlife habitat and pollute its waterways.
A nonprofit conservation group called the Greater Yellowstone Coalition is poised to purchase the mining rights of Crevice Mining Group LLC, a firm that has fought for years to dig on slopes overlooking the Yellowstone River near the park's northern border in Montana. Environmentalists often try to stop potentially polluting projects by asking the government - whether it be judges, lawmakers or bureaucrats - to step in. It's less common for green groups to open up their wallets themselves.
That didn't stop miners from looking for gold just outside its borders, compelling both Democratic and Republican administrations for years to adopt a piecemeal approach to protecting land around the park over concerns mining could pollute streams running into the park and hamper the movement of animals migrating across its boundaries.
The last claim was from Crevice, which had leased private lands unaffected by the federal mineral withdrawal. "We view this project as a true win-win," said Fay Twersky, president of the Blank Family Foundation, citing the need to protect habitat and shield the Yellowstone River from pollution. Home Depot co-founder Arthur M. Blank also owns ranch land near Yellowstone.