Tiffany & Co. Says "No" to Rock Creek Mine
FOR RELEASE: March 24, 2004
CONTACT:
Mary C. Mitchell, Rock Creek Alliance, 208-290-8228
Dave Gunter, Cold Water Creek, 208-265-3944
Marcia Phillips, Bonner County Commissioner, 208-265-1438; 208-659-6598 (cell)
SANDPOINT, IDAHO, THANKS "TIFFANY'S" FOR SAYING NO TO ROCK CREEK MINE
Leading Jeweler Raps Forest Servide Mine Proposal
Sandpoint, Idaho - Folks from this Idaho panhandle town thanked Tiffany & Co. today for objecting to the Rock Creek mine, proposed upstream from Idaho's famous Lake Pend Oreille.
"The jewelers at Tiffany's know a valuable gem when they see one, and Lake Pend Oreille is the biggest gem in Idaho," said Mary C. Mitchell, director of the Sandpoint-based Rock Creek Alliance. "Our clean water should continue to sparkle, just like the jewels at Tiffany's."
In 2003, the Kootenai National Forest Supervisor approved the controversial Rock Creek copper mine in the Cabinet Mountains of western Montana. That mine is directly upstream from Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho's largest lake, and upstream from the bustling resort community of Sandpoint, Idaho. Mine planners say it will release millions of gallons of treated mine waste daily into the Pend Oreille watershed.
On March 24, 2004, Tiffany & Co. took out a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post. The ad criticizes the U.S. Forest Service for tentatively approving the mine. Tiffany & Co. is one of the leading sellers of jewelry in the world.
Tiffany & Co. joins the business community of Sandpoint, which has also questioned the mine. Some 60 Sandpoint businesses sent a letter to the Forest Service objecting to the mine. The Bonner County Commissioners and Sandpoint City Council formally oppose the mine.
Unlike many rural communities, the Sandpoint economy has been relatively robust, largely because the high quality of life there is drawing people who want to visit, live and invest there. Sunset Magazine recently named Sandpoint, population 5,500, the best small town in the West. Sandpoint is on the shore of Lake Pend Oreille.
"Our business identity reflects the clean, flowing water of the Pend Oreille basin," said Dave Gunter, spokesman for Coldwater Creek, a women's apparel company headquartered in Sandpoint. "Lake Pend Oreille is pivotal to our choice to headquarter our company here and helps us attract high-quality employees. We take the future of the lake very seriously, and expect the Forest Service to do so as well."
Rock Creek Alliance has formally protested the Forest Service mine approval. Mining on America's national forests is authorized under the 1872 Mining Act, a law the Rock Creek Alliance believes is badly outdated.
"Thank you, Tiffany & Co., for helping raise awareness of this short-sighted mine proposal and helping Sandpoint protect its clean water," Mitchell said. "Summer or winter, if the folks and customers from Tiffany & Co. visit Sandpoint, they'll get a warm welcome!"
CONTACT:
Mary C. Mitchell, Rock Creek Alliance, 208-290-8228
Dave Gunter, Cold Water Creek, 208-265-3944
Marcia Phillips, Bonner County Commissioner, 208-265-1438; 208-659-6598 (cell)
SANDPOINT, IDAHO, THANKS "TIFFANY'S" FOR SAYING NO TO ROCK CREEK MINE
Leading Jeweler Raps Forest Servide Mine Proposal
Sandpoint, Idaho - Folks from this Idaho panhandle town thanked Tiffany & Co. today for objecting to the Rock Creek mine, proposed upstream from Idaho's famous Lake Pend Oreille.
"The jewelers at Tiffany's know a valuable gem when they see one, and Lake Pend Oreille is the biggest gem in Idaho," said Mary C. Mitchell, director of the Sandpoint-based Rock Creek Alliance. "Our clean water should continue to sparkle, just like the jewels at Tiffany's."
In 2003, the Kootenai National Forest Supervisor approved the controversial Rock Creek copper mine in the Cabinet Mountains of western Montana. That mine is directly upstream from Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho's largest lake, and upstream from the bustling resort community of Sandpoint, Idaho. Mine planners say it will release millions of gallons of treated mine waste daily into the Pend Oreille watershed.
On March 24, 2004, Tiffany & Co. took out a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post. The ad criticizes the U.S. Forest Service for tentatively approving the mine. Tiffany & Co. is one of the leading sellers of jewelry in the world.
Tiffany & Co. joins the business community of Sandpoint, which has also questioned the mine. Some 60 Sandpoint businesses sent a letter to the Forest Service objecting to the mine. The Bonner County Commissioners and Sandpoint City Council formally oppose the mine.
Unlike many rural communities, the Sandpoint economy has been relatively robust, largely because the high quality of life there is drawing people who want to visit, live and invest there. Sunset Magazine recently named Sandpoint, population 5,500, the best small town in the West. Sandpoint is on the shore of Lake Pend Oreille.
"Our business identity reflects the clean, flowing water of the Pend Oreille basin," said Dave Gunter, spokesman for Coldwater Creek, a women's apparel company headquartered in Sandpoint. "Lake Pend Oreille is pivotal to our choice to headquarter our company here and helps us attract high-quality employees. We take the future of the lake very seriously, and expect the Forest Service to do so as well."
Rock Creek Alliance has formally protested the Forest Service mine approval. Mining on America's national forests is authorized under the 1872 Mining Act, a law the Rock Creek Alliance believes is badly outdated.
"Thank you, Tiffany & Co., for helping raise awareness of this short-sighted mine proposal and helping Sandpoint protect its clean water," Mitchell said. "Summer or winter, if the folks and customers from Tiffany & Co. visit Sandpoint, they'll get a warm welcome!"
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