"There shouldn't be anything sacred about this spot. Plenty of mines are built in prettier places, a wilderness is just a line on a map."

-Doug Ward, Revett Minerals V.P. of Corporate Development, speaking about his companies proposal to mine copper and silver beneath northwestern Montana’s Cabinet Mountains Wilderness.

Hold on - let's see that one again - "There shouldn't be anything sacred about this spot. Plenty of mines are built in prettier places, a wilderness is just a line on a map."

It's probably safe to say that Mr. Ward gives very little consideration to the environmentally conscious-forming motto of Spokane, "Near Nature, Near Perfect," because you see, Revett Minerals is a Spokane (Valley) based operation.  So maybe that's it, it's Spokane Valley, not Spokane - so the motto doesn't weigh as heavy on his Earth-crushing soul.  But still, Spokane Valley is very near a place that's near nature - so guilty by association Mr. Ward.  But enough of silly Spokane distinctions,  a real travesty is unfolding in one of the most beautiful places in the world - a place close enough to Spokane to call it our "Near Nature."

According to the Rock Creek  Alliance, a non-profit environmental group based out of N. Idaho,  the U.S Forest Service is considering allowing Revett Minerals to drill three-feet underneath the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area to extract copper and silver by blasting out large underground rooms that would likely collapse, causing significant damage to prime grizzly bear and trout habitats, and then dump around 100 million tons of contaminated mine waste next to the Clark Fork River.  And the U.S Forest Service is actually considering this??

Hopefully "this spot" is worth saving Mr. Ward.

For more information on Revett Minerals please contact:
Doug Ward, VP Corporate Development.
or John Shanahan, CEO

1 (509) 921-2294
Toll Free: 1 (888) 921-2294
Fax: 1 (509) 891-8901

---

---