Yellowstone Is Worth More Than Gold

Standing beneath the famous Roosevelt Arch entrance to Yellowstone, our first national park, one can gaze out across meadows filled with herds of bison, pronghorn antelope and bighorn sheep. In one direction looms the soaring, snowcapped Electric Peak. In the other, the Yellowstone River meanders along the park’s border beneath quiet hillsides.

Press Release

Secretary Zinke Confirms: Yellowstone is More Valuable Than Gold

“This incredible victory for our first national park reminds us all that Yellowstone is more precious and valuable than gold.” - NPCA President and CEO Theresa Pierno

See more ›

But recently, this idyllic view was threatened by industrial-scale gold mines with heavy equipment and mining trucks lumbering down dirt roads. It’s hard to picture, but these large-scale projects were being considered at Yellowstone’s doorstep.

Fortunately, in October 2018, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed a 20-year mineral withdrawal that will protect 30,000 acres north of Yellowstone from new mining claims.

Yellowstone is worth far more than gold. These industrial-scale operations on the border of the park would have had disastrous consequences for the environment, the local businesses that depend on the area’s strong tourist economy, and the park experience that draws visitors from around the globe.

NPCA partnered with the Yellowstone Gateway Business Coalition and the local community to oppose these two proposed mines.

Some of the small business owners in the communities surrounding Yellowstone speak out against the proposed mining operations in this video by the Yellowstone Gateway Business Coalition.

Large open-pit gold mines simply don’t belong on the border of America’s first national park. We commend the Department of the Interior for protecting the land, the water, the wildlife, the visitor experience and the local economy by not letting these plans become a reality.