Jon Hare, HCCA Advocacy Director, elected to the Environmental at Large position on the Gunnison River Basin Roundtable
Our congratulations to Jon Hare, our Advocacy Director, who was recently elected to the Environmental at Large position on the Gunnison River Basin Roundtable. Jon’s leadership and participation in this influential group further elevate our conservation efforts, especially around water use and watershed health in the Gunnison Country.
GORP Act Introduced into Congress by Sen. Michael Bennet
On Thursday, September 26, 2024, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet introduced the Gunnison Outdoor Recreation Protection (GORP) Act into the U.S. Congress. This is the largest public lands bill since the early 1900s, and when enacted will protect over 730,000 acres of public lands in Western Colorado.
RED LADY IS SAVED FROM AN INDUSTRIAL MINE!
The FINAL piece to the Red Lady package is complete! With the signing of the Mineral Extinguishment and Conservation Easements our beloved mountain that embraces the town is officially protected. “This is one of the greatest outcomes of the conservation legacy in our nation’s history. . ." - Jon Hare, HCCA Advocacy Director
GMUG NF Forest Supervisor Signs Decision Memo for Mt. Emmons Land Exchange
We are one step closer to our beloved town mountain being moly-mine forever free. On July 8 2024, the GMUG National Forest Supervisor Signs the Decision Memo for Mt. Emmons (Red Lady) Land Exchange!
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland Visits Crested Butte to Celebrate the Mt. Emmons Mineral Withdrawal
The celebration of the Administrative Mineral Withdrawal on the Thompson Divide and Mt. Emmons continues. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited Crested Butte on June 30th to celebrate with the community on this success for public lands and conservation. View HCCA’s full press release.
Advocacy Director, Jon Hare, dives into the Red Lady package and its protections for public lands.
This is definitely a great reason for all of us who love public lands to celebrate, yet at High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) we are focused on the next project in the Gunnison basin that is several years in formulation and moving toward completion in 2024. Right now, at our doorstep, the Mt. Emmons Land Exchange is the best chance this community has ever had to save the mountain known as Red Lady and the best opportunity to protect Gunnison Country from the impacts of a large-scale industrial mining operation.
the Mt. Emmons and Thompson Divide Mineral Withdrawal is approved - Protecting Over 221,000 Acres from Hardrock Mining and Oil and Gas Leasing
April 3, 2024 - Today, Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland took action to protect the Mt. Emmons and Thompson Divide area from new mining claims and oil and gas leasing. President Biden first announced the intent to protect this area at the designation of the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument in October of 2022.
Path Cleared to Eliminate Mining at Red Lady
High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) is excited to announce another positive development in our community’s four decade-plus battle to save Mount Emmons (Red Lady) from a destructive molybdenum mine. This week the Town of Crested Butte, Gunnison County, and the Mount Emmons Mining Company (MEMC) agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that plots the path forward to end the threat of mining on Red Lady.