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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

No significant impact of mineral testing near Yellowstone

Associated Press

HELENA – The state Department of Environmental Quality says a Canadian company’s proposal to explore for precious metals in a mining district north of Yellowstone National Park will not have a significant impact on the environment.

The agency’s draft environmental assessment on Lucky Minerals’ plan, which was released Thursday, recommends the company be given an exploration license, with some additional measures to mitigate any damage.

The DEQ is taking public comment through Dec. 12.

Lucky Minerals wants to obtain core samples from up to 46 drill holes on private land in the Absaroka Mountains in Park County, about 12 miles southeast of Emigrant. The total project disturbance area would be just under 5 acres. The company wants to gauge the area’s copper, gold, silver and molybdenum deposits.

Yellowstone sees another month of record tourism

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. – Record numbers of visitors continued to flood Yellowstone National Park in September despite burning wildfires and a temporary gate closure.

Yellowstone visitation increased by 3.17 percent in September compared to last year, and overall visitation to the park is up 4.1 percent over the first eight months.

That’s a total of 3.9 million tourists so far this year.

The 2015 season set a record for visitation at the nation’s first national park, and that is expected to be topped this year. Park officials say the National Park Service’s centennial year; marketing and tourism promotions by the states of Montana and Wyoming; and lower gas prices contributed to the increased tourism.