A park is no place for a mine, say opponents of a proposed rock quarry on Crown land adjacent to Sumas Mountain Interregional Park. On Friday, the Metro Vancouver board voted to join the growing opposition to a lease application submitted to the provincial Mines Ministry by a numbered company planning to develop a quarry for aggregate and decorative rock on the mountain. The 1,568-hectare park is a “biological hotspot” inhabited by at least 40 species at risk, including mountain beaver and red-legged frog, according to a report prepared by Metro Vancouver staff. “The primary park access over the forest service road is used by a number of recreationists that could be impacted by daily haulage traffic from the proposed quarry,” said the Metro Vancouver report. Sumas Mountain is also significant to the Semá:th (Sumas) First Nation, which shares concerns about the proposed mine along with the City of Abbotsford and Fraser Valley Regional District.

Source: Daily Sun September 24, 2017 20:26 UTC