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Nickel ore appeal denied Illinois Valley miner weighs next action By Paul Fattig O�BRIEN � The Forest Service has denied an administrative appeal by a local miner over its 1999 decision regarding a proposed nickel operation in the Rough and Ready Creek drainage. Illinois Valley miner Walt Freeman had wanted to remove 5,000 tons of ore samples from the Nicore Mine by truck, but former Siskiyou National Forest Supervisor Mike Lunn decided that the samples had to be hauled out by helicopter. Lunn has since retired. Freeman appealed, arguing that the supervisor�s decision was flawed. In an Oct. 6 letter to Freeman�s attorney in Bellevue, Wash., Linda Goodman, deputy forester for Region 6 headquarters in Portland and the reviewing officer in the case, reaffirmed Lunn�s decision in the final environmental impact statement. Region 6 includes all national forests in Oregon and Washington. The decision was based on concerns about environmental impact. Lunn also questioned whether the proposal was viable, particularly economically. Freeman could still move forward with his mining plan, providing he complies with the agency�s decision, said Siskiyou forest spokeswoman Mary Marrs. When contacted Tuesday afternoon, Freeman had not yet heard of the decision. "It�s unfortunate but not unusual," he said of the fact he had not been notified directly by the agency. "It isn�t the first decision that has gone to the press before it went to me. It�s a lack of professionalism or the fact they don�t take the matter seriously." Although he indicated he would now consider taking his case to court, he said he wanted to review the denial before commenting further. The denial was good news to the Illinois Valley-based Siskiyou Regional Educational Project, a local environmental group leading the opposition to the mine. "We think the Forest Service should have denied the plan outright, but this is a huge step for the agency," said Grants Pass resident Barbara Ullian, conservation director for the project. A lifelong local resident who has a degree in mining engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, Freeman proposed creating stainless steel from the nickel, chrome and iron found in the rusty-red dirt on his mining claims which cover some 4,360 acres. The miner had proposed hauling out the ore on 14 miles of roads. Flying the material out would be too costly, he said. The proposed mining operation drew national attention as those in the environmental and mining communities took sides. Forest officials received more than 5,000 comments on the final EIS. Rough and Ready Creek, which flows out of the Siskiyou Mountains into the Illinois River about eight miles south of Cave Junction, first drew miners in the 1850s, followed by botanists beginning in the 1930s. Some two dozen rare plants have been found in the watershed. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.