A crushed rock mining company has submitted a proposal to demolish Liberty Hill in St. Helens. Liberty Hill is the largest Camas meadow left in northwest Oregon, is more pristine than any other such habitat within forty miles, and is home to an array of plants and wildlife rarely seen in our area including wildflowers, wetland plants, invertebrates, and reptiles, as well as having historical significance to Native Americans and pioneers both.
I could write for pages regarding the ecological uniqueness of Liberty Hill. It has dozens of wildflowers and plants that are uncommon in our region, including Fringed Loosetrife, a unique ...more ↓
A crushed rock mining company has submitted a proposal to demolish Liberty Hill in St. Helens. Liberty Hill is the largest Camas meadow left in northwest Oregon, is more pristine than any other such habitat within forty miles, and is home to an array of plants and wildlife rarely seen in our area including wildflowers, wetland plants, invertebrates, and reptiles, as well as having historical significance to Native Americans and pioneers both.
I could write for pages regarding the ecological uniqueness of Liberty Hill. It has dozens of wildflowers and plants that are uncommon in our region, including Fringed Loosetrife, a unique flower that attracts pollinators with oil rather than nectar. No other Fringed Loosetrife are found within 50 miles of St. Helens. Two vernal ponds on the bluff support Oregon Fairy Shrimp, a species known from just a few dozen localities worldwide. Liberty Hill may soon be the last refuge in Columbia County for Western Skinks and Gopher Snakes, two Willamette Valley reptiles that have become extremely rare in northwest Oregon.
But better than writing all that, I decided to pour it all out in a video. Thanks to Lewis Reynolds, Larissa Huson, Matt D'Agrosa, Paul Parker, and Luke Green, there is some incredible video footage of a natural wonder like nothing you've ever seen in Oregon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U775JE2NiE8
To be clear, we don't oppose the company's desire to mine crushed rock. We just want them to use their already identified alternative site nearby, which could provide crushed rock for decades and would not require the destruction of a unique natural resource. Take the 2nd option, instead of the 1st option. That's all we ask.
The public comment period to respond to the gravel mining application ends on January 15th. If you would like to submit a comment and need more information on how to do it or what to write about, please message us or go to the following link by Friends of Liberty Hill.
https://www.oregoncamas.com/pending-removal-mining-permit
Thank you for being involved in protecting one of our true natural and historical wonders.
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Columbia County Reptiles and Amphibians
