Long Valley is a world class recreational destination drawing people from all over the world to recreate in Mammoth Lakes and the forested mountains of picturesque rural Mono County. It is also an important habitat for the Bi State Sage Grouse, a struggling species, and many other species that rely on the meadow environment. Further, the area is significant for local tribes who have occupied and used the area for thousands of years. Developing an open pit mine would degrade habitat for the grouse and other species, and destroy the area’s picturesque rural character. Further, Kore’s operations would jeopardize the water quality that the entire valley and City of Los Angeles rely upon.  

Damage to Ecosystems  

The area of Long Valley where Kore hopes to develop a mine is within proposed critical habitat for the imperiled Bi-state Sage Grouse and several breeding areas and leks are adjacent to the project site. The risk of disturbance is so high that the proposed drilling is planned to be halted several months out of the year. Developing this drilling into an industrial mining operation would produce many more hazards to these species including gigantic mining trucks, noise, and large scale surface disturbance of the already sparse habitat for these protected animals.  

There are over 30 federal and state special status species within the project site, all would be negatively affected by this project. These  include over 20 plant species, five fish species, four birds, two amphibians, two insects, and the Pygmy Rabbit. Any groundwater extraction, contamination, or surface water diversion in this area could affect Hot Creek and thereby impact the survival and recovery of Federally endangered Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog and Owens tui chub which would adversely modify designated critical habitat. The coalition argues that these impacts tie the hands of the Forest Service who cannot approve projects that jeopardize the survival and recovery of these species. 

Damage to Local Economy

Both the Town of Mammoth Lakes and Mono County have submitted letters of opposition to the Forest Service regarding Kore’s proposed project Beyond the impacts to local residents, Mammoth Lakes is a world class resort destination that contributes over 600 million dollars annually in direct spending. When including indirect impacts of tourism this number grows to over 840 million to the economy of the area each year. Visitor spending supported 5300 local jobs and provided over $2 million in tax revenue. A 2018 survey showed that half of these visitors came to the area for its scenic beauty and activities.1 Kore’s attempts to promote gold mining in Long Valley would destroy the scenic values and could jeopardize main activities in the summer like fishing or enjoying the hot springs, camping, and recreation options adjacent to the proposed mining site. 

Damage to Water Quality and Availability

The company’s technical report states that the mining operation would consume large amounts of water—up to 600 gallons per minute for the life of the mine — and every drop of the water in the Long Valley is already allocated to either habitat or direct export to Los Angeles. In the permitting process, threatened and endangered species must take priority over any new user who hopes to drain the already overtaxed surface and groundwater of the valley.  Kore does not offer an explanation for an alternative water source.  

Heap Leaching Is Illegal in Mono County

After use in a mining operation, wastewater must be treated and retained or released into the drinking water supply of Los Angeles and the fragile headwater ecosystems around Hot Creek. For this reason, cyanide solutions and other heap leach processes are illegal in multiple states and counties across the United States after environmentally devastating spills in Montana and around the world poisoned aquifers and surface waters. Mono County passed an ordinance in 1998 banning the use of cyanide and other chemicals in the County to protect the water that the people, plants, and animals rely on from contamination, but Kore mining flaunts this ordinance in their technical report by having their consultant value their potential gold resource values assuming heap leaching methods.