Man protesting mining work near nature park ties himself to entrance gate

A protester was removed by police after he tied himself to a gate at the head of anaccess road being built byEagleridgeInternational Limited into a proposedminingexploration site nearthe SalmonierNature Park and the Avalon Wilderness Reserve early Friday morning.

"I want to protect the environment and the Avalon Wilderness area andSalmonierNature Park for my kids and their kids," Mike Cooze said. "We fought so feverishly to put this nature park and that here."

Cooze runs a Facebook group for citizens concerned about possible exploration in the area.Though he has been protesting the plans for some time, he said this was the first time he'd tied taken such drastic action.

He said he got to the site at 5 a.m. to tie himself to the gate. Police got a call about him around 6:20 a.m. and went out to the site, according to a spokesperson for the RCMP. She said Cooze was known to police because he has protested there in the past. Police took him home without charging him.

Cooze said he protests because he'sconcerned about the effects any exploration and possible mine could have on the wilderness area.

"This road intertwines amongst two beautiful watersheds: the headwaters of Salmonier River, the headwaters of North Arm River," he said. "And if the gold deposits are found there, they'll damn well dig it up, poison our watershed."

On Friday afternoon, the NDP issued a statement saying it is concerned about the project and that the road construction has already caused damage to the area.

"This may not be just about a road for exploration, but also about developing a gold mine," the release read."If so, it could be a case of project-splitting, wherein someone applies for only part of a much bigger project just to get their foot in the door."

Government responds

On Saturday, the natural resources department sent a statement, and indicated that Cooze and government officials met Jan 21.

"We have assured Mr. Cooze that the department takes the conditions of release seriously, and we will be diligent in ensuring they are upheld," reads the statement.

"We have also reiterated that the environmental assessment regulations would requirethatany subsequent development of the area, such as a mine, undergo a separate environmental assessment."

The statement outlines the back-and-forth over the Big Triangle Pond Mineral Exploration Access Road project which would see a road built in order to provide access to potential mineral exploration activity around Salmonier Line and whether further environmental assessment was needed. Ultimately, it was decided to release it fromfurther assessment.

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