KALISPELL, Mont., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Faced with potential pollution by planned coal mine development in Canada of the wild and scenic river that forms the western boundary of Glacier National Park in the U.S., the three civic organizations representing residents of the North Fork of the Flathead River Valley have joined together in an urgent appeal to federal and state officials to begin monitoring the water quality of that river.

Letters signed by officers of the North Fork Landowners' Assn., North Fork Preservation Assn., and North Fork Compact have gone out to Sen. Max Baucus, Sen. Conrad Burns, Rep. Dennis Rehberg and Governor Brian Schweitzer requesting their immediate and direct action in establishing water quality monitoring capable of accurately and reliably detecting future pollution of the North Fork.

The Province of British Columbia has granted leases in the Canadian Flathead River drainage for the development of open pit coal mining, one only eight miles north of the United States border and Glacier National Park. The risk of contamination of the North Fork River by coal mining is acknowledged to be significant.

The North Fork of the Flathead is widely respected as one of America's premier unspoiled rivers. It has been protected by Congress as a Wild and Scenic River and is home to numerous endangered species, including bull trout, grizzly bear, lynx and grey wolf. One half of the river resides inside Glacier National Park, as its center marks the Park's western boundary. The North Fork River, Glacier National Park and Flathead Lake are not only national treasures, but also critical elements in one of Montana's most important industries, tourism.

Despite the danger of pollution from Canadian coal mining, NO ADEQUATE BASE-LINE DATA ON THE QUALITY OF WATER COMING OVER THE BORDER FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA EXISTS. As a result, Federal and State officials in the United States will have no reliable way of establishing if, when and how future Canadian mining activities contaminate the North Fork River. They may be unable to even alert the public. In addition, lacking relevant, reliable base-line water quality data, there may be no way to conclusively establish that mining activities in Canada are violating water quality treaties between the two countries.

Knowing that the United States may have no treaty protection, the Province of British Columbia and the international mining companies pursuing coal mine development there have less incentive to prevent contamination of U.S. waters.

The clock is ticking. Work on coal mine development in B.C. has been proceeding for more than one year. Pleas for North Fork water quality monitoring have been made by concerned U.S. citizens and interested organizations in the past, but despite agreement that such monitoring is needed and periodic assurances that it would be done, adequate water quality monitoring has not materialized.

The unified call to action taken by the three North Fork civic groups to remedy this situation represents the first time in their 30-year history that they have joined together in common cause.

For further information, contact:

Donald Sullivan

Chairman, North Fork Compact

410 798 8742

TWILITZ1@aol.com

Ed Heger

President, North Fork Landowners' Assn.

406 755 3202

eeheger@hotmail.com

John Frederick

President, North Fork Preservation Assn.

406 888 5084

john@nfhostel.com

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SOURCE North Fork Compact