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Miner in Capitol Reef Park Sparks Federal Clash
Clair Bird, a 48 year old prospector, operates a 160 acre claim inside Capitol Reef National Park, strip mining ripple rock near the visitors center. The National Park Service seeks to end the operation, arguing the park should be preserved. courts have ruled Bird's lease legal, and he vows to mine for 100 years. Bird's lodge and gas station sit on the claim, while nearby Fruita town remnants have been bought out. The dispute highlights tension between federal protection and private mining interests in a fragile landscape.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Clair Bird
National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Utah
Bird
Scenic Capitol Reef National Park
America
Death Valley National Monument
California
Mt. McKinley National Park
Alaska
Congress
U.S
Salt Lake City
National Park Service
10Th Circuit Court of Appeals
Denver
Wallace
National Park System
Park Service
Circle Cliffs
Casper, Wy
Nature Conservancy
Capitol Reef National Monument
Fremont River
Sulphur Creek
Fruita
Jorgen Jorgensen