Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Flathead River International Study Board records, 1976-1991
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Flathead River International Study Board.
- Title
- Flathead River International Study Board records
- Dates
- 1976-1991 (inclusive)19761991
- Quantity
- 4.6 linear feet of shelf space
- Collection Number
- MC 259
- Summary
- These records consist of the files of an international board directed to evaluate the environmental impacts of the proposed Cabin Creek Coal Mine in British Columbia on, the Flathead River in Montana under the auspices of the International Joint Commission, 1985-1988. The files (1976-1991) include correspondence, financial records, board and hearing minutes, and committee and board reports (1985-1988). Also included are files of various subcommittees.
- Repository
-
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov - Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
On April 18, 1985, the International Joint Commission (IJC) established the Flathead River International Study Board to examine current water use, water quality, and fisheries of the Flathead River at the United States-Canadian border and to evaluate the effect upon the river of the construction, operation, and reclamation of the proposed Cabin Creek Coal Mine in British Columbia. The IJC was created in 1909 as part of the Boundary Waters Treaty as a means of arbitrating disputes between Canada and the United States over water issues. The Board, chaired jointly by Jim Posewitz, Montana Dept. of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and E.M. Clark, Inland Waters Directorate, created six technical committees to collect and analyze data relevant to the proposed mine: the Mine Development Committee, the Water Quality and Quantity Committee, the Biological Resources Committee, the Water Uses Committee,the Water Quality Criteria Subcommittee, and the Limnology Task Force. Over a four year period, 1985-1988, public hearings were held in Montana and British Columbia and technical reports were written analyzing potential impacts on the Flathead River. In December 1988 the Board recommended that the mine, as proposed, not be approved because of concerns about impact on stream fisheries and habitat, resources protected in Article IV of the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. Shortly thereafter, on December 15, 1988, the Canadian coal company, Rio Algom, announced that it would not pursue development of the Cabin Creek Coal Mine due to the low price of coal.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Records. 1976-1991. 4.6 linear feet. This collection consists of the files (1976-1991) kept by Richard Moy, Secretary to the Board and an employee of the Montana Dept. of Natural Resources and Conservation. The records contain general correspondence, financial records, hearing minutes and transcripts, board minutes, reports, subject files, newspaper clippings, and printed materials, documenting the activities and concerns of the Flathead River International Study Board. In addition to Board records there are subgroups for subcommittees on Biological Resources, Limnology Task Force, Mine Development, Water Quality and Quantity, and Water Uses. The bulk of the collection consists of committee and board reports (1985-1988), which include editorial comments for the various technical drafts. The correspondence (1984-1991) between technicians and bureaucrats and their comments on various reviews, provides insight into the workings of Montana and British Columbia resource agencies and conflicts between the U.S. and Canada over resource development. Also significant are the public hearing transcripts (1985-1988), documenting public perceptions of resource issues. The library holds the printed reports and findings of the Board and various technical committees.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Flathead River International Study Board Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
General Correspondence
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 1-5 | Correspondence of Richard
Moy (American secretary to the Board) |
1984-1988 |
1 / 6 | Comments (editorial on Board
reports) |
1988 |
Miscellaneous
Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 7 | Correspondence (citizen
comments to Rio Algom Ltd.) |
1988 |
Financial Records
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 8-10 | Budgetary
correspondence |
1985-1991 |
Hearings
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 1 | Transcripts
(Kalispell hearing) |
July 1985 |
2 / 2 | Written
testimony (Kalispell hearing) |
July 1985 |
2 / 3 | Written
testimony and transcripts (Cranbrook, B.C. hearing) |
Sept. 1988 |
Minutes
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 4-7 | Board
meetings (includes semi-annual meetings held in conjunction with International
Joint Commission) [Incomplete set] |
1985-1988 |
Press
Releases |
||
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 8 |
Announcements of hearings and meetings |
1985-1988 |
Reports
|
||
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 1 |
Draft (Canadian comments) |
Feb. 1987 |
3 / 2-3 |
Draft (includes introduction and chapters on study area, current environment,
the mine) |
May 1987 |
3 / 4-6 |
Draft (also includes chapter on mine impact) |
July-Oct. 1987 |
3 / 7-8 |
Draft (includes through chapter on mine impacts) |
Dec. 1987 |
4 / 1-2 |
Draft (includes chapter on mine impacts) |
Jan.-Mar. 1988 |
4 / 3-4 |
Draft (also includes chapters on summaries and recommendations) |
Mar.-Apr. 1988 |
4 / 5-6 |
Draft (also includes references, glossary, and appendices) |
July 1988 |
4 / 7 |
Draft |
c. 1987 |
4 / 8 |
Draft (Comments on drafts from staff) |
1985-1988 |
5 / 1 |
Progress reports |
1985-1988 |
5 / 2 |
Published final report |
Dec. 1988 |
5 / 3-4 |
Comments on "Special Designations" draft |
1986-1988 |
5 / 5 |
Stage II application review (Montana comments) |
1982-1983 |
5 / 6-7 |
Stage II application review (British Columbia comments) |
1982-1985 |
5 / 8 |
Stage II application review (Sage Creek Coal comments) |
1982-1983 |
5 / 9 |
Summaries and conclusions draft |
May-June 1988 |
6 / 1-2 |
Supplementary reports |
June-July 1988 |
Subject Files |
||
Box/Folder | ||
6 / 3 |
Background on U.S.-Canada water quality issues |
1982-1989 |
Miscellany |
||
Box/Folder | ||
6 / 4 | Bibliography on Flathead River Basin |
Jan. 1986 |
6 / 5 | Mailing lists |
1985-1988 |
6 / 6 | Organizational history |
1984-1985 |
6 / 7 | Style manual for Board reports |
1986 |
6 / 8 | Flathead Lakers, Inc. mtg. agenda |
July 1988 |
Printed Materials |
||
Box/Folder | ||
6 / 9 | Pamphlets, newsletters |
1976-1986 |
Clippings |
||
Box/Folder | ||
6 / 10 | Newspaper and periodical coverage of Cabin Creek
controversy |
1984-1988 |
Biological Resources Committee Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 1-4 | General correspondence |
1985-1988 |
Minutes |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 5 | Spokane, Kalispell, Vancouver meetings |
1985-1986 |
Reports |
||
Box/Folder | ||
8 / 1 | Draft:
Phase I |
Dec. 1985 |
8 / 2 | Draft:
Phase II |
Sept. 1986 |
8 / 3-7 |
Draft: Committee report |
Jan.-Sept. 1987 |
Limnology Task Force Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
9 / 1 | General
correspondence |
1986 |
Reports |
||
Box/Folder | ||
9 / 2 | Draft:
Committee reports |
Oct.-Dec. 1986 |
Mine Development Committee Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
9 / 3-6 |
General correspondence |
1985-1988 |
9 / 7 | Line
Creek Mine settling pond failure (Crows Nest, B.C.) |
May-Oct. 1986 |
Minutes |
||
Box/Folder | ||
9 / 8 | March
workshop |
1986 |
Reports |
||
Box/Folder | ||
9 / 9 | Draft:
Committee report |
Dec. 1985 |
9 / 10-11 |
Draft: Committee report |
Apr. 1986 |
10 / 1-2 |
Draft: Committee report |
Aug.-Dec. 1986 |
Water Quality and Quantity Committee Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
10 / 3-6 |
General correspondence |
1985-1988 |
Minutes |
||
Box/Folder | ||
10 / 7 |
Seattle, Victoria, and Fernie, B.C. meetings |
1985-1986 |
Reports |
||
Box/Folder | ||
11 / 1-3 |
Draft: Water quality criteria subcommittee |
1986-1987 |
11 / 4-5 |
Draft: Committee report |
1987 |
11 / 6 | Final
draft: Committee report |
June 1987 |
11 / 7 |
Undated draft |
n.d. |
Water Uses Committee Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
12 / 1-5 |
General correspondence |
1985-1988 |
Reports |
||
Box/Folder | ||
12 / 6 | Draft:
Executive summary |
1985 |
12 / 7 | Draft:
Phase I (Current or Committed Socio-Economic Activities) |
Dec. 1985 |
12 / 8 | Draft:
Phase II |
1986 |
12 / 9-11 |
Draft: "Socio-Economic Activities..." |
May 1986 |
12 / 12 |
Draft: "Water and Associated Socio-Economic Activities..."
|
Apr. 1987 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Water--Pollution--Montana.
- Bull trout--Montana.
- Coal mines and mining--Canada--British Columbia.
Geographical Names
- Flathead Lake (Mont.)
- Flathead River (B.C. and Mont.)
- Glacier National Park (Mont.)