Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 19, 1990 TAG: 9004190100
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: GARDINER, MONT. LENGTH: Medium
Yellowstone resource management chief Stu Coleman says the church development, where 31,000 gallons of fuel leaked last week, is a prime example of potentially damaging private development near park boundaries, nibbling away at a protected ecosystem.
"I kind of liken development to taking a bite out of an ecological cookie," he said. "When someone wants to take a bite out of the most important part of the cookie, then that's reason for concern."
The fuel spilled at the Church Universal and Triumphant's 12,500-acre ranch, and Gardiner officials worried there may be more spills.
The church, whose members are preparing for a global nuclear catastrophe, has brought in heavy machinery to build the huge underground shelter complex in a high mountain meadow a few miles north of Yellowstone.
Park managers and local residents learned of the construction last summer and immediately expressed fear about potential environmental consequences.
Those fears were realized last week when diesel fuel and gasoline spilled from three of 35 tanks buried next to the shelter. State officials fear the remaining 32 tanks also may have been damaged by shifting ground during the spring thaw.
Church officials have brought in more equipment to clean up the spill. State health officials said Tuesday they will seek a court order to halt construction at the site. The department plans to file its lawsuit on Friday.
The spill occurred near a Yellowstone River tributary that is a spawning stream for cutthroat trout. But the tributary enters the Yellowstone downstream from the park, so any pollution would not directly affect park waters.
Of more concern is the impact of the complex and the cleanup on the wild forest that stretches from the 2 million-acre park past the shelters and far north into Montana.
The southern Gallatin Range is considered critical habitat for the federally protected grizzly bear. It is home to elk, moose, deer, bald eagles and other species that inhabit the park.
The church bought its ranch from publisher Malcolm Forbes in 1981. Since then, it has bought 18,000 more acres, moved its headquarters here from Southern California and sponsored several housing developments.
Hundreds of followers have moved into the area, and many have built fallout shelters at housing developments north of Gardiner.
The church is led by Elizabeth Clare Prophet, who claims she receives and passes on to members messages from a group of souls known as the Ascended Masters. She warned her followers that March and April would be dangerous times.
by CNB