BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 20, 2023
A Canadian mining company has submitted its second rezoning application for a precious metals mine near Mt. Chase. Wolfden Resources filed for a permit Wednesday to rezone 374 acres for a mining project planned at Pickett Mountain, according to the Maine Land Use Planning Commission. The company withdrew a rezoning application in October 2021, which commission members said contained many errors and inconsistencies. The project is the first real test of Maine’s strict mining law. The mountain is close to the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Environmentalists expressed concerns about the mine’s impact on the surrounding towns, wildlife and fisheries. It is in the headwaters of the West Branch of the Mattawamkeag River, which is habitat for brook trout and endangered Atlantic salmon.