History of the Carbon Canyon:

The Carbon Canyon is downriver from the Carbon Glacier.  A Wikipedia article says:

Carbon Glacier is located on the north slope of Mount Rainier in the U.S. state of Washington and is the source of the Carbon River. The snout at the glacier terminal moraine is at about 3,500 feet (1,066 m) above sea level; the lowest-elevation glacier in the 48 contiguous United States. The glacier also has the greatest length (5.7 miles/9.17 km), thickness (700 feet/213 m) and volume (0.2 cubic miles/0.83 km³) of any U.S. glacier outside of Alaska.

Carbon Glacier is accessible from the northwest Carbon River entrance of Mount Rainier National Park, just outside the town of Carbonado, Washington. The glacier is accessible on foot via a 4 mile (6.4 km) hike from the Ipsut Creek Campground. The trail is currently washed out in several areas due to flooding of the Carbon River, however there are reroutes clearly marked. Approximately 2 miles (3 km) from the camp ground there is a wobbly but structurally sound suspension bridge straight out of "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" that must be crossed in order to reach the glacier.

 

Coal was discovered in the foothills and canyons of the Carbon River in the late 1800s. The Northern Pacific Railway built a line to Wilkeson, once known as the roughest mining town west of Butte, Mont. The line was later extended to Carbonado and Fairfax.

By the 1930s, due to labor strikes and diminishing demands for coal, the small mining towns were nearly abandoned. Today towns like Montezuma and Melmont are gone, the foundations of their buildings hidden by greenery.

Tourists also were drawn to this side of Mount Rainier in those days. Before the Carbon River Road was built, tourists traveled by train to Wilkeson, then by horseback to the river. Hikers and climbers had to pack in from there.

Today a road goes through the heart of the towns that withstood the demise of coal mining. Old coke ovens are just a few steps away from the main drag in Wilkeson. An old railroad grade leads to the site of Melmont, a small community that once stood beyond the Fairfax bridge.

History of the Friends of the Carbon Canyon

The group was formed in 1996 by locals that were alarmed by the life threatening mudslides that were occurring in the canyon as a result of the aggressive, clear cut logging on steep hillsides by the Plum Creek Timber Company.

Residents were shocked into action when,in February 1996, a mudslide from one of the logging operations nearly missed a school bus full of local children.

The aggressive logging practices also included the spraying of toxic chemicals into the forests and waters of the valley and canyon.  The chemicals, mixed with diesel fuel, were spread on the forest floor to eliminate plants from competing with the newly planted "super timber" seedlings.  The deer, elk, bear, raccoons, birds and reptiles were disappearing in alarming numbers.  Native plant species were displaced in favor of the genetically engineered "super timber".  The forest and eco-systems were increasingly suffering from this assault..

The Friends of The Carbon Canyon learned and implemented important skills and techniques in dealing with the multi-national timber company.  The Friends of the Carbon Canyon monitored cutting permits, protested, lobbied, negotiated, and worked with the D.N.R. and other agencies in order to regain balance and ecological security in the canyon. 

It is the hope and goal of the Friends of The Carbon Canyon that the skills and lessons learned from this community based,  grassroots campaign will inspire and assist others in similar causes.

Issue specific information:

The Carbon River Valley Conservation Project:

News article links:

4/20/2001 Logging begins in scenic area

4/24/2001 Greens protest new logging in Washington

10/22/2007 Tacoma News Tribune article about spraying biosolids/sewage