Valley Alert!
SHV Occupation Camp Dismantled
22 April 2009: We have received word today that the occupation camp — the yurt, the kitchen, and all our camping gear — was dismantled and removed in the last day or so by Solid Energy and "supervised by the New Zealand Police."
They have also closed off the land within their mining permit from public access and have threatened prosecution upon entry. There remain, however, a number of areas outside this exclusion zone but still in the Valley.
A PDF of the letter and map detailing the exclusion zone (1MB) is available for download.
Drilling Has Begun
2nd March 2009: We have received the word from recent visitors to the Valley of drilling having begun. An initial report reads,
"The sites are up to 10square meters some a bit smaller. They flatten out the area, put up pink tape and then move in there rig. The rigs are tall obviously and noisy.
"They have fenced off an area near camp (just up the stream from water collection sites) they have put water pumps and generators there. The water is for the drill, we have to put up with the sight always and the sound all day.
"We saw at least four sites that have been done and there is two operational. It seems that they take roughly a week to finish a site (I guess)."
Solid Energy are drilling at one of 35 sites. The rock drilling in and of itself is not of severe threat to Happy Valley, but it is the strongest indication yet that the beginning of Solid Energy's mining operation is imminent.
Solid Energy are also stating that they are ready to begin shifting wildlife from the proposed mine site away from the drilling. The Great-spotted kiwi will be "relocated" to Willowbank zoo in Christchurch. SE will also shift the Patrick's Dam Snail and three kinds of native lizard.
See this blog post to see the drilling in action.
