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To the Editor:

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” This quote has been attributed to Chief Seattle, Antoine de St. Exupery, Ralph Waldo Emerson and David Bower. The author is not as important as the wisdom and message it conveys. We face many problems in the 21st century:  globally, domestically and locally. My appeal today is at the local level; literally in our own backyards in Buckingham County.

Currently, exploratory drilling for gold is permitted in Buckingham County. Sadly, many residents are not aware that this drilling is happening, nor are they aware of the hazards of industrial gold and other metallic mining.

You can read the stories for yourself of the economic, environmental, and health devastation wrought by these mines. No where has any community benefited from industrial metallic mining. Quite the opposite is true. Communities are left with lower property values, massive clean up sites, the loss of communities and neighborhoods, polluted wells and waterways, increased cases of cancer. A recent editorial in this paper by a retired mining engineer gave an excellent summary of the dangers of industrial gold (and other metallic) mining.

Please sign the petition that is circulating to let our Board of Supervisors know loud and clear that we do not want industrial mining in Buckingham County. You can sign at bit.ly/bhamord. You must be a Buckingham County resident or landowner to sign.

Think of your children and grandchildren. Do it for them.

Maggie Snoddy

Buckingham