Chapter 8
The snow fell outside the windows, accumulating more slowly than Janice had anticipated, but considering the cabin was surrounded by thick woods, she shouldn’t be surprised.
She stood at the glass, coffee mug warming her hands, watching the world slowly disappear under white.
Beautiful. Isolating. A little unnerving when combined with everything else weighing on her mind.
She turned away from the window and settled at her laptop, opening the spreadsheet with her water-quality data.
The numbers stared back at her, undeniable in their implications.
She'd been tracking the chemical composition of Clearwater Creek for four months now, establishing baseline readings that should have remained relatively stable throughout the season. She’d even gone back to check the stats from her predecessor. They should be close to the same.
But they weren’t.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she organized the data by date and location.
The elevated nitrogen levels had appeared first. Subtle and easy to dismiss as natural variation.
Then the phosphates had climbed. Now she was seeing traces of heavy metals that had no business being in a pristine mountain watershed.
The mining. It had to be the mining.
She pulled up a new browser tab and typed "rare earth mineral mining water contamination" into the search bar.
The results loaded slowly over her temperamental internet connection, but in truth, she was amazed she had any connection at all, considering the storm.
As her gaze roamed over the data, her stomach clenched.
Acid mine drainage. Tailings pond leakage.
Chemical processing runoff. The list of potential contaminants from rare earth mineral extraction read like an environmental disaster checklist. Sulfuric acid used in processing.
Heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, and mercury that naturally occur in ore deposits could leach into groundwater.
Radioactive elements like thorium and uranium were often found alongside rare earth minerals.
"Jesus," she muttered, scrolling through an academic paper on the long-term ecological impacts of rare earth mining.
The Bayan Obo mine in China had contaminated an entire region.
The Mountain Pass mine in California had struggled for decades with radioactive waste management.
These weren't small-scale operations that could be easily remediated. The damage lasted for generations.
She pulled up her own data again, comparing what she was seeing to the contamination profiles described in the research papers.
Her elevated nitrogen and phosphates could come from explosive residues used in mining operations.
The trace metals would require a proper lab for a full analysis, but the patterns matched what she'd expect from ore-processing runoff.
Fury bloomed in her chest, hot and bright.
If Northern Summit Resources was operating outside their permitted area and contaminating a protected watershed through illegal mining, the damage would persist long after they'd extracted their minerals and moved on.
The wildlife she'd spent four months documenting would suffer.
The fish populations would decline. The delicate balance of the ecosystem would shift in ways that might never fully recover.
She opened her email and started typing to Marcus, her fingers hammering the keys.
Marcus—
I need more information about Northern Summit Resources' mining operation. Specifically: What type of rare earth minerals are they extracting? What chemical processes are they permitted to use? What are their environmental compliance requirements? Are there any violations on record?
My water quality data shows contamination consistent with mining runoff. I'm seeing elevated nitrogen, phosphates, and trace heavy metals. If they're operating outside their permitted zone and dumping processing chemicals into the watershed, we're looking at long-term ecosystem damage.
I know you're not a mining expert, but can you contact whoever approved their permits? I need to understand what they're supposed to be doing versus what they might actually be doing.
The storm has me snowed in for at least two days. I'm going to use that time to gather more evidence.
Stay tuned— Janice
She sent the message and watched the progress bar creep across the screen. The internet connection wavered, almost dropped, then finally confirmed the message had gone through.
Within a few minutes, her phone buzzed. Marcus was calling immediately despite the late hour in Seattle.
"You're sure you’re seeing contamination?" His voice crackled through the static.
"Yes. Nothing immediately lethal, but enough to impact the ecosystem over time." Janice pulled up her spreadsheet again, squinting at the numbers. "I don’t know anything about mining, so I’m flying blind right now.”
“The university has chemists who know mining operations and the effects on wildlife populations. I’m going to bring in a friend of mine who has done some research in the area.”
“Will they be able to give me some guidance?” she asked.
"Yes, but Northern Summit is supposed to be over forty miles from your location."
"Maybe they are. On paper. But I’ll bet they’ve got something outside their area.
" She stood and paced to the window, watching the snow fall.
"But I've seen evidence of activity much closer.
Boot prints near my cameras. Someone deliberately moved my furthest camera to hide what they were doing upstream. "
Static filled the line for a moment. Then Marcus's voice came back, tight with concern. "That's... that's a serious allegation."
"I know." She pressed her forehead against the cold glass. "That's why I need more information. I need to know which chemicals they're permitted to use and what their environmental protocols should be. Then I can document what they're actually doing and build a case."
"Janice." Marcus's tone shifted, becoming more paternal. "This isn’t your battle. You’re there to do research. And if illegal operations are ongoing, you still record your research. That’s still valuable information—”
“And just sit back and let the wildlife suffer?” she nearly shouted.
“No… we can report what we find, but you are out there alone. And if they know you're watching, you could be in danger."
"This sucks." The memory of those men in the tavern, watching her with cold eyes, sent a shiver down her spine. "But I'm snowed in right now anyway. Nobody's going anywhere for at least forty-eight hours. That gives me time to think, to plan, to gather evidence safely."
Another pause, longer this time. The connection wavered, threatening to drop entirely.
"Be careful," Marcus finally said. "I'll start making calls. See what I can find out about their operation and their compliance record. In the meantime, document everything, but don't take unnecessary risks."
"I won't."
"Promise me."
"I promise."
The call dropped before she could say anything else. Janice lowered the phone and stared at the screen, then back out at the storm. The snow showed no signs of stopping. By morning, she'd be completely cut off from town, from help, from anything except her cabin and the wilderness surrounding it.
Which meant that if she was going to investigate the source of the contamination, now was the time. While the storm provided cover and Northern Summit's workers were hunkered down, not expecting anyone to be out in this weather.
The idea formed slowly, growing from a whisper of possibility into a full-fledged plan.
She could take her snowmobile. Follow the creek upstream to where she'd seen the boot prints.
Document whatever she found with her camera and GPS.
Be back before dark, before anyone even knew she'd been out there.
It was risky. “Stupid,” she mumbled aloud.
Going out alone in a snowstorm to investigate potentially dangerous people doing potentially illegal things.
But the alternative was sitting here, helpless, while they continued contaminating the watershed and destroying the ecosystem she'd spent months studying.
She pulled out her satellite phone and called her parents. Her father answered on the second ring.
"Janice? Everything okay?"
"I'm fine, Dad. Just wanted to check in while I still had a signal." She kept her voice light, casual. "I'm snowed in at the cabin for a couple of days."
"We saw the weather reports." Her mother's voice came through the background, and she heard rustling as her father put the call on speaker. "You have enough supplies?"
"Plenty. I stocked up yesterday in town." She hesitated, then decided they needed to know at least part of what she was dealing with. "I wanted to tell you both something. There's a mining company operating upstream from my research area. I think they might be contaminating the watershed."
Silence on the other end of the line. Then her father's voice, careful and measured. "What kind of contamination?"
"Chemical runoff. Elevated metals and processing waste in the creek." She pulled up her data again, the numbers a stark reminder of what was at stake. "It's not immediately dangerous, but over time it'll damage the ecosystem. Kill fish, poison the wildlife, disrupt the food chain."
"Have you reported it?" her mother asked.
"I'm gathering evidence first, but yes, I’ve talked to Marcus.
I need to document everything before I make formal allegations.
" Janice moved to the wood stove, feeding it another log.
"Marcus is looking into their permits and compliance records.
Once I have solid proof, we'll contact the EPA and state environmental office. "
"Janice." Her father's tone held a warning she recognized from childhood. "If these people are operating illegally, they won't appreciate you documenting their activities."
"I know, Dad. I'm being careful."