To whom it may concern,

I oppose large-scale gold mining in our beautiful state because we take pride in our natural wilderness and its beauty. We have the largest concentration of national and state parks and preserves of any state per acreage and I would like it to remain that way. Sacrificing our wilderness for large-scale gold mining is a shortsighted effort to gain revenue but most citizens would not reap any rewards from this effort. We all benefit from wilderness protection, especially now when it’s critical to retain as much forest as possible to offset carbon emissions. Please consider the average Virginian when making this decision, most of us would prefer to preserve the natural beauty of this state, that’s why we chose to live here.

Thank you.