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Share Where debris flowed from a 1980 eruption, plants and animals have slowly returned. But a road may disrupt those ecological communities. CARRI J. LEROY Planned service road near Mount St. Helens threatens prized research area Apr. 21, 2021 , 1:00 PM When Mount St. Helens in Washington state erupted on 18 May 1980, the initial explosion blew sideways, creating a nearly 600-square-kilometer blast zone and what has become a prized ecological research area. Dozens of groups have tracked life’s reemergence there, one lupine and ladybug at a time. Now, many of those research projects may be endangered. Last month, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), which manages the land, issued a decision to build a road stretching through the heart of the research area to the banks of Spirit Lake, 5 kilometers northeast of the crater. The agency says the road will service a tunnel that drains the lake to prevent a catastrophic flood, a threat to tens of thousands of people in the valley

United statesUniversity of washingtonUnited kingdomColumbia riverCanada generalBritish columbiaWashington state universityColdwater creekSpirit lakePumice plainJohn bishopEric veachRobin gregoryJames gawelSusan jane brownEvergreen state university