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Landowners, Environmentalist Call for Common-Sense Mineral Lease Reforms

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MARQUETTE – Michigan landowners and environmental groups are calling for common-sense reforms of mineral leasing and severed mineral rights following a Public Meeting with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Office of Minerals Management. Approximately 120 people attended the December 4th meeting, where growing frustrations were expressed over UPX Minerals’ requested lease of 2,500 acres of state-owned metallic minerals in Marquette County. The controversial UPX leases target “severed minerals” located underneath private surface lands — including private homes, camps and managed forest lands.

“We applaud Mark Sweatman, director of the DNR’s Office of Minerals Management, for responding directly to public questions, in a public forum. Unfortunately, that meeting raised more questions than it answered,” said Kathleen Heideman of the Mining Action Group. “Obviously, Michigan needs to change its management of state-owned metallic minerals. Landowners are getting trampled by the current system, and the widespread leasing of severed minerals threatens Michigan’s natural resources. It’s a Public Trust issue. The DNR’s primary duty is to ensure clean water and healthy ecosystems for all citizens, so environmental impacts need to be assessed before any decision can be made regarding the private, corporate use of public resources,” said Heideman.

UPX is seeking metallic minerals under lands that contain recreational trails, endangered species habitat, sensitive wetlands, and the remote Rocking Chair Lakes Natural Area, home to old-growth forest, two outstanding trout lakes, four Ecological Reference Areas, and one of Michigan’s tallest cliffs. Rocking Chair Lakes is a biological stronghold for “tree species that do not reliably recruit across the ecoregion” according to the DNR, and contains Michigan’s finest example of a “dry mesic northern forest.” The Rocking Chair Lakes provide some of the best habitat in the Great Lakes for “sensitive wildlife requiring large tracts of mature forest, mesic conifer or corridors between such areas.” Habitat fragmentation is a priority wildlife management issue, as the rugged preserve lies in the heart of Michigan’s moose range. The DNR’s own management plan lists mineral extraction as a “threat.”

“These are some of the most iconic landscapes found in the midwest. The Mulligan (Cliff) Wall and Mulligan Plains have no equal in local landscape awe, and cliffs near Echo Lake support peregrine propagation and habitat, just two significant examples of areas potentially affected by exploration and mining activity. Lease reclassification remains a subjective process, leading to possible development of lands and unacceptable habitat loss through fragmentation,” said Chauncey Moran, board chairman of the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve.

“Working with impacted landowners and other stakeholders, we’ve identified serious problems with Michigan’s management of minerals and severed mineral rights,” said Horst Schmidt, president of the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition. “There is a growing consensus that legislative and process reforms are needed. We’re gathering feedback now, and look forward to pursuing mineral lease reforms in 2019.”

Among the ideas under consideration: that the State of Michigan should create a public database of mineral lease ownership; that all mineral rights ownership should be registered; that cumulative environmental impacts of mineral exploration should be assessed; that mineral owners should pay property tax; and that the DNR should offer surface landowners ‘first right of refusal’ – the option to purchase state-owned ‘severed minerals’ beneath their homes, camps and forests, prior to any lease consideration.

A fair and expedited path to reunify the severed estate would streamline the DNR’s management burdens, return stewardship control to private landowners, and better protect Michigan’s environment.

TAKE ACTION – SEVERED MINERAL RIGHTS
bit.ly/Reform-Mineral-Rights

“There is an overwhelming desire to give small landowners — 98 percent in our unscientific survey — a clear path to unified ownership of their land, both surface and underground,” said Jon Saari, a board member of the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition. “We can smell, hear, see and know the surface intimately, while the underground is a vast untouchable mass of buried minerals, known only through echoes and wave-lengths and core samples. Small wonder that this historical boon to mining interests known as the ‘dominant estate’ is getting looked at anew, and old assumptions questioned.”

“Currently there is a lot of confusion over mineral rights, and we need transparency. The phrase that catches my attention (in the DNR’s recent Press Release, “Digging into Severed Mineral Rights”) is this: “Determining who owns the minerals beneath your property can be an arduous task, but assistance can be acquired through an attorney or title company… once an owner is established, a mineral appraisal is typically completed to determine its value.” It is not right that determining mineral rights under my property should be an arduous task, requiring assistance from an attorney or title company. Mineral rights under private property should be apparent and spelled out clearly at time of purchase, and Michigan state laws should be changed to facilitate that,” said Brian and Julie Hintsala, local residents impacted by the UPX lease requests.

“The Superior Watershed Partnership is currently updating the Dead River Watershed Management Plan, expanding it to include protection recommendations for the entire watershed. In order to protect our freshwater resources and quality of life, we recommend a prohibition on sulfide-based mining within the Dead River Watershed,” said Carl Lindquist, executive director of the Superior Watershed Partnership.

Chris Burnett, speaking on behalf of the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy’s Vielmetti-Peters Conservation Reserve in Marquette, was informed during the meeting that UPX had “withdrawn” the land conservancy’s property from their lease request. No explanation was given. Burnett questioned how the DNR communicated with impacted landowners, and whether the lease review process considered the value of renewable natural resources, worth substantially more than leasing fees.

UPX Minerals is a wholly owned subsidiary of Highland Copper, based in Canada. In 2017, UPX acquired nearly 500,000 acres of mineral properties in Michigan’s Central Upper Peninsula – lands formerly owned by Rio Tinto/Kennecott. UPX is reviewing historic mineral exploration data and conducting “field exploration” in search of gold, magmatic nickel-copper and zinc-copper deposits. Their goal is to “define drilling targets” and create a “pipeline” of future mining projects.

Comments opposing the UPX mineral lease requests were jointly submitted to the DNR by the Mining Action Group, the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition, Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Trust, Friends of the Land of Keweenaw (FOLK), Freshwater Future, Concerned Citizens of Big Bay, the Michigan Environmental Council, and the Michigan League of Conservation Voters.

Sweatman indicated the lease requests are still under review, and may be decided in early 2019. The public is urged to submit all questions pertaining to the UPX metallic mineral lease requests to the DNR’s Office of Minerals Management, P.O. Box 30452, Lansing MI 48909, or DNR-Minerals@michigan.gov

WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING?

“After listening to Director Sweatman discuss mineral rights and mineral leasing, I asked myself – what are you buying when you purchase real estate in Michigan? When the mineral rights are severed, it appears you have only the surface, maybe the air rights above it. And the right to pay property taxes! You’d be better off buying a magic carpet.”
– Horst Schmidt, president of the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition

“We built our family home on Neejee Road in 1992 primarily because we loved the natural beauty of the wooded lands near the McClure Basin. Other people appreciate the scenic beauty of the region also, because the old steel bridge and the new high bridge on Co. Rd. 510 over the Dead River are two of the most photographed areas in Marquette County. Imagine having a mine in the background of your next bridge photo! It is shocking to consider…. I am a life-long Yooper and I do appreciate the historical and current importance of mining to our area. However, we are much more than mining now. Tourism, mountain biking and cross country skiing in this area would be devastated by possible mining operations. Is it worth forever changing our landscape and risking our environment including the nearby Dead River basin for a short term mining operation? Why would the State of Michigan consider allowing mineral rights to be leased for exploration so near a community, in an area that will impact recreation and tourism?”
– Brian and Julie Hintsala, impacted landowners

“It is in our best interest to protect our watersheds from wide-scale ecological disruption, and look instead toward a future that allows our local economies to thrive because of the natural beauty that attracts people to our area.”
– Maggie Scheffer, board member of the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition

“Most of the threatened parcels are part of the Dead River watershed, which flows into Lake Superior just north of the city of Marquette. Contamination of this water would pose a great risk and expense. There are several dams along the river forming basins which have numerous waterfront developments. The value of these parcels would be seriously downgraded if the water is degraded. Property values would suffer, as would property taxes. Exploration is a messy business.”
– Kathy Peters, Marquette

“Rocking Chair Lakes are a hidden treasure in the valley of the Mulligan. The creek starts high up in wetlands near the McCormick Tract, tumbles down for miles through rugged hills onto an enclosed plain, and flows for five miles along the base of a 400-foot high rocky escarpment before emptying into the Dead River. While the beauty of Mulligan Creek was, and still is, apparent, the reality is that surrounding lands in the watershed are dominated by industrial forest owners…. PUBLIC LAND IS SCARCE: the State of Michigan owns 240 acres that encompass most of the Rocking Chair Lakes, a state wilderness area nestled high up within the escarpment itself. Road access is limited. This is no place for sulfide mining.”
– Jon Saari, board member of the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition

“Last fall some of us hiked into Rocking Chair Lakes Ecological Reference Area. This place has it all: old-growth cedar stands and hardwood forest, lush, misty valleys of old-growth hemlock nestled between high rock outcrops, and picturesque, undeveloped lakes. It’s hard to think of a worse place for mineral exploration and potentially a mine.”
– Steve Garske, board member of the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition

“Foreign mining companies see Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as a great place to operate: loosely regulated, full of metallic mineral deposits – a ‘you-pick’ orchard for sulfide mining companies. The State of Michigan, in its eagerness to permit resource exploration and extraction, risks turning the U.P. into a mining camp, and damaging our clean water and wild lands in the process.”
– Kathleen Heideman, Mining Action Group

“Recent scientific/medical research shows that increasing levels of mercury in the Lake Superior watershed are entering the human food chain by accumulating as poison in our game fish, creating a serious risk to human health, including irreversible brain damage in fetuses and children; and that the cause of this mercury poisoning is the toxic legacy of sulfide ore mining (silver, copper, gold, zinc). Our Michigan DNR now has the opportunity and responsibility as “Gatekeepers” acting as guardians of the public trust, to close the gate on further poisoning of our water and to protect our children and their children’s children by denying the sulfide mineral leases requested by UPX Minerals.”
– Dennis Ferraro, Marquette

“We are looking to our new governor to swiftly act in a manner that promotes our potential $6 billion annual renewable commercial fishery opportunity by restoring legacy mining pollution and casting aside this risky sulfide mining experiment.”
– Jeffery Loman, L’Anse Indian Reservation

LEARN MORE

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Mission of the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition

Founded in 1976, the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition’s purpose remains unchanged: to protect and maintain the unique environmental qualities of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan by educating the public and acting as a watchdog to industry and government. UPEC is a nonprofit, registered 501(c)(3) organization. For more information, call 906-201-1949, see UPenvironment.org, or contact: upec@upenvironment.org.

Mission of the UPEC Mining Action Group

The UPEC Mining Action Group (MAG), formerly known as Save the Wild U.P., is a grassroots effort to defend the clean water and wild places of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula from the dangers of sulfide mining. Contact the Mining Action Group at info@savethewildup.org or call 906-201-1949. Learn more about the Mining Action Group at miningactiongroup.org.

Landowners Alarmed by UPX Mineral Lease Request

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MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN – Local property owners are expressing alarm over mineral lease requests made by UPX Minerals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Highland Copper. UPX is seeking to lease nearly 4,000 acres of State-owned minerals in Iron and Marquette Counties. Most of these mineral properties are in Marquette County, and many are underneath private property, homes, camps, rivers and streams, lakes, wetlands – even nature reserves.

“We opened our mail and found a notice from UPX Minerals requesting a direct metallic minerals lease from the Department of Natural Resources — under our own home. We were horrified! The owner of mineral rights can access your property, conduct exploration or drilling, or potentially develop a mine under your home or camp, and as the landowner you have very little control over that. Doesn’t that seem outrageous?” asked Sue Beckstrom Noel, a concerned local resident.

CONCERNED? SIGN THIS PETITION ASKING MICHIGAN DNR TO DENY THE UPX MINERAL LEASE REQUESTS!

More than 3,800 acres of the requested mineral leases would be located in Champion, Michigamme, Negaunee, Ishpeming and Marquette townships, and include sensitive and scenic areas. Some mineral lease requests could impact the Noquemanon Trail Network in the Forestville Trailhead area, Echo Lake Nature Preserve, Teal Lake, and the Vielmetti-Peters Conservation Reserve, owned by the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy.

The UPX mineral lease request also targets the Rocking Chair Lakes – considered by the DNR to be one of Marquette County’s wild gems, and recently nominated to become “The Rocking Chair Lakes Ecological Reference Area.” This remote area of state land includes four different Ecological Reference Areas (ERA’s): Northern Shrub Thicket, Dry Mesic Northern Forest, Mesic Northern Forest, and Granite Cliff. The rugged terrain of the Mulligan Escarpment is also the heart of Michigan’s moose range.

In 2017, UPX Minerals acquired nearly 500,000 acres of mineral properties in the Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan – lands formerly owned by Rio Tinto and Kennecott. UPX is reviewing historic mineral exploration data, and conducting “field exploration” in search of orogenic gold, magmatic nickel-copper and zinc-copper deposits in the various properties. Their goal is to “define drilling targets” this year, creating a “pipeline” of future mining projects. Highland Copper is currently developing projects in Gogebic and Ontonagon counties, and in the Keweenaw Peninsula. They own the Copperwood Project, where they propose to mine adjacent to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, and potentially underneath the park itself.

“We built our family home on Neejee Road in 1992 primarily because we loved the natural beauty of the wooded lands near the McClure Basin. Other people appreciate the scenic beauty of the region also, because the old steel bridge and the new high bridge on Co. Rd. 510 over the Dead River are two of the most photographed areas in Marquette County. Imagine having a mine in the background of your next bridge photo! It is shocking to consider. This would also impact the Noquemanon Ski Trail, the Hoist and McClure Basins, and the nearby Ore to Shore bike race,” said Julie Hintsala, a local landowner.

When asked why the company wanted to conduct mining exploration in residential areas, a UPX representative contacted by phone replied: “We’re just trying to tie areas together that we already have rights to.”

“I am a life-long Yooper and I do appreciate the historical and current importance of mining to our area. However, we are much more than mining now. Tourism, mountain biking and cross country skiing in this area would be devastated by possible mining operations. Is it worth forever changing our landscape and risking our environment including the nearby Dead River basin for a short term mining operation? Why would the State of Michigan consider allowing mineral rights to be leased for exploration so near a community in Negaunee township in an area that will impact recreation and tourism?” asked Hintsala.

“After many years living in Chicago and then nearby Indiana, my wife and relocated last year to the UP because we fell in love with the abundance here of clean air, fresh water bodies and unspoiled natural beauty of mountains and woods, and all the opportunity for outdoor recreation and enjoyment offered by this beautiful environment. However, we now face a grave threat to that environment because UPX, Inc., subsidiary of Canadian conglomerate, Highland Copper, has targeted Marquette County for exploration and potential development of sulfide ore mining, a form of extraction that may leave the air, streams and groundwater polluted with toxic by-products. To pursue their destructive plans, UPX has requested that our Michigan DNR grant it ‘direct mineral leases’ over areas which DNR now holds in trust for the benefit of all Michigan residents. We ask our fellow citizens to join us in urging DNR to reject this corporate poaching of our environment by submitting comments before the public comment period expires,” said Dennis and Kim Ferraro of Marquette.

“Granting the mineral lease rights allowing exploration could lead to a possible mishap such as what occurred in the Porcupine Mountains wilderness area. Degradation at that exploration site could have been prevented had there been proper oversight and inspection by the DNR and DEQ,” said Richard Sloat, a resident of Iron County.

Approximately 119 acres of the lease requests are located in the Crystal Falls Township of Iron County, adjacent to the East Branch of the Fence River, and underneath Wilson Creek and wetlands.

“Iron County communities and watersheds continue to feel the impacts of the iron ore mines that have been closed for more than 40 years. The parcels identified for mineral exploration, and potential mining in Iron County, are remote, water-rich sites. It is in our best interest to protect our watersheds from wide-scale ecological disruption, and look instead toward a future that allows our local economies to thrive because of the natural beauty that attracts people to our area,” said Maggie Scheffer, a board member of the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition who resides in Iron County.

“If Highland Copper / UPX succeeds in taking even a fraction of these sulfide-mineral deposits from exploration to development, the risk to the Lake Superior watershed will be significantly heightened,” warned Louis Galdieri, a writer and filmmaker interested in the history and long-term prosperity of the Lake Superior basin.

After hearing from concerned citizens, the Mining Action Group, Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition, Superior Watershed Partnership and others requested an extension of the public comment period (originally set to expire in early May):

IMPORTANT UPDATE – DNR’s OFFICE OF MINERALS MANAGEMENT

“This is to notify you that we are extending the public comment period for this lease request to June 11, 2018 to allow members of the public additional time to review the request.”

The public is urged to submit written comments expressing their concerns and providing additional information “relative to the request to lease the specified mineral rights” by June 11, 2018 to DNR, Office of Minerals Management, P.O. Box 30452, Lansing MI 48909, or DNR-Minerals@michigan.gov

CONCERNED CITIZENS MEETING

The next meeting of landowners to discuss the UPX mineral lease requests will take place in Marquette on Thursday April 26th, from 5-7 pm. Contact miningactiongroupUPEC@gmail.com for location.

LEARN MORE

Michigan DNR: UPX Mineral Lease Request: Parcel List and Maps
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/UPX_Parcel_List_and_Maps_617392_7_619894_7.pdf

Michigan DNR: Rocking Chair Lakes
http://www.midnr.com/Publications/pdfs/ForestsLandWater/Cmpt_Reviews/Gwinn/2019/RockingChairLakes.pdf

Who’s Digging Under Your Camp? UPX Minerals….

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UPX Minerals Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Highland Copper, a Canadian mining company, already owns half a million acres of mineral properties in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan: in 2017 they acquired all of the mineral properties previously held by Kennecott and Rio Tinto.

Now they want more –approximately 4,000 acres of minerals owned by the State of Michigan. Many of these minerals lie under private lands, where mineral ownership is severed from surface ownership:

UPX Minerals Inc., of Wakefield, Michigan, has requested direct metallic mineral leases from the State of Michigan covering Department of Natural Resources (DNR) metallic mineral rights located within T46N-R31W, Iron County; and  T48N-R26W, T48N-R27W, T48N-R29W, T48N-R30W, T49N-R26W, and T49N-R28W, Marquette County; containing a total of 3,964.78 acres, more or less.

Private landowners in Iron and Marquette Counties have received letters from the Michigan DNR notifying them that UPX Minerals wants to lease state-owned minerals located underneath their homes, camps, rivers, wetlands  – even nature preserves, and the DNR’s own ecological reference areas! Read this Letter to the Editor from a local landowner: http://www.miningjournal.net/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2018/04/letters-to-the-editor-90/

After meeting with concerned citizens, the UPEC Mining Action Group requested an extension of the public comment period (originally set to expire on May 11th):

“On behalf of numerous concerned citizens, impacted landowners and stakeholder groups, I am requesting that the State of Michigan extend by at least 30 days the public comment period for this lease request, in order to allow impacted landowners and members of the public to further investigate this significant request, providing valuable resource information regarding the proposed leases, and ensuring informed comment.”

UPDATE: The DNR has granted the request for an extension. According to the DNR’s Office of Minerals Management: 

“This is to notify you that we are extending the public comment period for this lease request to June 11, 2018 to allow members of the public additional time to review the request.”

Our next meeting with impacted landowners to discuss the UPX mineral lease requests will take place in Marquette on Thursday April 26th, 5-7 pm. Contact the miningactiongroupUPEC@gmail.com for location and additional information.

Copper Drilling Makes Mess of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness

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UPDATED on May 1, 2017:   Porkies Drilling, Mud on the Move? – new site photographs taken by the UPEC Mining Action Group on April 26th. 

April 26, 2017:  sediment-filled muddy water is seen passing through fiber rolls (erosion control) on an access road left chewed up by drilling equipment. Muddy water is flowing into ditches of CR-519, which convey the water to a ravine which feeds Presque Isle River.

Michigan DNR public information officer John Pepin has defended the drilling activity, and “compared the use permit the agency granted Highland Copper to what the DNR would give someone wanting to use state land for a wedding.”

Houghton, MI — As warmer weather melts the blanket of snow and the ground below, exploratory copper drilling in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park (widely known as “the Porkies”) in the northwoods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula continues. The result is a big muddy mess, and potential violations of the state’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of 1994 (NREPA).

“It looks like hell – far worse than I was expecting,” said Steve Garske, UPEC board member. “Considering the exceptional natural and recreational features threatened by this drilling activity, it simply amazes me that the DNR is sitting on their hands and doing nothing.

Photographs taken on April 2, 2017 document extensive damage caused by the use of heavy equipment in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, by Orvana Resources and their contractor, Idea Drilling. For additional geotagged photos, see: http://bit.ly/2oCh7JX

In February, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a surface use permit authorizing Orvana Resources – a subsidiary of Highland Copper – to begin exploratory drilling in the Porkies. The company contracted to do the work is Idea Drilling of Minnesota. The DNR has defended their surface use agreement and the company’s “Environmental Management Plan” as “protective” in press releases and interviews, touting the use of the “least impactful”routes to access drill hole sites, and claiming that drilling would be done in the winter months “to reduce and limit compaction and erosion impacts to soils.”

In its broadly-worded management plan, Orvana promised to follow strict guidelines guaranteed to protect the Porkies from the destruction of public resources, old growth forest, soil erosion and other damage to the land. They claimed that “Wetlands and hydric soils will be avoided” and that “All activities will adhere to the MDNR and MDEQ Sustainable Soil and Water Quality Practices on Forest Land (February, 2009 revision)”. Despite these reassurances, members of the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition (UPEC) now report that Orvana’s exploratory drilling work has turned the site into an ugly, mile-long mudhole.

The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is an all-season draw for the region, well known for its hiking trails, rugged terrain, old growth forests, miles of wild and scenic Lake Superior shoreline, wilderness campsites, rivers, lakes and waterfalls. The “Porkies” have been featured as a premier hiking destination by Backpacker Magazine, USA Today, and other national media. Widely considered the crown jewel of Michigan’s state park system, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the midwest. The park is prominently featured in the PURE MICHIGAN tourism campaign: “Undisturbed on the edge of Michigan is an untamed world of uncharted woods and unseen stars…” Visitors are urged to “Come to the Porcupine Mountains (…) and see nature in its purest form.” (See “Pure Michigan’s Porcupine Mountains: Call of the Wild”).

While the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness land is owned by the State of Michigan, County Road 519 is managed by the Gogebic County Road Commission, which issued a permit in February for drilling activity to take place within the “Right of Way” (ROW). That permit states that Orvana must “RESTORE ALL DISTURBED AREAS BACK TO EXISTING CONDITIONS”, a condition that, given the severe rutting and damage, now seems impossible.

According to DNR spokesman John Pepin, Orvana’s management plan only applies to the 12 drill holes that are on State Park land but outside the 466-foot county right-of-way. Yet the plan is carefully worded so that it seems to provide protection to the lands within the right-of-way as well. A subsequent DNR press release (February 23, 2017 – see link below) misleadingly implied that the company would be suspending drilling in the park, stating that “Highland Copper hopes to resume its exploration of the minerals – which are not owned by the State of Michigan – should prolonged wintry conditions return soon to Gogebic County“ and that “The company plans to reassess the situation in a couple of weeks. If exploration is not resumed in March, the drilling program will be postponed until next winter.”

The February 23 press release gave no indication that the company would return to drill in the CR-519 right-of-way during spring break-up, without regard for ground conditions or how much damage they would do. However, a March 15 press release (see link below) quotes Pepin as stating that “This work today does not restart Highland Copper’s exploratory work on park land situated west of County Road 519” and that “Barring a significant return to wintry conditions, there is not expected to be any additional borings on state park land this winter.”

Given the overlapping layers of jurisdiction – mineral rights, surface use agreements, and right-of-way access, it is unclear whether the DNR will enforce any of the provisions of the Environmental Management Plan. According to Doug Welker, former UPEC board member, the DNR has neglected to enforce stipulations in the state’s Wilderness and Natural Areas law (Part 351) which prohibit mineral exploration in designated State Natural Areas. “Drilling within the Presque Isle River Scenic Site is in conflict with State law,” said Welker.

The land east of the road where the most severe damage has been done is part of the Porcupine Mountains’ Presque Isle River Scenic Site, according to Welker. “The legal boundary of the Scenic Site is the road itself, not the east boundary of the right-of-way, according to a rule within the Michigan Administrative Code. The Presque Isle River Scenic Site is a legally-dedicated State Natural Area, and exploration for or extraction of minerals is prohibited in State Natural Areas according to Michigan law (NREPA).”

“Every citizen should be disgusted by the environmental damage being caused by the mineral exploration underway at the Porcupine Wilderness State Park,” said UPEC president Horst Schmidt.

“Although the DNR said Highland Copper would minimize any harm to natural features in the park, the pictures clearly contradict those claims. The DNR needs to stop further exploration drilling while it clarifies the legal status of drilling on State Natural and Wilderness Areas and other protected areas, as required by NREPA Part 351, 324.35102: ‘Wilderness, wild, and natural areas; duty of department to identify, dedicate, and administer.’ We ask the DNR to conduct a thorough investigation of its legal duty on behalf of our wilderness and natural areas,” said Horst.

“If we can’t trust Highland Copper to behave responsibly and take adequate precautions at drilling sites, and if we can’t trust the State to make sure that they do, why should we believe that Highland and the State will act responsibly if mining takes place?” asked Welker.

According to the senior planning team at the Superior Watershed Partnership, “The proposed Porcupine Mountains project seems to ignore sound science, environmental ethics and common sense. The risk is simply too great for groundwater, surface water, Lake Superior and this unique wilderness park.”

“I’ve seen industrial-scale pig farms that made less mud than Highland’s drilling – and this is happening in a State Natural Area! Drilling activity using heavy equipment during spring thaw churns the forest floor into flowing mud, and threatens water quality in nearby streams, rivers and lakes, including Lake Superior. It seems obvious that severe impairment and destruction of our natural resources is taking place. The DNR needs to act quickly to protect our natural resources and the public trust,” said Kathleen Heideman, UPEC board member.

In allowing exploratory drilling in the Porkies, and failing to monitor and regulate the resulting environmental impacts, the DNR has demonstrated a stunning disregard for the health of the land and the wishes of its citizens. “Those who care about Michigan’s future need to remind state representatives and agencies (in this case the DNR) that they serve the public, not multinational mining companies intent on short-term profits at the state’s expense. This is no way to treat our unique Wilderness park,” notes Garske.

“The ‘public’ in public land seems to have no clout. In our name, public lands can be sold, traded, and drilled, often with little or no public input. Shouldn’t there be tighter restrictions on what can be done in a wilderness state park like the Porkies? Why are we stuck in a legal mindset from the 1880s that allows “reasonable” mining exploration in areas where such activity, from a 21st century perspective, is entirely unreasonable?” asked historian Jon Saari, a UPEC Board member.

“The damage and the aggressive nature of these test drilling has to be first stopped, and then understood. No one is doing that,” said Pat Egan, conservation chair of the Three lakes Sierra Group in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. “The DNR has an obligation, as stewards of the state park, to protect the surface and the commonly owned natural assets of that park. We don’t know if there is permanent damage; as yet, no one does.”

“As people begin thinking about spring and summer camping in the state’s largest and arguably most beautiful state park, they need to know that the DNR and the DEQ are protecting their park,” said Egan.

 

UPDATE – May 1, 2017

Porkies Drilling, Mud on the Move? – photos taken April 26, 2017

 

What do these photographs show? Why is erosion and sediment control important?  According to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s website: “Sediment is the greatest pollutant by volume impacting our lakes, streams, and wetlands. Sediment is the product of uncontrolled erosion. Everyone in Michigan is affected by erosion and off-site sedimentation. Erosion and sedimentation result in: loss of fertile topsoil, filling of lakes and streams, increased flooding, damage to plant and animal life, and structural damage to buildings and roads. Construction is one of the major causes of erosion in Michigan. Without proper planning and management, over 100 tons of sediment per acre per year can be generated on some construction sites. Why was Part 91 passed? The primary intent of Part 91 is to protect the waters of the state and adjacent properties by minimizing erosion and controlling off-site sedimentation. What activities require a Part 91 permit? A permit is generally required for any earth change that disturbs one or more acres, or is within 500 feet of a lake or stream. Exempted activities include plowing and tilling for crop production and some logging and mining activities. Access roads to the logging and mining sites and ancillary activities associated with logging and mining operations are not exempt.” For more information about erosion and sediment control, see: MDEQ Part 91 SESC FAQs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATE – April 20, 2017
Upper Peninsula Mining Company Cited for Soil Erosion – DEQ Press Release

UPDATE – April 7, 2017
Muddy drilling mess at Porcupine Mountains under DEQ investigation – published by Garret Ellison for MLive.com on April 7, 2017

UPDATE – April 5, 2017
Muddy Drill Rigs Pulled from Porkies Wilderness – photos taken April 4, 2017

 

LINKS FOR MEDIA

SUGGESTED CAPTION

“Photographs taken on April 2, 2017 document extensive damage caused by the use of heavy equipment in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, by Orvana Resources and their contractor, Idea Drilling.” The photos are geotagged, and may be viewed on this Google Map: http://bit.ly/2oCh7JX

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