Major environmental groups have joined forces with the Mining Action Group of the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition (UPEC), calling on the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to reconsider or DENY metallic mineral leases that would impact sensitive areas such as rivers and streams, lakes, wetlands, residential neighborhoods near the city of Marquette  – even the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition’s Vielmetti-Peters Reserve, and the DNR’s own Rocking Chair Lakes, located 25 miles northwest of Marquette.

“UPX’s mineral lease requests appear totally oblivious – they clearly don’t care about surface ownership, environmental management goals, the potential for environmental damage, legal or regulatory restrictions, or proximity to water,” said Kathleen Heideman of the Mining Action Group.

The Mining Action Group worked with concerned landowners, encouraging them to submit detailed written comments to the State, requesting an extension of the Public Comment period, and asking the DNR to provide detailed Parcel Classification Review summaries in order to gain insights into stipulations or concerns raised by State Forest, Fisheries, Wildlife division staff, or the State Archaeologist’s office. The DNR treated this basic request as a Freedom of Information Act request, which required over 3 weeks to process.

Prior to making any lease decisions, we ask that the DNR complete boots-on-the ground assessments for many of the nominated parcels, where requested by landowners, and in order to give informed consideration to:

• sensitive ecological conditions identified by surface owners
• potential for significant impacts to parcels dominated by wetlands, or including trout streams, or lands within a half-mile buffer of rivers and lakes and streams

Surface landowners should be viewed by the DNR as collaborators, not impediments to mineral leases. They are passionate and informed as to the unique environmental features of their properties, and eager to protect their land. We ask that the DNR deny leases that would threaten destruction of ecologically and recreationally valuable parcels, both public and private.

Multiple parcels have been assigned overly permissive classifications, which must be reconsidered. We collectively voice our unified opposition to the proposed mineral leases and urge the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to reconsider their approach to mineral leasing in general, and many of these UPX lease requests in particular.

 

Environmentalists have asked the DNR to hold a Public Meeting, prior to any decision, to discuss the mineral lease requests with the impacted communities, and respond in person to their questions and concerns.

Comments opposing the UPX mineral lease requests were jointly submitted to the DNR by UPEC’s Mining Action Group, the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition, the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, the 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.

Read their full comments, here.