Where the Coasters Roam (in a chemical foam?)

Yesterday, various news outlets reported that the state of MIchigan had finalized rules for sulfide ore mining, clearing the way for Kennecot Minerals to proceed with a proposed copper and nickel mine in the Huron mountains in Marquette county. We could be seeing a lot more of this. The vein of ore targeted extends into lower Michigan as far south as Ann Arbor.

The state's rules have been described by environmentalists and Kennecot officials alike as some of the toughest in the country, and some of those who opposed the mine are satisfied that they will prevent the mine from doing significant damage to the adjacent lands and waters. "''If they do meet the regulations," said Sierra Club representative Marv Roberson, "I think they're going to be running about the safest mine possible." However, a spokeperson for the Michigan Environmental Council, speaking on Michigan Public Radio, expressed concerns that a tight state budget might prevent effective enforcement of the new rules.

Whatever the strengths or weakenesses of these regulations, a lot of people have to be disappointed. A broad network of people had worked hard for the last several years to prevent the mine from going forward. The proposed mine site lies within one of the ruggedest and wildest regions in the state, or in the eastern US, for that matter. It borders the Salmon Trout river, home to the last breeding populations of Coaster brook trout on the south shore of Lake Superior. Coasters are lake-dwelling trout that return to rivers to spawn, and may reach a size of ten pounds or more. Once common, they hang on in the Salmon Trout, and in a few rivers along the Canadian shore. Michigan's DNR has attempted to reestablish Coaster populations in several other rivers, with limited success. Should the new rules prove inadequate, the Marquette county mine may be the final nail the the coaster's coffin, since in other areas, acid drainage from sulfide ore mining has wreaked havoc on land, water, and fisheries. According to the Environmental Mining Council of British Columbia, a mining watchdog group, acid leached from sulfide ore (and other) mines "can effectively sterilize an entire water system for generations to come - turning it into a biological wasteland and a huge economic burden."

Had history gone a bit differently, this never would have been a concern. During the 1950s, the federal government considered establishing a national park in the Huron Mountains. It's hard to imagine a place in the state more worthy of one, but the plan met stiff opposition from members of the Huron Mountain Club, the fabled northwoods playground of heirs to the industrial fortunes of the midwest. Fearing some of its lands (along with adjacent public acreage) might be appropriated by the federal government for inclusion in a park, the club argued that it could be a better steward for the property than the government, and that "casual visitors or tourists unaccustomed to such conditions (wilderness) would generally speaking, not enjoy these woods” anyway. Eventually, the National Park Service agreed, and set its sights on the Sleeping Bear Dunes. In one of the pages linked above, you may have noted that among the names of groups opposed to the sulfide mine along the Salmon Trout was--the Huron Mountain Club.

Tags: Conservation; Michigan