Welcome to Oneida County Clean Waters Action
Exploring the issues that affect our rivers and lakes
How to create a sulfide mining district, and fail
By Karl Fate
Oct. 20, 2021--In 2009, an obscure “mining interest” called Tamerlane approached Oneida County, seeking to acquire the rights to a known mineral deposit on County Forest lands on the western side of the county, called the Lynne Deposit. The Lynne Deposit was formed well over a billion years ago and then eroded and twisted for many million years more, before being buried beneath a vast column of water and layers of sand and gravel when the glaciers receded over 10,000 years ago, forming the foundation for our lakes, streams, and wetlands.
Our county government reacted to Tamerlane’s request by rubber-stamping a failed, old policy Resolution that was used a decade previously to open the County Forest to metallic mining. A Mining Oversight/Local Impact Committee was formed to consider developing a leasing plan, and although, over the course of three years the Committee spent considerable time, energy and resources, it was never especially interested in the existing information base, nor the considerable public concerns and opposition that it heard meeting after meeting.
Fortunately, the full County Board was listening, and in February 2012 the leasing plan was stopped. The Committee's recommendation was turned back two more times that summer, the last being the defeat known as the “Shidell Resolution,” which ended metallic mining as a policy goal of the County government.
Despite no longer pursuing “mining as a policy goal,” the county was back promoting a mine at Lynne within a month of the defeat of the “Shidell Resolution.” This time it was the Planning and Development Committee proposing to allow metallic mining in areas zoned “1-A Forestry.” The County Forest at Lynne is zoned “1-A Forestry” and the Town of Lynne was opposed to rezoning the area to “Manufacturing and Industrial,” a change necessary to have a mine there. Planning & Development wanted to allow metallic mining in “1-A Forestry” to circumvent the need for a rezone, thus stripping the town of a critical protection.
It was at this 9/11/2012 P&D Committee meeting where the idea of weaponizing the zoning districts in retaliation against a town that opposed a mine was first developed. Although the committee would eventually drop the proposal because of public opposition, it had another chance to go after local control within five years, thanks to Tom Tiffany, then the region's District 12 state senator.
The Mining Moratorium Law was always popular, but Tom Tiffany was able to successfully repeal it in late 2017. Once the law was repealed, it was widely, but inaccurately, construed as opening Northern Wisconsin to massive sulfide mining as a matter of right, and it was clear that there was a coordinated effort to establish sulfide mining anew in the Northwoods. There were promotional mine tours, a promotional “Mining 101” seminar, and then the counties were pressured into developing a compliant mining ordinance, which removed several key protections.
In Oneida County, vast areas were opened to metallic sulfide mining by precluding a mining company from having to petition to rezone those areas. This was done by allowing metallic mining as a “Permitted Use” in areas zoned “1-A Forestry” and “General Use.” It was already allowed in areas zoned “Manufacturing and Industrial.” This means that in addition to the permitted use specified, “services essential to the permitted use, and its accessory uses shall be permitted in that district as a matter of right.”
When you couple this with the fact that the new ordinance removed prohibitions on smelting, refining, solution mining, and dumping mine wastes in the county, generated from outside of the county, the new mining ordinance was a blueprint for turning the region into a mining district. Under this scenario, the Lynne mine would have likely been used as a central processing center, eventually receiving ore, and generating waste on site from other mines, including from outside of the county.
Once Oneida County removed these protections with the new mining ordinance, there was only one more step to open the door for a mine at Lynne. The supervisors pushing the mine at Lynne have always wanted a referendum question on the issue. They finally got it, and it did not go their way when their referendum question failed substantially during the November 2018 election. Without “social license” for a mine at Lynne, the centerpiece for a mining district in our county collapsed.
Since the failure of the Noranda experiment in the 1990s, our county government has, on three occasions, spent considerable time, effort and resources promoting one mining scheme or another in our county, always with considerable public opposition, and always to no avail.
It’s time for our county government to take a sober, objective look at this issue, and ponder its priorities. It makes no sense for our county government to continue squandering its fiscal resources to remove protections from itself, while pushing something that people do not want, and which threatens the integrity of our high quality natural resource base.
Urgent: let the DNR know you want to protect the Wolf River
Comments must be in by Monday, Oct. 26, 2020
ACTION YOU CAN TAKE TO SAVE THE WOLF RIVER FROM TOXIC METALLIC SULFIDE MINING:
Right now the Wisconsin DNR is revising the rules that govern where mining can happen. You can send a simple email, text or make a phone call to the government officials in charge of writing the rules.
All your message has to say is: Please make sure that you specifically list the Wolf River Region as being off-limits to mining in the rule-making process.
The DNR has spent millions of dollars protecting the Wolf River Region from pollution. No other human activity has the ability to ruin the entire Wolf River Watershed more than metallic sulfide mining.
There is a short period of time in which the DNR is rewriting the rules surrounding mining. This is the time to have your concerns be heard. If you live, work or play in the Wolf River Basin, 100 per cent of the clean drinking water you and your family consume comes from groundwater supplied by the Wolf River Watershed.
You can make a difference by contacting the following people and letting them know you want the Wolf River specifically listed in the rules as being off-limits to mining. Tell your family and friends to do the same. It is important to contact all the people listed as they all play an important role in rule making.
If you have newspaper and media contacts tell them that it is vital Governor Evers and DNR Secretary Preston Cole make sure the Wolf River is protected from mining.
Important links:
- Gov. Tony Evers: Tony.evers@wisconsin.gov and EversInfo@wisconsin.gov and (608) 266-1221
- Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes: nichole.crust@wisconsin.gov and (608) 266-3516 and (414) 227-4344 and (608) 267-2713
- DNR Secretary Preston Cole: preston.cole@wisconsin.gov and (608) 267-7556
- DNR Deputy Secretary Beth Bier: BethA.Bier@wisconsin.gov and (608) 266-1648
- DNR Assistant Deputy Secretary Todd Ambs: todd.ambs@wisconsin.gov and (608) 264-9210
- DNR Contact for Mining Rules Revision - Larry Lynch: Lawrence.lynch@wisconsin.gov and DNRAdministrativeRulesComments@wisconsin.gov, and (608) 267-0869
- State Treasurer Sara Godlewski: Treasurer@wisconsin.gov and Sarah.godlewski@wisconsin.gov and (608) 266-1714
- Atty. Gen. Josh Kaul: kauljl@doj.state.wi.us and (608) 266-1221 and (608) 266-1220
- Secretary of State Doug La Follette: statesec@wi.gov and doug.lafollette@wisconsin.gov and (608) 266-8888
- Staff Directory: https://lc.legis.wisconsin.gov/media/1165/state_agency_publication.pdf
Badger Minerals is done with mineral exploration...for now
WXPR reports that the company says it will not drill more core holes at the Wolf River site
Sept. 30, 2020--Badger Minerals won’t pursue further sulfide mining exploration at a site in eastern Oneida County, the company told WXPR. The site is near the Wolf River.
In June, the company drilled six holes at the site in the town of Schoepke, a first step to determining whether the area could be a good place for a sulfide mine. Profitable sulfide minerals include gold, silver, lead, zinc, and copper. Badger Minerals had the option to buy the land from a private landowner if the results looked promising. But Badger Minerals geologist Eric Quigley told WXPR the results of the drilling program “were not considered significant enough to justify the purchase.” Continue reading the story by Ben Meyer at WXPR.org.
In a second story posted at WXPR.org, Katie Thoresen reports on the reaction to Badger Minerals' decision from a neighboring landowner and from members of two neighboring Native American tribes, the Sokaogon Chippewa Community and the Menominee Tribe.
The Wolf River
Photo by Ben Meyer of WXPR
Towns hear presentation on sulfide mining
Calling on Oneida County Towns to approve the above Resolution to repeal WI 2017 Act 134
Report by Eric Rempala
Lincoln County, Wisconsin
Sept. 30, 2020--For the past few weeks Karl Fate of Oneida County and I have been making in-person presentations to the town boards in Oneida County, asking them to review and formally endorse the Oneida County Clean Waters Action 2020 Resolution (see above). Here's how our efforts are doing so far:
Town of Newbold: Karl and I had an excellent presentation with the Town of Newbold on Sept 24. The town board was very receptive. It didn't take much time to present as their board members seemed to have a pretty good grasp of mining issues and their consequences . Mr. Kroll, town chairman, said that he would prepare a town specific resolution to be considered on Oct 8.
Town of Pelican: The board was receptive to our information and did have some working knowledge of the mining issue. We provided updated information on what was going on in Schoepke. They told us they would make copies of the resolution and discuss it. Another visit or email contact may be required.
Town Of Little Rice: County Board Supervisor Allen VanRaalte was present on another matter and we discussed the Resolution and objectives. Karl and I gave our pitch and were treated well by the board. However, there was no discussion between us and the board; they took our information, thanked us and moved on, which was disappointing. With a 75 percent No vote on the Town of Lynne referendum, their neighboring town, we had expected more interest. Another visit or email contact may be required.
Town of Lynne: This third presentation was a big win. Tom Jerow attended also. The Town of Lynne was very receptive to our Resolution. In fact, they had already voted and approved it in a previous meeting and had simply failed to notify us. There was productive conversation between us, the board and the town people in attendance. Updates were given and information exchanged. We were all on the same page, and many warm thanks were exchanged among us.
Town of Nokomis: An encouraging level of interest in our presentation was shown by the board and the discussion went well. Alan VanRaalte was there for another issue and spoke in support of our resolution. The board confirmed that they will vote on our Resolution at the next meeting and they expect it to be passed.
Town of Schoepke: At their board meeting, along with a cover letter and copy of our resolution, I gave a brief description of our intent, and they appeared receptive. I presented them a cover letter and copy of our Resolution, asking it to be added to their agenda for the next meeting. Their rules do not allow discussion until the item is posted to their agenda.
Going forward: We have been added to the agenda in the Town of Cassian for October, and have sent emails asking to present the Resolution to Hazelhurst and Crescent. Minocqua and Three Lakes are on the near horizon, as is Rhinelander and Woodboro. We also will be presenting the Resolution this month to OCLRA -- Oneida County Lakes and Rivers Association.
If you would like to attend or offer any assistance with our upcoming meetings with Town boards, please contact me at eroutdoors@hotmail.com.
Goal: to avoid this happening in our lake-rich region.
Badger Minerals ends exploratory drilling
Mine's future in Oneida County is uncertain
By Jonathon Sadowski, Up North News Wisconsin
July 1, 2020--Ronald Zabler considers his family’s property in rural southeastern Oneida County to be “sacred land.”
Zabler’s grandfather bought 80 acres of secluded wilderness in the county upon returning from World War II. The area, just off the Wolf River, has remained pristine ever since. But the family’s sacred land — and the lakes and waterways in the massive Wolf River watershed — may be tainted, Zabler fears, by a potential sulfide mining operation next door.
“When you start disrupting one little system, it snowballs into other things affected,” said Zabler, a self-described anti-mine activist, conservationist, and former plumber who is out of work due to injury.
Badger Minerals, a Michigan-based subsidiary of a Canadian mining corporation, is currently wrapping up some minor test-drilling adjacent to the Zabler property to help determine whether the company will propose a full sulfide mining operation for gold, silver, and other minerals. Continue reading.
A so-called "mud pit" in Oneida County at an exploratory drilling site.
The threatened Wolf River
Sulfide mining will ruin a DNR designated scenic river
By Ron James
Langlad County, WI
June 17, 2020--Residents of Northern Wisconsin are waking up to the concern about a project that is advancing in the region through which the Wolf River flows. We fear that this venture will harm our drinking water, our health, our property value, our outdoor recreation (hunting and fishing), and our regional and cultural values. We also realize that this project is of statewide concern. The negative impact of this project will affect Wisconsin as a whole.
This week several local television and radio stations covered the story of how Badger Minerals, a subsidiary of a Canadian company, began digging up wooded areas without any warning given to local property owners. Two local politicians visited the site to talk with the property owners. Ed Vocke is running for Wisconsin Senate District 12, and Kirk Bangstad is a candidate for the Assembly 34th district. Listen to what they have to say about this unannounced incursion on one of the state's most beautiful regions at Wausau's WAOW. Rhinelander's WJFW reported on the reaction of the owners near the torn-up land.
The DNR’s Website shows a mining project referred to as the ‘Schoepke Site’ under the ‘metallic mining’ area. The Schoepke Site gets its name from the Township where the metallic sulfide deposits are known to exist. Previous exploration has confirmed the presence of copper and zinc in the region. Schoepke is located in the southeastern most corner of Oneida County, where Oneida, Forest and Langlade Counties meet. The Wolf River begins at the south end of Pine Lake in adjoining Forest County. The Wolf River’s source is approximately 10-miles up-river from the location of the mineral deposits in Schoepke. The area is high in elevation and mostly consistent in topography (flat). Water tends to be retained in what can be referred to as an ‘upland-wetland’. Maps often show this area as ‘swampy’. All of the flowing streams eventually connect to the Wolf River to form the beginning of the ‘Wolf River Watershed’. This is an environmentally sensitive area.
According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and National Park Service, Wisconsin has 57,000 miles of rivers, yet only two are designated as National Scenic Rivers – the Wolf River being one of them. Of those 57,000 miles, only 276 miles are designated as Wild And Scenic – the Wolf River is part of just ½ of 1% of the water with this unique designation. The Wolf River is the third longest river in Wisconsin. The DNR lists the Wolf River Basin as 3,700 square miles in size. The Wolf River has many other special designations from various organizations. It is one of our states precious gems.
The Wolf River is the defining natural feature in northeastern Wisconsin. It flows for 225 miles through 8 (eight) counties, then into Lake Winnebago, northward up the Fox River, through Green Bay, and eventually Lake Michigan. It is the basis of a big part of the economy. Tens of thousands of jobs depend on the Wolf River. It is unthinkable to jeopardize all this for the short term benefit of a foreign-owned mining company. But that is exactly what is happening right now. No Wisconsin company needs the minerals that will be mined. America doesn’t need the minerals that will be mined. There is an abundance of scrap metal that American companies utilize as base material. The minerals will be shipped off to Eastern Asia for their industrial benefit. Where is the American patriotism in such a plan?
A current example of the damage sulfide mining can do to an area is the 2015 toxic spill on the Animas River near Durango, Colorado. A 100-year abandoned sulfide mine ruptured its sulfuric acid buildup and killed off everything for hundreds of miles as it ran through four western states. Since that happened very recently, the internet has numerous videos and pictures of the environmental devastation. Watch them and see a prediction of what Wisconsin is in store for.
Sulfide mining always causes un-repairable environmental damage. There is no possible way to bring the target minerals to the surface of the earth without also releasing sulfuric acid. It took millions of years for the sulfuric acid to be buried deep enough for life to thrive on the surface of the earth. When disturbed, the sulfuric acid (same as battery acid) loosens up mercury, arsenic, lead, and cadmium. That host of toxins gets into trout, walleye and whitetail deer tissue (and every other animal that depends on the water) that we then eat. And that is how sulfide mining poisons the human inhabitants of the region. And the disturbed poisonous substances plague the region for hundreds (if not thousands) of years. Unfortunately, though we may wish it not so, environmental damage from sulfide mining is in Wisconsin’s future.
There are a few concerned residents who are sounding the alarm and trying to bring statewide awareness to the issue. It surely is a statewide issue of ultimate importance. When the inevitable damage happens, it will be a heavy financial burden that every Wisconsin taxpayer will be called upon to pay for. When the Wolf River becomes associated as “that polluted river,” no one will want to live in the region and businesses will fail. We have limited resources, while the mineral company and the out-of-state forestland owner who have partnered, seem to have the upper hand as they continue to successfully move the project through the permitting process.
The DNR is responsible for protecting Wisconsin’s Natural Resources. The protection of those resources is inseparably associated with the health and value of our entire state. An unequivocally proven environmentally damaging project in the northeastern part of Wisconsin is currently underway that goes contrary to protecting all things we hold dear. Write to the DNR and let them know that they must do their job and protect our precious resources, of which the Wolf River is one of our very best.
Badger Minerals clear-cut this area to do its core drilling. The adjacent owners were not notified.
Update on the Site of Badger Minerals drilling
Evidence of clear-cutting; extensive road work
By Karl Fate
Rhinelander
April 25, 2020--Eric Rempala, Ron James, and I went out to the Upper Stockley Creek area to see what is going on there. [See story below about Badger Minerals's license to drill.]
We saw a great amount of activity in that area. A lot of logging has been done and was occurring at the time. Unfortunately, it appeared to be all clear cut. We also noted a great deal of road work had been done.
We did not find any proposed drill sites, but we were at least close to the “rabbit” sites.
Ron saw a leatherwood, which are small understory scrubs, and we came upon an awesome population of them in a hardwood forest. Should that area be clear cut, its character will be changed forever-- not my idea of sound forestry practices.
We did see many flags, stakes, and markings, some in a north-south orientation. These may, or may not be related to the exploration plan.
The bottom line is that we got a start, but there is much work needed to become familiar with the area. The next time I will copy the locations of the proposed sites onto all of my maps.
Here is a photo of Stockley Creek that Badger Minerals identifies as their “Northern Water Source.”
Explore the issues
Inside the Grassroots Effort to Stop Mining Pollution in Northern Wisconsin
Inside the Grassroots Effort to Stop Mining Pollution in Northern Wisconsin
Inside the Grassroots Effort to Stop Mining Pollution in Northern Wisconsin
WiLD Project Announces New Mini-Documentary Spotlighting Oneida County Group
Wisconsin Leadership Development (WiLD) Project announces a short documentary highlighting the organizing story of the Protect the Willow group’s successful campaign to halt risky sulfide mining in northern Wisconsin.
Inside the Grassroots Effort to Stop Mining Pollution in Northern Wisconsin
Inside the Grassroots Effort to Stop Mining Pollution in Northern Wisconsin
Update: More good news!
Nov. 15, 2019--Earlier this fall, after a wait of nearly a year, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the plaintiffs from Carlin Lake. Furthermore, the bottling company (Carlin Club Properties—CCP) so far has not applied to bring the appellate court decision to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Then, yesterday, according to WXPR, this happened: "A Vilas County committee rejected Trig Solberg’s attempt to collect water from a well in Presque Isle for commercial bottling. Over a span of nearly five years, Solberg’s group has been blocked time and again by judges, boards, and administrators. It wants to take water from near rural Carlin Lake, bottle it, and sell it in stores. Solberg is the founder of Trig’s supermarkets. But, by a 4-0 vote, the Vilas County Board of Adjustment rejected the plan. The vote came after more than two hours of closed-session discussion." Continue reading the story at https://www.wxpr.org/post/yet-again-board-rejects-plan-solberg-s-company-pump-transport-water-near-carlin-lake#stream/0
Read the original article to catch up with this story
Proposed Mine a Ticking Time Bomb
Inside the Grassroots Effort to Stop Mining Pollution in Northern Wisconsin
Proposed Mine a Ticking Time Bomb
Mine on Wisconsin border would use approach that has resulted in 46 catastrophic failures in last 20 years.
By Al Gedicks
Urban Milwaukee
For the communities downstream from the proposed Back Forty open pit mine on the Michigan-Wisconsin border, the threat of a massive release of toxic mine waste into the Menominee River is a nightmare scenario. Why would Wisconsin and Michigan residents put up with what Brazil will not? After a catastrophic mine tailings dam collapse in Brumadinho, Brazil killed 270 people in January of 2019 Brazil not only banned that design for future mines, but mandated that every existing mine tailings dam of that design be decommissioned. The dam collapse was the world’s deadliest in more than 50 years.
Proposed Mine a Ticking Time Bomb
The State prohibits filling in dry lake beds, for a good reason:
Like the lake beds at the Lynne Mineral site, in wet years they become really wet lakes.
The Colorado Gold King sulfide mine spilled 3 million gallons of wastewater into the Animas and San Juan Rivers in 2015.
Is sulfide mining really safe? This short video produced by the Wisconsin River Alliance may help you decide whether it's right or not for your community.