HELLO, This site is intended to inform the public about the Exploratory Drilling that Badger Minerals is currently performing in anticipation of the installation of a Non-Ferrous Copper Sulfide Open Pit Mine.
My family are landowner’s along with one other family, that never received any public notice or notifications nor any information at all about this exploratory drilling or the plan’s of one day having a mine in our backyard. We find it ironic that as property owners and taxpayers we were the last to know, worse yet we still have not received any official form of notification.
How would you react if all of a sudden you come home and your driveway is all torn up and through word of mouth, you find out that there may someday be a mine in your backyard? Hence, the reason for this website is to inform the public of information we never received!
WHO ARE WE:
We are a group of concerned voices, State-wide citizens, Oneida County residents and tax payers. We work along with several different Alliance’s, Professors, Scientists and Geologist’s. Our main focus is to get the word out about Mining in Wisconsin or in the words of our State legislation, Mining For America!
WHO THEY ARE!
In particular, the plans of Badger Minerals, a subsidiary of a large Canadian company called Can-American Minerals Inc. Of Thunder Bay, Ontario. They are performing exploratory drilling right now, at the headwaters of the Wolf River!
THIS IS HAPPENING NOW
This image shows the area across from my driveway. What it shows is a small amount of clear cut forest and Browns Road heading towards the exploratory drilling sites. They had to clear cut this area to open up the forest canopy along this section of the road, so that the road would get more sunlight and airflow to help dry up the road. They then come in with a bulldozer and truckloads of gravel to attempt to repair all of the ruts and damage to the road.
One thing we find interesting is that despite the fact that it is a Town Of Monico Road, It was Heartland Forestry that was working on the road. They were hauling the gravel in from a gravel pit that is on Heartland Forestry’s MFL land.
THIS IS PROPER FORESTRY ON MFL DESIGNATED LANDS?
This image is a view from right out of my driveway onto Brown’s Road. Browns Road is normally a very quiet and extremely beautiful place, until now. Heartwood Forestry is currently performing clear cut logging not only in the exploratory drilling locations but, as you can see, right on Browns Road, right in front of our driveway.
This is important because a typical Logging Company would not perform clear cut logging in the spring or summer seasons. They always perform their logging during the winter months, so that the roads are frozen and hard, the chances of any erosion are lessened because there is no rainfall during the winter months. Also, because of the severe storms that hit the Northwoods last year, cleanups are still taking place currently. This has caused enormous stockpiles of Timber, which has drove the price down. Any fiscally responsible Forestry Company would never perform clear cut logging at this time. Other than one, Heartwood Forestry, who is working with Badger Minerals to clear land and repair roads for their mining operation’s.
SINCE WHEN IS IT OKAY TO DO OPEN PIT COPPER SULFIDE MINING ON MANAGED FORESTRY LANDS?
Badger Minerals is currently performing exploratory drilling with up to 10 drilling rigs that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They started drilling on Friday, June 5th. They will be removing core samples to pinpoint the best location’s of the precious Non-ferrous Minerals like Gold, Silver, Copper, Zinc and other’s. They will be done with this portion of the process within a few weeks.
ARE WE REALLY WILLING TO ALLOW POLLUTING OF OUR PRECIOUS WATERWAYS?
The Wolf River flows through 8 Counties and over 30 townships. The Wolf River is 225 miles long. The Wolf River is one of only two National Scenic Rivers in Wisconsin. It makes it’s way to Lake Winnebago, then into the Fox River and downward through the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin and then empties into Lake Michigan! The Wolf River is home to some of the best class 1,2 and 3 Trout Streams in the entire State. The Wolf River is also home to Wild Rice. This waterway is connected to all waters, swamplands, bogs, surface waters, groundwater’s, they are all a part of the entire underground aquifers. Try to imagine dumping highly toxic sulfuric waste into that waterway! This land is ceded territory of the Menominee People. The Sokaogon Chippewa Mole Lake Band lives right behind this site. Their ancestors were created, lived and passed away in this region. There were 5 major clans of their people that inhabited this region. Their name is Algonquin-People of the Wild Rice! They have the same belief that I do, That is, We don’t own the water, We oversee it, We protect it! A Geologist recently said that even if there is pollution, there would be so much dilution that it would only do damage near the source! We cannot allow any damage at any source in our pristine environment. You have to realize that our entire world is a complete system. Every part of it is connected. Even the clouds are part of this water system. You cannot contaminate any part of this entire system!
This proposed mine is going to effect not only the entire Northeastern portion of the State but also Lake Michigan, of which millions of citizens depend on for clean drinking water, recreational activities, tourism and many, many other uses. Are we really willing to have some foreign company come in and let them spill Sulfuric Acid into any single part of these precious waterways?
This is a diagram of the waterway’s that could be affected by pollution from an Open Pit Copper Sulfide Mine. Do you own property anywhere along these waterways?
So as of June 30th. Badger Minerals license expired. They never got all 10 holes drilled. What we have been told is that they are going to apply for a renewal of their license but it may not be until the winter season. We need to contact the WIDNR and make it clear we do not want their license renewed. If the WIDNR is going to even consider renewal of their license then they need to make the public aware. They need to hold Statewide hearings about this issue. They need to allow the public to be a part of the process, unlike what they did with the first part of this company’s project. The WIDNR never held a single hearing about this project or the permitting process! Why were two landowner’s whose land is adjacent to the Exploratory Drilling site, the very last two people informed and that only came from word of mouth.
To this very day we are still waiting for an official notification of this project from either the State, the WIDNR, the County, or even Badger Minerals ie. Tom or Eric Quigley!
Who is accountable for all of this? Who will be accountable when we have an impaired waterway?
PLEASE HELP US KEEP THE WOLF RIVER FLOWING CLEAN AND PURE! 