Crandon Mining Dispute

This project aims to explain the varying positions involved within the Crandon Mining Proposal and expound on their perspective in relation to the wilderness ideal.

 This project was created for Professor David Voelker's "Problems in American Thought: Wilderness" 

 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay during the Fall 2012 semester.

Justin Wichlacz, Kelly Smethurst, Matt Balson, Melissa Brooke, Donald Keeble, Cody Pawlak and Tom Bertling          

http://treaty.indigenousnative.org/common/crandoncartoon.gif.

      Introduction: The debate as whether to have a mine in Crandon has been a hot topic since 1980 when Exxon purchased 880 acres from Forest County. The mine would be located right next to the Mole Lake Sokaogan Chippewa reservation raising questions as to how much environmental impact the mine may have on the region. Historically, mines have been notoriously known for acid pollution among groundwater and this causes the tribal leaders to believe that neither Exxon nor its partner could operate an acid mine that would not pollute or pose any environmental threats. This is a legitimate worry because the proposed mine would be located in the Great Lake Basin which contains approximately 50 species that are listed as either endangered or rare.

     The concerns over the building of the mine go beyond environmental concerns. The Natives way of life is a major concern regarding the building of the mine and is very evident in the attitude of the Chippewa. Joined by other tribes in the region, the Chippewa have support from the Menominee tribe as well as the Forest County Potawatomi tribe. The small businesses in the region also are in opposition to the mining project due to the socioeconomic effects the mine is predicted to have on the region. The debate over the Crandon Mine quickly grew as differnt organizations and tribes presented their views and arguments against the proposed mine.  

Key groups involved in the controversy: 

Menominee Indian tribe of Wisconsin, Stockbridge-Munsee Community, Forest County Potawatomi, Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Wolf Watershed Education Project, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Crandon Mining Company (Exxon Corporation/Rio Algom Ltd.), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Creating A Controversy Beyond The Environment

Mining Importance and Influence in Wisconsin 

     Even though Wisconsin today is most notably known for agriculture, logging and brewing, the state truly started out as a mining state. Miners from all over flocked to areas like Mineral Point and Dodgeville in Southwest region of the state where it was realized that the region was incredibly rich in minerals like lead and zinc. Mining in Wisconsin was so important to the nation where at one point in time the state of Wisconsin’s lead mines were responsible for over half of the national output. Also, Mineral Point housed the world’s largest zinc smelting facility for brief while in the late 19th century. An interesting way to show that mining was important in Wisconsin lies in the fact that the state’s nickname, “The Badger State,” derived from the name of the hillside dwellings that miners constructed.

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Mines/images/metallicdeposits.jpg

  As mining technology improved, so did the interest of mining in Northern Wisconsin. After much research, geologist’s realized that there was range that extends from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula down into Northern Wisconsin. This range is referred to as the Gogebic Range. This range is one of six major iron ranges near and around Lake Superior. The Iron-bearing ore mineral that is most prevalent in the state of Wisconsin are various oxides that include magnetite (Fe3O4), hematite (Fe2O3), and goethite/limonite (Fe2O3-H2O).

 Wisconsin mining in the Gogebic Range initiated in 1885 in Hurley, WI where after 6 months of project development, the town of 80 people blossomed to 2,500 people. Over an 80 year period, it has been recorded that approximately 325 million tons of ore has been mined out of the Gogebic Range. This range alone was one of the main sources of Iron for the entire nation.

     Even though mining in the Gogebic Range has gone down in the state of Wisconsin as well as other areas of the nation as a whole, Wisconsin has and still is continuing in efforts to reclaim and create metallic mines in addition to other metal mining proposals. Counties such as Ashland, Iron, Forest, Marathon, Florence, Oneida and Menominee all contain significant amounts of minerals. The difference between the Wisconsin miners of the past and today’s mining corporations is the fact that there are much more strict regulations and laws put in place to protect the environment and the surrounding communities. As a result, certain mining projects have been shut down because of the negative consequences of the mine outweighing the positive economic profits. The debate between business and government interference still rages on today and as long as people are concerned about their health and safety, the debate will continue into the future.

http://occupywi.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/IronRangeLake-SUperior.jpg

1. Crandon Mine Is Ours. Digital image. Indigenous Native. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. http://treaty.indigenousnative.org/common/crandoncartoon.gif.

2. Metallic Deposits. Digital image. Wisconsin DNR. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Mines/images/metallicdeposits.jpg

3. The Iron Ranges of Lake Superior Region. Digital image. Occupy Wisconsin. N.p., n.d. Web. 2012.

     http://occupywi.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/IronRangeLake-SUperior.jpg

4. http://wimining.com/history.php

5. http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/oea/county_profiles/map_of_wisconsin_counties.jpg
6. http://wisconsingeologicalsurvey.org/iron-mining-in-wisconsin.htm
7. http://www.wisconsinacademy.org/sites/default/files/images/Figure-1.jpg
8. http://www.miningartifacts.org/Wisconsin-Mines.html

9. http://www.umich.edu/~snre492/callahong.html