Michigan DNR Adds More Than 500 Acres to Pigeon River Country State Forest
Natural Resource Trust Fund Grant Made Purchase Possible

 The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has completed a recent purchase of more than 500 acres of private land within the Pigeon River Country (PRC) State Forest in northern Michigan.  The acquisition of the property occurred through a partnership with the Little Traverse Conservancy, assistance from the Headwaters Land Conservancy, and with funds from the Natural Resource Trust Fund.

 “This land acquisition simply makes sense,” said Scott Whitcomb, DNR unit manager for the Pigeon River Country State Forest.  “Given the size and location of the property and the natural resources that occur there – this is a perfect addition to the PRC.” 

 The 517-acre tract of land, the second largest piece of private property within the PRC, is a natural fit for the state forest system.  The land is bordered on two and a half sides by state-owned land with a level to gently rolling topography.  The property also contains a nearly one mile stretch of the Black River and approximately one-half mile of Saunders Creek.  Both waterways are situated in the headwaters area of the Black River system, an area that is a highly regarded “blue ribbon” brook trout fishery. 

 “We are excited about this land acquisition.  It nicely ties together the southern portions of the Pigeon River Country State Forest,” said John Walters, chairman of the Pigeon River Advisory Council and president of the Headwaters Chapter of Trout Unlimited.  “The Pigeon River Country is a special place and the addition of the portions of Saunders Creek and the Black River make it all that much more special, especially for folks interested in quiet recreational opportunities.” 

 The property will be managed as part of the Pigeon River Country State Forest in accordance with the Concept of Management.  This includes managing for timber and wildlife, specifically elk and other forest wildlife habitat, as well as for fisheries habitat.  The property will also be open to the public at all times for hunting, fishing, trapping, wildlife viewing and other resource-based recreation.

 “Thanks to the Natural Resources Trust Fund, the purchasing of this land is an outstanding addition to the PRC and should provide to be a huge benefit to the citizens of Michigan,” added Whitcomb.

 For more information on the Pigeon River Country State Forest and the Concept of Management, visit www.michigan.gov/dnrpigeonriver. 

 The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations.  For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.

Green Drinks, Blue Tractor
Ann Arbor Green Drinks will wrap up a successful first year at 5pm, Wednesday, Dec. 21 in downtown A2. The Michigan League of Conservation Voters will host this month’s event at Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery. Everyone is invited to join Ann Arbor’s vibrant non-profit community for a round or two, some networking, and maybe even stay afterwards for Blue Tractor’s weekly Open Mic night @ 10.

What: Ann Arbor Green Drinks

When: 5pm, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011

Where: Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery, 207 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, MI.

Who: Everybody

How much: No cover

Why: Treehuggers, Craft Beer & Guitars!

Ann Arbor Green Drinks is held monthly on the third Wednesday of the month, often at a different location each month. Events are hosted by local non-profit groups and are open to the public.

Last Stand at Eagle Rock
by Drew YoungeDyke
A new suflide mining operation in the heart of the Upper Peninsula wilderness is generating controvery over minerals, jobs, rivers, and trout.

On Wednesday, November 25, Ingham County Circuit Judge Paula Manderfield dismissed the case challenging the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s permit allowing Kennecott Eagle Minerals Co. to proceed with its Eagle Rock nickel and copper mine.Conservation groups, including the National Wildlife Federation, the Huron Mountain Club, the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, and Save the Wild UP, oppose the project because the mine will be almost directly beneath the headwaters of the Salmon Trout River, the spawning grounds for Lake Superior’s rare coaster brook trout, and it will desecrate a religious site.

The mine facilities will be built on 30 acres in the middle of the Yellow Dog Plains, a pure backcountry wilderness valued by hunters, anglers, hikers, moose, and wolves. Eagle Rock, the site of the mine entrance, is a spiritual place for the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. The Eagle Rock mine would extract nickel and copper from sulfide rock, which produces acid. Waste rock would be kept on site, mixed with limestone or cement, and poured into the mine when it closes. Conservationists worry that pollutants could leach from the waste rock into the river.

Proponents of the mine argue that the Kennecott mine and others like it will provide sorely-needed jobs in an area devastated by high unemployment. Each new mine is anticipated to create 200-300 new jobs which will last 5-10 years, the estimated life of the mines. Mine officials contend that new mining practices and water treatment requirements will prevent the environmental catastrophe feared by conservationists. Dan Hornbogen, a Marquette resident and mine supporter, told the Detroit Free Press, “there are no guarantees, but these people know what they’re doing.”

Kennecott certainly knows how to mine – they’re a wholly owned subsidiary of London giant Rio Tinto – but their track record inspires less confidence in their ability to mitigate environmental damage. Contaminated water still flows into Wisconsin’s Flambeau River from waste rock at a Kennecott mine which closed in the 1990s, and Kennecott’s Greens Creek mine is the second-largest toxic waste polluter in Alaska.

Another concern is that the DEQ simply doesn’t have the resources to monitor the mine or to clean up after it if there is contamination. Though DEQ director Dan Wyatt believes that the company’s $17 million dollar bond would cover any cleanup, the DEQ’s appropriations have been drastically cut over the last decade and they’ve abandoned other cleanup sites in Michigan due to a lack of funding.

Environmental integrity is tough to maintain in any economy, let alone a struggling one. As new mining permits are granted, Michigan citizens have to ask themselves whether a few hundred short-term jobs are worth potential permanent damage to our remaining wild places, our woods, our wildlife, and our rivers.