The Porcupine Mountains of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula are small and uniquely magnificent. From Lake Superior, the main range of mountains looks like a crouching porcupine. The area became a state park in 1945, with many wonderful attributes, including Michigan’s largest (only?) stand of virgin forest. Abandoned machinery, adits, and rock dumps are reminders of forty failed mining attempts between 1846 and 1928. No mining effort has ever substantially succeeded there.

Michigan owns the park land and most of the underlying mineral rights. However, private entities hold some mineral rights and associated surface land rights. For instance, Canadian mining company Highland Copper controls some rights. Inexplicably, the state is moving to subsidize Highland Copper with a $50M grant. Signs saying “support U.P. mining” can be seen in the area. The grant is just their price of poker.

The beauty under threat

Kids are getting started in school, so it is a relatively secluded time to enjoy the pristine park. That will change as people flock to see the fall colors kick in; the park has a significant portion of hardwoods.

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is known for its waterfalls. The ones along the upper reaches of the Black and Presque Isle Rivers are special. Both rivers run northward in parallel, with rock formations becoming more exaggerated as they approach and enter Lake Superior.

The threat

The Black and Presque Isle Rivers are within feet of the proposed mining surface operations. There has been some indication that the sulfide extraction is to extend under the park and/or rivers. Metallic sulfide mining (like this) extracts metals such as silver, gold and copper from a sulfide-rich ore body (the rock). 

The $50M grant (corporate handout) and mining (abuse of the Porcupine Mountains) should not go forward

• According to Save the Wilderness, there has never been a sulfide mine that has not polluted the nearby water. Basically, battery acid is a byproduct.
• No mining waste repository has ever been placed so near Lake Superior as that which they are planning, on the edge of the world’s largest body of fresh water.
  This should be a full stop. The following points do not imply mining should take place – they suggest some of the reasons why the particular Copperwood project cannot deliver.
• This Canadian company (Highland Copper) keeps trying to mine the Porkies and has literally ‘messed things up‘ before. Still, they are favored on-again-off-again with grants.
• Three park employees expressed little confidence in meaningful new job opportunities. They all said it is a threat to the park and their existing jobs. Two expressed resentment that money and mining goes to the benefit of a non-US company. One said they have had to deal with Highland Copper before, and if mining is necessary (it is not wanted), it should be by and for Americans.
• It is not clear whether the $50M grant has been approved or whether it is paying for ongoing infrastructure work. A bridge on the park’s South Border Road is being replaced, and it is a complication while the work is ongoing. A fifteen minute drive turns into an hour and fifteen minutes. Who knows what kind of traffic will be rolling through this magical forest?

Let’s save the Porcupine Mountains (Save the Porkies!)

Protect the Porkies is a dedicated website with full information and directions that you can take. Time is critical as the Michigan Legislature tries to slick-slip approval through before the end of the year. Also, stay current through Protect the Porkies on Instagram.

Thanks for hanging in, van people and wanna be’s – hail the Porcupine Mountains