October 2023 Newsletter
October 30, 2023
Dear WRPC Member and Friends of the Menominee River,
In June 2023 the National Park Service added Anaem Omot (“The Dog’s Belly”), a Menominee Nation cultural landscape along the Menominee River near Stephenson Michigan, to the National Register of Historic Places. Tribal Historic Preservation Director David Grignon said the listing “has been a long time in coming, but now our sacred sites, mounds and historic sites on the Menominee River at Sixty Islands are recognized.” Menominee tribal chairperson Gena Kakkak added, “Our ancestors can now rest better in their places of burial. Our original spiritual and ceremonial grounds are recognized, and our children can continue to learn and find their heritage in our places of origin.”
Walk With Our Ancestors – Pemohnaekan – 7AM -2PM
On Saturday, November 11, 2023, the Protectors of the Menominee River, along with friends from the Coalition to Save the Menominee River, are sponsoring a Peaceful Awareness Walk to see burial mounds and Bone Yard Road. White settlers named the road “Bone Yard” due to the many burial mounds in this area, also known as the Sixty Islands area where the Menominee Indian tribe once lived.
Bone Yard Road and the proposed Back Forty Project
Bone Yard Road is where GORO’s proposed open pit would be. Bone Yard Road runs through the middle of the ore body (see Tom Boerner’s map). Boerner’s extensive research shows that a public right of way or an easement literally encompasses the land under the easement or right of way. Bone Yard Road has been continually used as a public trail, public road, and a public right of way for well over one hundred years and long before that as trail/road used by the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.
GORO has now placed gates and cables across Bone Yard Road where this public right of way crosses GORO property. These blockades make other segments of the public right of way inaccessible. Why the gates and cables? “Because,” says Boerner, “they can’t have a mine if that road exists and they are trying to erase it from being a road, a public right of way,”
Ted Warpinski, on behalf of the Coalition to Save the Menominee River, sent a formal cease and desist demand to GORO to remove all gates. Tom Boerner, an adjacent landowner, sent a cease and desist letter at the same time as Ted did. GORO replied that they had done due diligence and Bone Yard Road was a private road.
Tom Boerner replied to GORO in an April 25, 2023 letter. “If GORO had conducted proper due diligence about Bone Yard Road, as due diligence is a process that requires investigating facts and information, GRC [Gold Resource Corporation] would know that there is sufficient evidence along with supporting documentation available to prove that a public right of way referred to on maps as Bone Yard Road exists.”
Now is the time to join with Protectors of the Menominee River
GORO tried and failed in its effort to block the nomination of the Sixty Islands cultural landscape to the National Register of Historic Places. They are behind schedule in completing an economic feasibility study which is a prerequisite to applying to Michigan’s Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy for five mining permits. GORO’s third quarter (October 2023) financial results describe “some challenges beyond our control” including decreased metal prices and declining ore grades at the company’s Don David Gold Mine in Mexico.
GORO’s failure to perform due diligence regarding ownership of Bone Yard Road could potentially end the proposed mine. Mr. Allen Palmiere, CEO and President of the Gold Resource Corporation, has been informed about the November 11 Peaceful Awareness Walk and our legal right to use the public right of way referred to on numerous State, Federal and local maps as Bone Yard Road.
Directions to N9596 River Road from Stephenson, Michigan
Go WEST 12.2 miles on G12 from intersection of Highway 41 in Stephenson.
Turn RIGHT on RIVER ROAD.
At split in road to Shakey Lakes County Park stay LEFT on RIVER ROAD. From that point it is 5.3 miles NORTH on River Road to SIXTY ISLANDS on LEFT side of road.
Citizen oversight of Canadian-owned Green Light Metals (GLM) has delayed exploratory drilling
In November 2022, GLM planned to begin two exploration drilling projects in Wisconsin: 99 holes at the Wausau-Reef gold deposit and eight holes at the Medford-Bend copper and gold deposit. A detailed analysis of Wisconsin State Codes (drilling regulations) revealed that GLM’s plans did not meet code requirements. The Wisconsin DNR was informed about the numerous code deviations and advised that they must make the company revise their plans to conform to code.
At both the Reef and Bend sites, citizen and tribal pressure on the DNR to enforce state codes has resulted in not a single bore-hold being drilled. The numerous omissions in GLM’s drilling plans were brought into compliance. This made the cost of proceeding with these projects prohibitive. The logistics and physical demands of drilling deep bore-holes – and then filling them with cement – in wetland conditions (no matter what time of year), post insurmountable challenges to ensuring that the environment will not be harmed.
Stay tuned,
Al Gedicks, Executive Secretary
