Exploration for valuable minerals like copper and gold is set to increase in northern Wisconsin, as GreenLight Wisconsin prepares to expand its drilling operations next month.
GreenLight Wisconsin, a mining company, has outlined plans to undertake exploratory drilling at 15 locations within a 40-acre segment of the Bend deposit in Taylor County, near Medford. This area is believed to hold approximately 4.2 million tons of ore, primarily rich in copper-bearing sulfides and gold.
The company is currently working to secure the necessary permissions from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the U.S. Forest Service, as noted by Steve Donohue, a director on GreenLight Wisconsin’s board.
“We hope to have those materials in hand, all the approvals, by the end of the month. Then, in early February, we hope to be out there to start drilling,” Donohue stated.
The DNR is evaluating changes to the company’s stormwater and dewatering permits. However, GreenLight has yet to apply for a wetlands permit for three sites that include wetlands, according to Molly Gardner, the DNR’s metallic mining coordinator. She mentioned, “Without a wetland permit, they won’t be able to access those sites.” The DNR aims to decide on the company’s proposals by January 29.
Donohue explained that GreenLight is assessing the possibility of conducting exploration within wetlands, depending on the site’s conditions. Before any operations commence, GreenLight must increase its $50,000 bond to a new amount yet to be decided, Gardner added.
The drilling project involves leasing mineral rights from the Soo Line Railroad on U.S. Forest Service-owned land in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. With the necessary approvals, the company plans to drill holes as deep as 2,600 feet on less than three acres, where exploration occurred this past summer.
This initiative is distinct from GreenLight’s separate project, which looks to explore an area exceeding 500 acres of federal land, requiring a prospecting permit from the Bureau of Land Management. Donohue hopes for the DNR and Forest Service’s approval to start drilling there by April or May.
Concerns about possible environmental impacts have been raised by tribal and environmental groups, including John Coleman of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. Coleman mentioned the potential inadequacy of frozen ground conditions to sufficiently protect wetlands, given recent above-freezing temperatures.
Donohue assured that the company plans to minimize wetland impact, using timber mats to reduce harm from heavy equipment and monitoring frost depth to ensure suitable conditions for drilling. Despite these assurances, St. Croix Chippewa Chairman Conrad St. John expressed a desire to halt drilling, fearing its impact on local wild rice beds and water quality. “I don’t think mining would help clean those waters in any way, shape or form,” St. John remarked.
Donohue emphasized that the current focus is on gathering more information about the mineral resources, with any mining development being years away. The DNR is still reviewing the necessary drilling permits, and the Forest Service has not yet commented. Once approvals are granted, GreenLight must notify authorities 48 hours before beginning any work.
