Wisconsin Tribe Going to Court to Keep a Massive Open Pit Mine Out of Ancestral Lands

The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, supported by Earthjustice, is pursuing legal action to prevent the development of the Back Forty Mine, an open-pit metallic sulfide mine proposed for a site on the Wisconsin-Michigan border near the Menominee River.

• The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin is challenging the development of the Back Forty Mine, an open-pit metallic sulfide mine and processing facility located 50 yards from the Menominee River on the Wisconsin-Michigan border. The proposed mine would exceed 80 acres in size and reach a depth of 750 feet, extending below the natural water level.
• The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin has petitioned a federal court to require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take responsibility for a wetland permit, as these agencies have previously allowed the state of Michigan to manage the permitting process.
• The project developer, Aquila Resources, Inc., describes the site as an "open-pit volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit" with potential for gold and zinc. In November, Aquila entered into a $65 million financing agreement with Osisko Bermuda, Ltd.
• The proposed mine faces widespread opposition from various local and indigenous entities, including two cities, two towns, seven local counties, and numerous intertribal organizations and tribal governments, all of whom have passed resolutions against the project.
• The Menominee Tribe argues that the mine poses risks to public health, water quality, fish, wildlife, and wetlands, and threatens a traditional cultural landscape containing sacred sites, burial mounds, and ancient garden beds.

APA

Earthjustice (2018). Wisconsin Tribe Going to Court to Keep a Massive Open Pit Mine Out of Ancestral Lands. https://earthjustice.org/article/back-forty-mine-menominee

Chicago

Earthjustice. Wisconsin Tribe Going to Court to Keep a Massive Open Pit Mine Out of Ancestral Lands. 2018. https://earthjustice.org/article/back-forty-mine-menominee.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Earthjustice |title=Wisconsin Tribe Going to Court to Keep a Massive Open Pit Mine Out of Ancestral Lands |date=22 January 2018 |url=https://earthjustice.org/article/back-forty-mine-menominee |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{earthjustice2018wisconsin, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Wisconsin Tribe Going to Court to Keep a Massive Open Pit Mine Out of Ancestral Lands}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2018}, month = jan, url = {https://earthjustice.org/article/back-forty-mine-menominee}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }