As you drive up Highway 13 – just south of Mellen, Wis. in Ashland County – and look close enough you will notice a black outcropping on the side of the old highway. This black mass is called taconite, and is the reason behind one of the most defined political topics in the state. There is taconite located in the Penokee Hills, a 25 mile enclave of land running from upper Michigan’s border, and spanning Iron and Ashland Counties in northern Wisconsin. Taconite is an iron formation and occurs as streaks in the Penokee Hills. Iron is also found in this taconite as magnetite, an iron oxide that is only 25-30 percent iron. The taconite is extracted from the land and separated through a magnetic process; the result is a fairly low quality iron that most likely will be shipped to countries like China and India.

Considering the low-grade factor of this taconite, why bother with building this mine in the first place, and what purpose does it really serve for Wisconsin? If you have ever been to this area of the state, you cannot help being taken aback with the natural beauty. Copper Falls State Park, just north of the proposed mining site, is one of the most beautiful natural jewels in this state, if not the world. There are deep forests, rocky cliffs and powerful waterfalls flowing with the clear water of the Bad River, unlike anything else in Wisconsin. On the two occasions I have been there, I didn’t want to leave. You can get lost in the entrancing sound of the falls, the clean air that is easy on the lungs, and the many species of plants and wildlife that surround you. It reminds you that there is much more to Wisconsin than just cheese and the conventional farm landscape.

As a lover of this state, I am opposed to Gogebic Taconite mining this sacred area. There are many considerations the legislators of this state should take into consideration before they vote for taconite mining. There are miles and miles of the best trout streams Wisconsin has to offer, fed by groundwater, that could affect the trout population. Caroline lake, possibly the cleanest lake in the state, now faces its waters being polluted with byproducts from mining taconite. However, the most important reason not to mine is the fact that there are the largest remaining wild rice beds in the Great Lakes region at the Kakagon/Bad River sloughs, which are downstream from the Penokee Hills. Ojibwe and Anishaabeg tribes have fished and grown rice in this area for centuries. Their way of life could be drastically altered by the cast of a vote or the swipe of Gov. Walker’s pen. It also remains to be seen how drinking water will be affected, how forests will be fragmented and the small popular tourist areas like Ashland will be changed. Also, it is currently unclear how many jobs will be created for the local population and when the jobs will be available. I firmly believe there needs to an alternative industry in the area and that this beautiful area needs to be left alone to the stewards who call the Penokee Range home.