Canadian junior mining company GreenLight Metals (GLM) announced in October that it plans to drill eight exploration boreholes at the “Bend” deposit in Taylor County this winter, taking advantage of frozen ground conditions to minimize impacts. Bend is on public land in the Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest. GLM had planned to drill these holes last winter but lacked adequate funding and postponed the campaign. Mineral exploration is poorly regulated in Wisconsin and there is little we can do to challenge the drilling. Environmental impacts from exploration drilling includes temporary road building, erosion, and wastewater discharges - all reasons the chapter will be tracking the drilling closely.
GLM has applied to go public on the Toronto Stock Exchange to issue stock and raise capital for exploration and other work on holdings in and out of state. We’re also tracking this development because GLM is interested in additional exploration drilling at Bend and the small “Reef” gold deposit in Marathon County just east of the city of Wausau. None of this means that GLM can or will ultimately develop mines at these deposits. Both deposits are relatively poor quality and have been deemed uneconomic in the past. However, lower quality deposits have been getting more attention lately due to the national interest in developing domestic minerals to reduce reliance on global markets.
The Sierra Club is also opposed to the “Copperwood” copper mine proposal adjacent to the west side of Michigan’s Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the Upper Peninsula. The owner of the proposal, Highland Copper, has done a fair amount of site preparation such as rerouting surface waters but final decisions on whether to commence mining appear to be dependent on financing. This deposit is economically marginal which can make financing more difficult to obtain.
A Michigan state economic development agency approved a major $50 million grant to Highland Copper but it is contingent on the company securing additional financing for the proposal. The Wisconsin and Michigan Chapters of the Club recently signed a letter urging the Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee to reject the taxpayer-funded handout to Highland Copper. More than 50 Michigan and regional Great Lakes organizations joined this effort. The grant will likely be voted in early 2026 but in the meantime you can always check for updated information at www.protecttheporkies.com.