Back Forty Mine
Menominee River & the Back Forty Mine
Sulfide Mining Basics
American Rivers lists the Menominee River on its Top 10 list of most endangered rivers because of the proposed Back Forty sulfide mine. Watch the short video below to learn more.
Why the Back 40 Mine Should Be Stopped
Toxic – uses cyanide to extract gold, produces sulfuric acid
Unsafe – 150 feet from the Menominee River, not built to withstand large floods
Harmful – endangers drinking water supply and aquatic life such as lake sturgeon
Immoral – desecrates sacred Menominee Tribe cultural sites
False economics – exports profits out of state while leaving pollution
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“If something happens, we’re left with a giant hole. That’s it. We’re left with a poisoned river, and a giant hole.” |
“How dangerous, irresponsible, immoral, and absurd to propose a mine 150 feet away from a river that feeds into the Great Lakes.”
“There’s no metallic sulfide mine of this type that has not polluted, to date.”
Additional Resources
- Learn about River Alliance of Wisconsin’s Sturgeon Passage Project, which the Back 40 Mine will endanger.
- Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin’s No Back 40 webpage.
- Coalition to Save the Menominee River
- Mining Action Group