CLIPS
Editor’s Note
Many of these clips are several years old. References to Aquila Resources, Inc., and that company’s original plans for the Back Forty mine are out of date.
A new owner, Gold Resource Corp., has taken over the project, which went nowhere in the 20 years that Aquila Resources tried to get it up and running.
Gold Resource’s plans for the Back Forty are similar in scope and impact to the proposals advanced by Aquila Resources. In other words, the names have changed, but the project’s potential environmental consequences, and the public opposition to the mine, remain pretty much the same.
A Walk on Boneyard Road
Nov. 11, 2023 — Members of the Menominee Tribe and their supporters march across mine company property to assert their right to visit cultural sites that date back thousands of years. Company security guards watch them pass but don’t intervene.
On the River
July 3, 2021 — Members of the Menominee Tribe and friends embark on a four-day trip down the Menominee River to celebrate its natural beauty and cultural significance to the tribe.
“How Could They Compromise This?”
Sept. 30, 2017 — Activist Tony Corey explains why he joined the fight against the proposed Back Forty mine in Menominee County, Michigan.
“Nobody Wants the Mine”
Sept. 9, 2017 — Retired Nashville musicians Dale and Lea Jane Burie share a committment to stopping the Back Forty project.–
“I Stand to Lose a Lot”
Aug. 14, 2017 — Andi Rich rehabs a house and talks about her opposition to the Back Forty mine.
Fishing Derby
Feb. 19, 2017 — Opponents of the Back Forty mine gather at Shakey Lakes County Park, where an ice fishing derby was in progress. They came to pass out fliers and encourage anglers to oppose the mine which, if approved by regulators, would be located just to the north of the park.
Bones of Our Ancestors
The Back Forty mine site is sacred to the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. On Dec. 3, 2016, Ann and Dawn Wilber of the tribe took a small group on a tour of the area, and pointed out ancient gardens, food caches and burial mounds that were left behind when the tribe was forced off the land in the 19th Century.