A-Infos (en) US, Minneapolis, DAYBREAK #6 - THE DESTRUCTION OF MARGIE AND THE PINE ISLAND BOG from Daybreak #6

To: <a-infos-en@ainfos.ca>
Subject: US, Minneapolis, DAYBREAK #6 - THE DESTRUCTION OF MARGIE AND THE PINE ISLAND BOG from Daybreak #6

The Project:
Berger Peat Moss, a Canadian-based horticultural company, plans to mine
the sphagnum peat bog in Pine Island State Forest.  The project includes
840 acres of peat fields and 320 acres of drainage ditches and settling
ponds.  They plan to harvest the top six feet on sphagnum peat over the
course of thirty years.  In order to do this, the 22 mile-long Pine Island
Forest Road must be raised 3 to 6 feet above current levels, and widened
to allow for semi and log truck traffic.  The materials for the road will
come from the rock under the village of Margie, south of Big Falls on
Highway 71.  The peat project is already underway with the construction of
two mile-long, forty-foot wide roads and the cleaning of drainage ditches
while road #30 out of Big Falls was paved to the Pine Island State Forest
Road last year. The Pine Island Bog is 6000 years old and cannot be
“reclaimed” as Berger plans to do after destroying it.  The mining project
will destroy this unique ecosystem and cause toxins to enter the air and
water.

The company intends to first log the area to allow the peat to dry. The
county apparently agreed to clear the trees, mostly black spruce, from the
bog. Then they will bring in a giant vacuum machine to vacuum the peat,
which is the technique often used for mining peat.  Dust plumes from this
vacuum will spout 15 to 25 feet into the air and cause contamination
because of mercury and other heavy metal toxin content. An Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) was done on the bog areas and completed in December
of 2001.  However, the EIS was done off-site on a generic bog, not this
site specifically, and therefore does not take into consideration
characteristics unique to the Pine Island Bog.  This includes but is not
limited to: protected flowers, including very rare orchids, the plant and
animal life specific to the area and very noteworthy, the extremely clean
water which many species, including humans, depend on.  When EIS’s are
done, they must take all aspects of a project into consideration. The EIS
done on Pine Island fails to consider the rock mining in Margie, which
will potentially destroy the entire village and condemn the homes there.
Because the EIS does not cover the mining in Margie and does not take into
consideration protected species present in the area, there are grounds for
its dismissal.

How Plant and Animal Communities will be Affected:

Drainage from the mined area will flow into the Sturgeon, Black and Pine
rivers which flow into lakes including Red Lake.  Mercury and other toxic
sediment will go with.  The company claims it will build sediment ponds to
prevent drainage into rivers and lakes.  However, this does not address
the fact that wildlife in the area will frequent sediment ponds for water.
 If humans hunt and fish, they too will be poisoned.

The Deal in Margie:

Dawn Eve, resident and spokesperson from Margie, explained that an
Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) was done by Koochiching County.
Margie’s water table, which is only 7 feet below the surface, will be
contaminated along with the nearby trout stream.  Because an EIS is not
required if the area to be mined is under 30 acres, none was conducted on
the Margie site.  The project has exactly 30 acres, however, over 600
acres is on the bill in other names.  The rock desired is not in this
acreage, but directly under the village.  As this paper goes to print,
Hawkinson, the construction company conducting the mining in Margie, does
not have a conditional use permit.  A meeting is being held on May 3 to
decide whether a permit should be issued.

The Deal in Red Lake:

Red Lake adamantly opposes the projects which will affect the nation
partly through drainage ditches which run directly onto reservation land.
According to the tribal chairman, Roger Jordaine, in resolution #91
written in 1976, the peat bog is being utilized correctly as it is.  It is
a habitat for wildlife.  The tribe depends on hunting and fishing for its
livelihood, and the trees and lumber are taken in moderation to boost the
tribal economy.  Tribal members at the Bog meeting recommended looking
into the historical and cultural significance of the Margie area because
this must be taken into consideration on an EIS.

Why do residents in the area want to mine the bog?

Many of them have lived in the area and fought the bog for decades trying
to farm and eke out a living on harsh land. The project will provide
seasonal minimum wage jobs in processing and packaging facilities near the
town of Big Falls, which seems good to an area with a poor economy.

Current Events:

Friends of the Pine Island Bog (FOPIB) planned a rally in International
Falls on May 3 during a town commission meeting.  This rally needs as many
attendants as possible. They also had plans to attend the May 3 Hawkinson
meeting which will decide whether the conditional use permit will be
issued.  Instead of trying to get an injunction to stop the mining, the
group plans to file a lawsuit.  For more information email FOPIB at
fopib@yahoo.com.

===================================
Daybreak is an anarchist tabloid put out from Minneapolis.
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