#americanrivers — Public Fediverse posts

https://www.europesays.com/uk/944493/ America the Undammed – The New York Times #AmericanRivers #Bedford(Pa) #ConservationOfResources #demolition #Environment #HydroelectricPower #KlamathRiver #LeveesAndDams #Rivers #Science #UK #UnitedKingdom #UnitedStates

Humans 'learning' what beavers 'knew'... 🙂 🙃 🦫
--
Restoring Mountain Meadows
--
https://youtu.be/YkcwzknKto0?si=3lD5Ym4lF80fTlY6 <-- shared video
--
https://www.americanrivers.org/restoring-mountain-meadows/ <-- shared article
--
H/T #AmericanRivers
“How do we get from dry, degraded, and dewatered to lush, wet meadows that feed our precious rivers and support fish and wildlife? We have to get creative.
[Their] restoration work with partners in Ackerson Meadow and Faith Valley Meadow show two very distinct approaches to achieving amazing results.
[Their] new short film “Restoring Mountain Meadows” dives into our work to restore California’s iconic meadows! We’ll take you uphill into the Sierra Nevada and deep into the restoration work that is healing one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth…”
#water #hydrology #mountainmeadows #restoration #beavers #ecology #conservation #environment #rivers #fish #wildlife #habitat #USWest #California #SierraNevada #rockies #biodiversity
@AmericanRivers

Humans 'learning' what beavers 'knew'... 🙂 🙃 🦫
--
Restoring Mountain Meadows
--
https://youtu.be/YkcwzknKto0?si=3lD5Ym4lF80fTlY6 <-- shared video
--
https://www.americanrivers.org/restoring-mountain-meadows/ <-- shared article
--
H/T #AmericanRivers
“How do we get from dry, degraded, and dewatered to lush, wet meadows that feed our precious rivers and support fish and wildlife? We have to get creative.
[Their] restoration work with partners in Ackerson Meadow and Faith Valley Meadow show two very distinct approaches to achieving amazing results.
[Their] new short film “Restoring Mountain Meadows” dives into our work to restore California’s iconic meadows! We’ll take you uphill into the Sierra Nevada and deep into the restoration work that is healing one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth…”
#water #hydrology #mountainmeadows #restoration #beavers #ecology #conservation #environment #rivers #fish #wildlife #habitat #USWest #California #SierraNevada #rockies #biodiversity
@AmericanRivers

Humans 'learning' what beavers 'knew'... 🙂 🙃 🦫
--
Restoring Mountain Meadows
--
https://youtu.be/YkcwzknKto0?si=3lD5Ym4lF80fTlY6 <-- shared video
--
https://www.americanrivers.org/restoring-mountain-meadows/ <-- shared article
--
H/T #AmericanRivers
“How do we get from dry, degraded, and dewatered to lush, wet meadows that feed our precious rivers and support fish and wildlife? We have to get creative.
[Their] restoration work with partners in Ackerson Meadow and Faith Valley Meadow show two very distinct approaches to achieving amazing results.
[Their] new short film “Restoring Mountain Meadows” dives into our work to restore California’s iconic meadows! We’ll take you uphill into the Sierra Nevada and deep into the restoration work that is healing one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth…”
#water #hydrology #mountainmeadows #restoration #beavers #ecology #conservation #environment #rivers #fish #wildlife #habitat #USWest #California #SierraNevada #rockies #biodiversity
@AmericanRivers

Humans 'learning' what beavers 'knew'... 🙂 🙃 🦫
--
Restoring Mountain Meadows
--
https://youtu.be/YkcwzknKto0?si=3lD5Ym4lF80fTlY6 <-- shared video
--
https://www.americanrivers.org/restoring-mountain-meadows/ <-- shared article
--
H/T #AmericanRivers
“How do we get from dry, degraded, and dewatered to lush, wet meadows that feed our precious rivers and support fish and wildlife? We have to get creative.
[Their] restoration work with partners in Ackerson Meadow and Faith Valley Meadow show two very distinct approaches to achieving amazing results.
[Their] new short film “Restoring Mountain Meadows” dives into our work to restore California’s iconic meadows! We’ll take you uphill into the Sierra Nevada and deep into the restoration work that is healing one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth…”
#water #hydrology #mountainmeadows #restoration #beavers #ecology #conservation #environment #rivers #fish #wildlife #habitat #USWest #California #SierraNevada #rockies #biodiversity
@AmericanRivers

Humans 'learning' what beavers 'knew'... 🙂 🙃 🦫
--
Restoring Mountain Meadows
--
https://youtu.be/YkcwzknKto0?si=3lD5Ym4lF80fTlY6 <-- shared video
--
https://www.americanrivers.org/restoring-mountain-meadows/ <-- shared article
--
H/T #AmericanRivers
“How do we get from dry, degraded, and dewatered to lush, wet meadows that feed our precious rivers and support fish and wildlife? We have to get creative.
[Their] restoration work with partners in Ackerson Meadow and Faith Valley Meadow show two very distinct approaches to achieving amazing results.
[Their] new short film “Restoring Mountain Meadows” dives into our work to restore California’s iconic meadows! We’ll take you uphill into the Sierra Nevada and deep into the restoration work that is healing one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth…”
#water #hydrology #mountainmeadows #restoration #beavers #ecology #conservation #environment #rivers #fish #wildlife #habitat #USWest #California #SierraNevada #rockies #biodiversity
@AmericanRivers

Environmental group warns Suwannee River is one of America’s most endangered waterways https://www.byteseu.com/1939149/ #AmericanRivers #CapitalCity #environment #Fertilizer #Runoff #SuwanneeCountyRiver #Tallahassee

US CONUS Rivers Of Dimension By Annual Flow – An Older (2013) But Still SO Useful Hydrologic Visualisation
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https://pacinst.org/american-rivers-a-graphic/ <-- shared technical post
--
“... Several things stand out:
1) the massive flow of the mighty Mississippi and Columbia River systems
2) the paucity of major rivers in the western US, especially the southwestern US, where the only major rivers are the seriously over-tapped Colorado and Rio Grande Rivers
3) the local importance of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers in California, which serve the state’s cities and agricultural regions…”
#visualisation #infographic #water #hydrographic #hydrology #US #USA #CONUS #flow #humanimpacts #gage #USGS #USGSgage #agriculture #transportation #rivers #waterresources #overuse #monitoring #planning #AmericanRivers #mapping #spatial #spatialanalysis #scale #symbology #proportional #symbology #bigriver #Colorado #Columbia #Mississippi #SanJoaquin #RioGrande #NHD #NationalHydrographyDataset
#PacificInstitute | #USGS | #AmericanRivers

US CONUS Rivers Of Dimension By Annual Flow – An Older (2013) But Still SO Useful Hydrologic Visualisation
--
https://pacinst.org/american-rivers-a-graphic/ <-- shared technical post
--
“... Several things stand out:
1) the massive flow of the mighty Mississippi and Columbia River systems
2) the paucity of major rivers in the western US, especially the southwestern US, where the only major rivers are the seriously over-tapped Colorado and Rio Grande Rivers
3) the local importance of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers in California, which serve the state’s cities and agricultural regions…”
#visualisation #infographic #water #hydrographic #hydrology #US #USA #CONUS #flow #humanimpacts #gage #USGS #USGSgage #agriculture #transportation #rivers #waterresources #overuse #monitoring #planning #AmericanRivers #mapping #spatial #spatialanalysis #scale #symbology #proportional #symbology #bigriver #Colorado #Columbia #Mississippi #SanJoaquin #RioGrande #NHD #NationalHydrographyDataset
#PacificInstitute | #USGS | #AmericanRivers

US CONUS Rivers Of Dimension By Annual Flow – An Older (2013) But Still SO Useful Hydrologic Visualisation
--
https://pacinst.org/american-rivers-a-graphic/ <-- shared technical post
--
“... Several things stand out:
1) the massive flow of the mighty Mississippi and Columbia River systems
2) the paucity of major rivers in the western US, especially the southwestern US, where the only major rivers are the seriously over-tapped Colorado and Rio Grande Rivers
3) the local importance of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers in California, which serve the state’s cities and agricultural regions…”
#visualisation #infographic #water #hydrographic #hydrology #US #USA #CONUS #flow #humanimpacts #gage #USGS #USGSgage #agriculture #transportation #rivers #waterresources #overuse #monitoring #planning #AmericanRivers #mapping #spatial #spatialanalysis #scale #symbology #proportional #symbology #bigriver #Colorado #Columbia #Mississippi #SanJoaquin #RioGrande #NHD #NationalHydrographyDataset
#PacificInstitute | #USGS | #AmericanRivers

US CONUS Rivers Of Dimension By Annual Flow – An Older (2013) But Still SO Useful Hydrologic Visualisation
--
https://pacinst.org/american-rivers-a-graphic/ <-- shared technical post
--
“... Several things stand out:
1) the massive flow of the mighty Mississippi and Columbia River systems
2) the paucity of major rivers in the western US, especially the southwestern US, where the only major rivers are the seriously over-tapped Colorado and Rio Grande Rivers
3) the local importance of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers in California, which serve the state’s cities and agricultural regions…”
#visualisation #infographic #water #hydrographic #hydrology #US #USA #CONUS #flow #humanimpacts #gage #USGS #USGSgage #agriculture #transportation #rivers #waterresources #overuse #monitoring #planning #AmericanRivers #mapping #spatial #spatialanalysis #scale #symbology #proportional #symbology #bigriver #Colorado #Columbia #Mississippi #SanJoaquin #RioGrande #NHD #NationalHydrographyDataset
#PacificInstitute | #USGS | #AmericanRivers

US CONUS Rivers Of Dimension By Annual Flow – An Older (2013) But Still SO Useful Hydrologic Visualisation
--
https://pacinst.org/american-rivers-a-graphic/ <-- shared technical post
--
“... Several things stand out:
1) the massive flow of the mighty Mississippi and Columbia River systems
2) the paucity of major rivers in the western US, especially the southwestern US, where the only major rivers are the seriously over-tapped Colorado and Rio Grande Rivers
3) the local importance of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers in California, which serve the state’s cities and agricultural regions…”
#visualisation #infographic #water #hydrographic #hydrology #US #USA #CONUS #flow #humanimpacts #gage #USGS #USGSgage #agriculture #transportation #rivers #waterresources #overuse #monitoring #planning #AmericanRivers #mapping #spatial #spatialanalysis #scale #symbology #proportional #symbology #bigriver #Colorado #Columbia #Mississippi #SanJoaquin #RioGrande #NHD #NationalHydrographyDataset
#PacificInstitute | #USGS | #AmericanRivers

Functional Floodplain Explorer [USA]
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https://seal-app-r7cbc.ondigitalocean.app/ <-- shared Functional Floodplain Explorer webmap
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https://seal-app-r7cbc.ondigitalocean.app/NFFA_Tutorial.pdf <-- shared web map tutorial
--
https://seal-app-r7cbc.ondigitalocean.app/NFFA_MethodOverview.pdf <-- shared methodology overview
--
https://seal-app-r7cbc.ondigitalocean.app/NFFA_ExeSummary.pdf <-- shared executive summary of the project, spatial datasets, etc
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https://youtu.be/XiX_1vimFcs?si=HBUl0Bb6zdtzSLE2 <-- American Rivers Restoring Floodplains, including economics and damage
--
[this post is intended to share a US National mapping / hydrology resource, etc]
#water #hydrology #USA #National #CONUS #Alaska #Hawaii #functional #floodplains #webpab #GIS #spatial #mapping #conservation #freshwater #surfacewater #humanimpacts #risk #hazard #cost #economics #infrastructure #NationalFunctionalFloodplainsAssessment #flood #flooding #protection #mitigation #restoration #network #connectivity #natural #watersheds #protection #alteration #engineering #flow #river #waterbody #extremeweather #spatialanalysis
#AmericanRivers | #ConservationSciencePartners

#Hydropower Developer No-Show Leaves #Navajos with More Questions than Answers

Chapter officials table hydropower resolution, ask for more community info sessions as FERC seeks to end a policy blocking permits on Tribal land absent Tribal support

by #HerbYazzie, Coal-Lease Area Resident; #AdrianHerder, #TóNizhóníÁní; #TaylorMcKinnon, #CenterForBiologicalDiversity
via #CensoredNews, Nov. 21, 2025

Excerpts: #KayentaAZ— "On a cloudy, rainy Wednesday afternoon, the Kayenta Chapter held its monthly meeting where a resolution by #NatureAndPeopleFirst was first on the agenda. Impacted community members from the coal-lease area on Black Mesa (#DziłYíjiin) filled the chapter house to voice concern about the resolution. But before discussions could begin, Chapter officials tabled the resolution because the developers didn’t show up.

"Nature and People First (#NPF) are developers who are pushing #PumpedStorageHydropower (#PSH) on the #NavajoNation, particularly in the #BlackMesa region. Pumped storage pumps water uphill during low electricity prices and then releases it back downhill through generators when electricity prices are high, producing electricity and revenue. Pumped storage #hydropower, which requires huge amounts of water, is different than hydrogen, which other developers wanted piped across the Nation."

[...]

"#TóNizhóníÁní (#TNA) e-filed comments objecting to #FERC’s proposed policy reversal along with the #CenterForBiologicalDiversity, #AmericanRivers and more than a dozen #tribes across the US. 'For decades, #CoalMining on #BlackMesa has not only extracted coal but also billions of gallons of #groundwater to support the #mining operation,' wrote #AdrianHerder with Tó Nizhóní Ání. 'Energy projects that propose to use large amounts of water for #EnergyProduction should be vetted diligently.' Water access and reliability is crucial for our communities on Black Mesa and the southwest region of the United States.

"Tribal communities understand the resources and impacts by industry. Any project that proposes to use groundwater when it has been heavily impacted and in a state of recovery should not be considered for continued industry use."

https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2025/11/hydropower-developer-no-show-leaves.html

#WaterIsLife #Diné #Dineteh #Greenwashing #PeabodyCoal #ReaderSupportedNews

#Hydropower Developer No-Show Leaves #Navajos with More Questions than Answers

Chapter officials table hydropower resolution, ask for more community info sessions as FERC seeks to end a policy blocking permits on Tribal land absent Tribal support

by #HerbYazzie, Coal-Lease Area Resident; #AdrianHerder, #TóNizhóníÁní; #TaylorMcKinnon, #CenterForBiologicalDiversity
via #CensoredNews, Nov. 21, 2025

Excerpts: #KayentaAZ— "On a cloudy, rainy Wednesday afternoon, the Kayenta Chapter held its monthly meeting where a resolution by #NatureAndPeopleFirst was first on the agenda. Impacted community members from the coal-lease area on Black Mesa (#DziłYíjiin) filled the chapter house to voice concern about the resolution. But before discussions could begin, Chapter officials tabled the resolution because the developers didn’t show up.

"Nature and People First (#NPF) are developers who are pushing #PumpedStorageHydropower (#PSH) on the #NavajoNation, particularly in the #BlackMesa region. Pumped storage pumps water uphill during low electricity prices and then releases it back downhill through generators when electricity prices are high, producing electricity and revenue. Pumped storage #hydropower, which requires huge amounts of water, is different than hydrogen, which other developers wanted piped across the Nation."

[...]

"#TóNizhóníÁní (#TNA) e-filed comments objecting to #FERC’s proposed policy reversal along with the #CenterForBiologicalDiversity, #AmericanRivers and more than a dozen #tribes across the US. 'For decades, #CoalMining on #BlackMesa has not only extracted coal but also billions of gallons of #groundwater to support the #mining operation,' wrote #AdrianHerder with Tó Nizhóní Ání. 'Energy projects that propose to use large amounts of water for #EnergyProduction should be vetted diligently.' Water access and reliability is crucial for our communities on Black Mesa and the southwest region of the United States.

"Tribal communities understand the resources and impacts by industry. Any project that proposes to use groundwater when it has been heavily impacted and in a state of recovery should not be considered for continued industry use."

https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2025/11/hydropower-developer-no-show-leaves.html

#WaterIsLife #Diné #Dineteh #Greenwashing #PeabodyCoal #ReaderSupportedNews

#Hydropower Developer No-Show Leaves #Navajos with More Questions than Answers

Chapter officials table hydropower resolution, ask for more community info sessions as FERC seeks to end a policy blocking permits on Tribal land absent Tribal support

by #HerbYazzie, Coal-Lease Area Resident; #AdrianHerder, #TóNizhóníÁní; #TaylorMcKinnon, #CenterForBiologicalDiversity
via #CensoredNews, Nov. 21, 2025

Excerpts: #KayentaAZ— "On a cloudy, rainy Wednesday afternoon, the Kayenta Chapter held its monthly meeting where a resolution by #NatureAndPeopleFirst was first on the agenda. Impacted community members from the coal-lease area on Black Mesa (#DziłYíjiin) filled the chapter house to voice concern about the resolution. But before discussions could begin, Chapter officials tabled the resolution because the developers didn’t show up.

"Nature and People First (#NPF) are developers who are pushing #PumpedStorageHydropower (#PSH) on the #NavajoNation, particularly in the #BlackMesa region. Pumped storage pumps water uphill during low electricity prices and then releases it back downhill through generators when electricity prices are high, producing electricity and revenue. Pumped storage #hydropower, which requires huge amounts of water, is different than hydrogen, which other developers wanted piped across the Nation."

[...]

"#TóNizhóníÁní (#TNA) e-filed comments objecting to #FERC’s proposed policy reversal along with the #CenterForBiologicalDiversity, #AmericanRivers and more than a dozen #tribes across the US. 'For decades, #CoalMining on #BlackMesa has not only extracted coal but also billions of gallons of #groundwater to support the #mining operation,' wrote #AdrianHerder with Tó Nizhóní Ání. 'Energy projects that propose to use large amounts of water for #EnergyProduction should be vetted diligently.' Water access and reliability is crucial for our communities on Black Mesa and the southwest region of the United States.

"Tribal communities understand the resources and impacts by industry. Any project that proposes to use groundwater when it has been heavily impacted and in a state of recovery should not be considered for continued industry use."

https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2025/11/hydropower-developer-no-show-leaves.html

#WaterIsLife #Diné #Dineteh #Greenwashing #PeabodyCoal #ReaderSupportedNews

#Hydropower Developer No-Show Leaves #Navajos with More Questions than Answers

Chapter officials table hydropower resolution, ask for more community info sessions as FERC seeks to end a policy blocking permits on Tribal land absent Tribal support

by #HerbYazzie, Coal-Lease Area Resident; #AdrianHerder, #TóNizhóníÁní; #TaylorMcKinnon, #CenterForBiologicalDiversity
via #CensoredNews, Nov. 21, 2025

Excerpts: #KayentaAZ— "On a cloudy, rainy Wednesday afternoon, the Kayenta Chapter held its monthly meeting where a resolution by #NatureAndPeopleFirst was first on the agenda. Impacted community members from the coal-lease area on Black Mesa (#DziłYíjiin) filled the chapter house to voice concern about the resolution. But before discussions could begin, Chapter officials tabled the resolution because the developers didn’t show up.

"Nature and People First (#NPF) are developers who are pushing #PumpedStorageHydropower (#PSH) on the #NavajoNation, particularly in the #BlackMesa region. Pumped storage pumps water uphill during low electricity prices and then releases it back downhill through generators when electricity prices are high, producing electricity and revenue. Pumped storage #hydropower, which requires huge amounts of water, is different than hydrogen, which other developers wanted piped across the Nation."

[...]

"#TóNizhóníÁní (#TNA) e-filed comments objecting to #FERC’s proposed policy reversal along with the #CenterForBiologicalDiversity, #AmericanRivers and more than a dozen #tribes across the US. 'For decades, #CoalMining on #BlackMesa has not only extracted coal but also billions of gallons of #groundwater to support the #mining operation,' wrote #AdrianHerder with Tó Nizhóní Ání. 'Energy projects that propose to use large amounts of water for #EnergyProduction should be vetted diligently.' Water access and reliability is crucial for our communities on Black Mesa and the southwest region of the United States.

"Tribal communities understand the resources and impacts by industry. Any project that proposes to use groundwater when it has been heavily impacted and in a state of recovery should not be considered for continued industry use."

https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2025/11/hydropower-developer-no-show-leaves.html

#WaterIsLife #Diné #Dineteh #Greenwashing #PeabodyCoal #ReaderSupportedNews

#Hydropower Developer No-Show Leaves #Navajos with More Questions than Answers

Chapter officials table hydropower resolution, ask for more community info sessions as FERC seeks to end a policy blocking permits on Tribal land absent Tribal support

by #HerbYazzie, Coal-Lease Area Resident; #AdrianHerder, #TóNizhóníÁní; #TaylorMcKinnon, #CenterForBiologicalDiversity
via #CensoredNews, Nov. 21, 2025

Excerpts: #KayentaAZ— "On a cloudy, rainy Wednesday afternoon, the Kayenta Chapter held its monthly meeting where a resolution by #NatureAndPeopleFirst was first on the agenda. Impacted community members from the coal-lease area on Black Mesa (#DziłYíjiin) filled the chapter house to voice concern about the resolution. But before discussions could begin, Chapter officials tabled the resolution because the developers didn’t show up.

"Nature and People First (#NPF) are developers who are pushing #PumpedStorageHydropower (#PSH) on the #NavajoNation, particularly in the #BlackMesa region. Pumped storage pumps water uphill during low electricity prices and then releases it back downhill through generators when electricity prices are high, producing electricity and revenue. Pumped storage #hydropower, which requires huge amounts of water, is different than hydrogen, which other developers wanted piped across the Nation."

[...]

"#TóNizhóníÁní (#TNA) e-filed comments objecting to #FERC’s proposed policy reversal along with the #CenterForBiologicalDiversity, #AmericanRivers and more than a dozen #tribes across the US. 'For decades, #CoalMining on #BlackMesa has not only extracted coal but also billions of gallons of #groundwater to support the #mining operation,' wrote #AdrianHerder with Tó Nizhóní Ání. 'Energy projects that propose to use large amounts of water for #EnergyProduction should be vetted diligently.' Water access and reliability is crucial for our communities on Black Mesa and the southwest region of the United States.

"Tribal communities understand the resources and impacts by industry. Any project that proposes to use groundwater when it has been heavily impacted and in a state of recovery should not be considered for continued industry use."

https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2025/11/hydropower-developer-no-show-leaves.html

#WaterIsLife #Diné #Dineteh #Greenwashing #PeabodyCoal #ReaderSupportedNews

For #WorldWaterDay, we are resharing a film that gives a glimpse into Native views on issues of water resource management through the voice of Colleen Cooley, one of the few female Diné (Navajo) river guides on the San Juan River.
Watch “Water Flows Together,” by Palmer Morse, Taylor Graham and Matt Mikkelsen. https://emergencemagazine.org/film/water-flows-together/ #AmericanRivers

A Comment on the Aquila Back Forty Wetland Permit

Earlier this morning, I sent this comment on the Aquila Resources Back Forty Wetland Permit to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Public comments may be submitted here until February 2nd.

To the MDEQ:

You have probably already received a number of comments on the Back Forty Mine wetland permit application from people who live out of state, as I do. Some of those opposed to sulfide mining on the Menominee River live on the Wisconsin side, just across or downstream from the proposed mine site. Others, across the country and around the world, are deeply concerned about the cumulative effects the current leasing, exploration, and sulfide mining boom around Lake Superior will have, and are alarmed to see federal and state regulatory agencies abdicating their responsibilities to the American public in order to do the bidding of foreign mining companies.

Denying the wetland permit is the only prudent and responsible course for MDEQ to take.

As the organization American Rivers noted when it placed the Menominee River on its list of “most endangered” rivers in 2017, the Aquila Resources Back Forty project poses a “significant threat” of acid mine drainage to the river, and to the “cultural and natural resources of the Upper Peninsula, Wisconsin, and the Great Lakes Region.” Allowing Aquila to destroy or compromise area wetlands to construct its mine will only heighten the risk of large scale environmental catastrophe.

The risk is compounded by both regulatory and scientific uncertainty. As you are well aware, the Menominee Tribe maintains that the MDEQ lacks authority to issue this permit, because under provisions of the Clean Water Act the Menominee River and its wetlands are federal waters. This question remains unsettled. In the meantime, a third party, independent review of Aquila’s wetland permit application found errors and inconsistencies regarding the company’s findings on groundwater drawdown and the mine’s feasibility analysis. The wetland permit application you are considering is either flawed, because the people who filed it are incompetent, or misleading, because they have something to hide.

Deceit might be Aquila’s best strategy at this point. The Back Forty project has no claim to social license — none. The Menominee and other Wisconsin tribes have been adamant in their opposition. Local residents are overwhelmingly opposed as well. Of the 90 people who had the opportunity to speak at the January 23rd public hearing in Stephenson, only 4 could muster an argument for the mine, mainly because they put stock in the vague promise of “jobs” made by mining proponents. The rest — 86 out of 90, or 95 percent — stood in opposition to the mine.

Even if Aquila is not deliberately misleading the MDEQ and the public, the Canadian company has demonstrated time and again that it is not a responsible steward of Michigan or Menominee lands. In archaeological surveys of the region, for instance, Aquila claims to have uncovered nothing of “historical significance.” That is telling. These surveys have found nothing because they fail, or refuse to see, the significant Menominee history and culture that is right in front of their eyes. As tribal members have made repeatedly clear, Menominee history, ancestry, and culture begin and end in the river, the land, and the forest. What is historically significant or meaningful is not merely a collection of artifacts; it is a way of life and a deep connection to place. The Back Forty Mine threatens to destroy that connection.

In sum, the wetland permit application is flawed, the company has no social license to operate, and allowing the Back Forty to go forward would violate the public trust.

Postscript: On Monday, 4 June, Michigan DEQ Director Heidi Grether granted this wetlands permit, despite the DEQ’s own findings that the Aquila Resources project will likely cause “an unacceptable disruption to the aquatic resources of the State…and that the activities associated with the project are not consistent with the permitting criteria for an acceptable impact to the resources regulated under Parts 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, and Part 303, Wetlands Protection.” The permit DEQ issued — over its own objections — includes 28 pages of special conditions. It’s unclear why the DEQ did not simply deny the permit, as its findings warranted and in keeping with EPA objections to the Aquila application. More here.

#AmericanRivers #AquilaResources #BackFortyMine #BackFortyProject #CleanWaterAct #culturalResources #environmentalStewardship #federalWaters #historicalSignificance #history #MDEQ #MenomineeRiver #MenomineeTribe #MichiganDepartmentOfEnvironmentalQuality #mining #mostEndangeredRivers #publicHearing #PublicTrust #UNDRIP #UnitedNationsDeclarationOnIndigenousRights #UpperPeninsula #Water #WatersOfTheUnitedStates #wetlands #WOTUS