Deep in the bedrock, below the relatively narrow layer of soil that hosts our backyard gardens and the Northern Hardwoods forests are metals like miskwaabik (copper), which have been used in this region for tools and in ceremony for generations. Ancient volcanic activity allowed different minerals, including molten metals like copper, nickel, gold, and silver to move through crevices and settle into air pockets. These deposits cooled, created winding veins through the basalt bedrock. These mineral veins are what mining companies are searching for during their exploratory drilling activities. Our landscape is a geologically unique place with bedrock extending to the Earth’s surface in many places. It is not uncommon to find chunks of copper lying on the ground or easily accessed with only a little digging. In fact, there’s evidence of Anishinaabeg copper pit mines, showing us that people having been mining and using copper long-before the mining era described as beginning in the 1800s.

Photo (below) – NRD Youth workers assist Great Lakes section staff by collecting stream velocity measurements. At 10 sites across the width of the stream, water velocity is measured to calculate the total volume of water flowing through the stream.

Renewed interest in electrification and renewable energy, and the continued desire to increase national defense assets, has meant an increase in critical mineral exploration across the US, including here in the ceded territory. The US Geologic Survey (USGS) designates critical minerals based on how important they are for the US economy or national security and how vulnerable their supply chain is to disruption. In 2025 the list was updated to a total of 60 critical minerals, including copper and nickel. Both, are abundant here in the western U.P. and the increased interest in these metals is likely to continue the generations long legacy of mining. 

To secure domestic supplies of critical minerals, the US is investing in exploration projects, including Talon and Trans Superior, two companies doing work in areas adjacent to the KBIC reservation.

With the increased mineral exploration happening here, the NRD is taking proactive steps to establish baseline conditions in streams and rivers adjacent to exploratory activities. Through Michigan’s EGLE, the NRD received Environmental Justice Impact funding to conduct a baseline metals study that will establish an expected range of in-stream metals concentrations across all four seasons. In addition to standard water quality measurements (e.g., dissolved oxygen, temperature, conductivity, and turbidity), staff are collecting water samples that are sent to the lab to be analyzed for low-level metals concentrations. By focusing on low-level metals before any mining takes place, we intend to establish a streams’ baseline conditions which will allow us to determine whether mining-related activities have impacted the streams. By taking these measurements across all seasons, we are able to understand the relationship between stream flow, water quality, and metals concentrations which will help NRD staff to better understand if and when a mine is having an impact on stream water quality.

Tracking proposed and on-going mining-related activities, establishing baseline values, and monitoring stream water quality, the NRD is extensively involved in work to remediate and restore areas harmed by past mining activities. We are leading restoration studies at Sand Point, working to identify dredging and storage solutions with the Buffalo Reef Task Force, and helping to plan cleanup actions at Torch Lake – all of which are landscapes that have been harmed by the unregulated disposal of mining waste during the industrial-scale mining era from the 1800 – mid-1900s.

Photo (below) – Daniel, NRD College Intern, helps to collect water samples that will be sent to the lab so that low-level metals concentrations can be quantified. We collect samples at 19 different sites in three different watersheds.

Our baseline metals work compliments the ongoing work of the NRD water team who are regularly collecting water samples from popular beaches to test for E. coli, sharing samples with MTU for PFAS quantification, and surveying macroinvertebrates to assess water quality. Our baseline metals project will continue through September 2027 and we look forward to inviting you to a community event next year where we can share our results with you! If you are interested in learning more about mining-related activities in the ceded territory, please check out our 2025 Mining Update.