No Need for Gold

I find myself testing the ground a lot more these days. With winter coming, I am afraid of the ground freezing too fast. Why, you wonder? I don’t want a mining company drilling in my county.

A letter of intent to drill was submitted for exploratory drilling in the Town of Easton, located in northeastern Marathon County. The mining company wants to drill nine holes over a three-parcel area. The holes are to be 650 feet deep. The drilling will be done in two phases this winter if the application is incompliance with regulations and ordinances. The last company only capped several holes it drilled. They were never filled.

What about streams and wetlands? Water is so close to the surface out there, 0-20 feet. The Eau Claire River runs by a mere half mile away. Right in the middle of this project lies Mole Brook Creek, a class one trout stream. There are ginseng farms that require a lot of water. They won’t want contaminated water from drilling fluids. We need clean water. Water is life.

Currently, the Wisconsin DNR has six pages of questions for Greenlight Metals. There will be more permitting required, more questions to be answered. Hopefully it holds the project off for this winter.

Do me a favor, write your county board, write the planning and zoning. Write the newspapers. Help spread the word and build awareness. Meanwhile, I keep kicking at the ground, hoping it doesn’t freeze. The hardest part to understand is there is no need for gold.

Notice of Intent for exploration drilling from GreenLight Wisconsin

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

---