Wild Rice and Drinking Water Top Concerns About Proposed Minnesota Mine

(Photo courtesy Superior National Forest via Minnesota News Connection)

(By Mike Moen. Minnesota News Connection) – The wild rice harvest season in Minnesota ends Sept. 30 and a Native American tribe in the state’s north-central region is not only thinking about this year’s results. Its members say a proposed mine nearby could harm future harvests.

Talon Metals wants to build a nickel mine near Tamarack to supply electric vehicle batteries. The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and partner organizations worry about waste flowing into the Mississippi and St. Croix River watersheds.

Kelly Applegate, commissioner of natural resources for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, said beyond the threat to drinking water, there is a fear the abundant wild rice beds would find it hard to survive.

“Wild rice, it’s almost like a sentinel species – like a canary in a coal mine, if you will,” Applegate explained. “It’s very sensitive to water chemistry changes.”