Tuesday, the Menominee Indian Tribe filed a petition for a contested case hearing on the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality permit allowing Aquila Resources Inc. to proceed with the Back Forty Mine in Lake Township.
The mining project was approved on Dec. 28, and allows Aquila Resources Inc. to operate the gold and zinc mine just off of the Menominee River. The Menominee River is considered sacred and the place of origin for the Menominee Tribe.
Recently, the Menominee Indian Tribe was confirmed by the University Of Michigan Office Of Research as having a cultural affiliation with remains from the Backlund Mound and Village Site in Menominee County, Michigan, along with other areas of the Back Forty Mine Site.
The mining permit is one of four required permits for the mine.