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SAULT STE. MARIE, Michigan – The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians today called on the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to reject Canadian mining company Graymont Inc.'s request to mine limestone on thousands of acres of state-owned land near the Upper Peninsula community of Rexton.

DNR Director Keith Creagh may soon be making a recommendation to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission on whether to allow Graymont to take control of the public land and to approve a swap of mineral rights involving a complex trading of interests between the U. S. Forest Service, the state of Michigan and Graymont. Although Graymont has promised the new mine or quarry will bring jobs to the eastern Upper Peninsula, the Sault tribe said the deal would be bad for the land and for everyone who enjoys the outdoors.

"Selling and giving up control of over 10,000 acres of state land is unprecedented and ill-conceived," said tribe Chairman Aaron Payment. "It not only interferes with the 1836 treaty tribes' right to hunt, fish and gather in its treaty ceded territory, it takes away from generations of state citizens those same activities. The legislation that allows the land to be sold specifies the land must be surplus—and thousands of us are most certainly already using this land."

DNR officials held a public hearing last week on the mine proposal that drew opponents from all over the state. Earlier in the day, state officials met with five Michigan tribes to discuss their position on the Graymont proposal. Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, one the tribes present, has long opposed Graymont's efforts to buy up to 10,000 acres of public land from the state.

The tribe is concerned that the loss of the land will negatively impact their members' court-affirmed right to enjoy the land. It's equally concerned that a precedent would be set where those who have enough money and can influence elected officials to go along can purchase vast tracts of state land to further their personal interests.

Graymont, headquartered in British Columbia, Canada, is North America's second-largest supplier of lime and lime-based products. The Sault tribe said it remains unclear how many jobs the mining company will generate if its plans are approved, and that Graymont doesn't have any concrete plans for either the underground mine or the open quarry.

"It is hard to imagine how Director Creagh can be convinced to give away so much public land when so much remains unknown," Payment said. "The rights of Michigan citizens who use and enjoy this large area shouldn't be traded for vague promises of economic prosperity."

Payment noted that the last time the state was involved in a land transaction this large was when the state signed the 1836 Treaty of Washington, which is the foundation of the tribe's treaty rights and provided Michigan the land base that allowed it to become a state.

He urged those against the mine proposal to send their statements of opposition to the DNR at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..