Northmet Project Cultural Landscape Study
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NorthMet Project Cultural Landscape Study FINAL REPORT Prepared by • Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Indians Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians • Landscape Research LLC • Barr Engineering for PolyMet Mining Inc. Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota September 15, 2012 September 18, 2012 Mr. Tom Hingsberger Regulatory Branch United States Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District 180 5th Street East, Suite 700 St. Paul, MN 55101-1678 Dear Tom, PolyMet Mining Inc. (PolyMet) is submitting the attached report titled “NorthMet Project Cultural Landscape Study.” This report was prepared by the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Indians, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Barr Engineering Company (Barr) and Landscape Research LLC (Landscape Research). In 2010, the St. Paul District, United States Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) required PolyMet to implement a plan for the identification of historic properties of traditional spiritual and cultural significance to Bois Forte Band of Minnesota Chippewa, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (the Consulting Bands). This plan was developed by the Consulting Bands and ACOE through numerous consultation meetings as part of the Section 106 review to comply with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA; 16 USC 470) for the NorthMet Project (Project) in St. Louis County, Minnesota. The Project’s area includes territory ceded by the Lake Superior Chippewa Bands under the 1854 Treaty of LaPointe. Thus, the Bad River Band also participated in later portions of the field work. PolyMet hired Landscape Research as a qualified historian to provide baseline ethno-historical research pertaining to Ojibwe use of the Area of Potential Effects (APE), identify cultural features and natural landscape features, conduct interviews with Consulting Band members as appropriate, and produce the attached final study report that contained this information, and information from other sources as appropriate. Barr, as PolyMet’s consultant, aided in conducting plant surveys as part of the joint field work conducted by the Consulting Bands, ACOE and the United States Forest Service (USFS) for this study, and assisted in some interviews with Band members. PolyMet also hired botanist Deb Pomroy to conduct field level work as part of the associated plant studies. Archaeological field work leading to the NRHP eligibility assessments made in this study was conducted by the ACOE, with assistance from the USFS. “NorthMet Project Cultural Landscape Study” Submittal Letter September 18, 2012 Page 2 of 2 If you have comments or questions please contact me at 218-471-2162 or by email at [email protected]. Sincerely, Kevin Pylka Manager of Environmental Permitting and Compliance Enc.: NorthMet Project Cultural Landscape Study - September 2012 cc w/attachment: Rose Berens, THPO - Bois Forte Band of Chippewa LeRoy DeFoe, THPO - Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Mary Ann Gagnon, THPO - Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Edith Leoso, THPO - Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Bill Johnson, MN Department of Natural Resources Lee Johnson, United States Forest Service Deb Pomroy cc w/o attachment: Tom Hale, United States Forest Service Brad Johnson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cheryl Feigum, Barr Engineering Company Carole Zellie, Landscape Research, LLC NorthMet Project Cultural Landscape Study FINAL REPORT Prepared by Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Indians Tower, Minnesota • Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Grand Portage, Minnesota • Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Cloquet, Minnesota Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians Odanah, Wisconsin • Landscape Research LLC St. Paul, Minnesota Contact: Carole Zellie (651) 641-1230 [email protected] • Barr Engineering Minneapolis, Minnesota Contact: Cheryl Feigum (952) 832-2680 [email protected] for PolyMet Mining Inc. Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota Contributions by (listed in alphabetical order): Rose Berens, Kenneth Boney, Phyllis Boshey, Bobby Boshey, Raymond Boshey, Jim Gawboy, Becky Gawboy, Ron Geshick, Harold Goodsky, Henry Goodsky, Marybelle Isham, Knute Grave, Bev Miller, Clifford Sam, Elaine Tibbetts, Warner B. Wirta. September 15, 2012 MANAGEMENT SUMMARY In 2010, the St. Paul District, United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) required PolyMet Mining Inc. (PolyMet) to implement a plan for the identification of historic properties of traditional spiritual and cultural significance to Bois Forte Band of Minnesota Chippewa, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Consulting Bands). This plan was developed by the Consulting Bands and Corps through numerous consultation meetings as part of the Section 106 review for the NorthMet Project (Project) in St. Louis County, Minnesota (Maps 1-2, Appendix Section 6.12). PolyMet hired Landscape Research LLC (Landscape Research) and the Barr Engineering Company (Barr) to complete portions of this study, which is primarily a cultural landscape study. The proposed Project to be developed by PolyMet Mining Inc. includes excavation of a polymetallic disseminated magmatic sulfide deposit and processing of the ore at the former LTV Steel Mining Company (LTVSMC) site, which is located about 8 miles west of the deposit and about 5 miles north of the city of Hoyt Lakes in St. Louis County, Minnesota (Map 3, Appendix). The facilities of the former Erie Mining Company taconite processing plant (later LTVSMC) will be used for processing the ore. A hydrometallurgical process will be used to extract copper, nickel, palladium, platinum, cobalt and gold from the ore. Project plans call for the excavation of up to 32,000 tons of ore per day, using open-pit mining methods after overburden and waste rock stripping and stockpiling. At the Mine Site, the Project area is approximately 7400 acres of which 3,016 acres are estimated to have ground-level Project impacts including approximately 527 acres for mine pits and 795 acres for waste rock stockpiles. At the Plant Site, the area controlled by PolyMet is approximately 15,000 acres of which approximately one-third is estimated to be utilized by the Project on previously disturbed lands including approximately 3,000 acres for a flotation tailings basin. Most of this area that would be utilized has already been impacted by LTVSMC operations. The Project Area is within the territory ceded by the Lake Superior Chippewa Bands under the 1854 Treaty of LaPointe. These bands retain their inherent rights to hunt, fish and gather within this territory. The Project is anticipated to impact greater than three acres of jurisdicational wetlands and therefore requires a Department of the Army Permit from the Corps for authorization to discharge dredged, or fill, material into jurisdictional wetlands under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. As a major federal action, the Corps was required to complete an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA 1969). The Corps must also comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA; 16 USC 470). Section 106 of NHPA requires federal agencies to take into account the effects of their actions on historic properties and allow the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation a reasonable opportunity to comment. Consultation among agency officials, tribal nations, and other parties with an interest in the effects of the undertaking on historic properties is intended to accommodate historic preservation concerns with the needs of federal undertakings. Consultation is intended to identify historic properties potentially affected by the undertaking, assess effects, and seek ways to avoid, minimize, or mitigate adverse effects. Potential effects on historic resources eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) must be evaluated. The Consulting Bands have emphasized the importance of natural resources to their people, stating that the resources play an integral role in their society and culture including spiritual practices. The Consulting Bands and the Corps worked together to develop a plan for the identification of NRHP-eligible historic properties of spiritual and cultural significance within the NorthMet Project Area of Potential Effect (APE); also referred to as “Preliminary Project APE.” Consideration of impacts to features associated with cultural practices and spiritual beliefs that do not qualify for the NRHP are addressed in light of federal tribal trust responsibilities and treaty rights within the 1854 Ceded Territory. Four cultural landscape study components provided information to understand the Ojibwe landscape and identify significant properties potentially eligible for the NRHP. Interviews with Ojibwe Band elders and Band members; development of cultural landscape historic contexts; completion of plant surveys; and reconnaissance-level archaeological fieldwork to identify potential cultural resources provided the basis for identification and evaluation. The project team included Rose Berens, Bois Forte Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO); Bill Latady, Bois Forte Deputy THPO; Leroy DeFoe, Fond du Lac THPO; Rick Guitar, Fond du Lac wetland specialist; Grand Portage THPO Vicki Raske, and Robert Swanson and MaryAnn Gagnon from the