Chippewa optimistic after talks about mine
11:33 PM 9/02/02
Ron Seely Environment reporter

indentA meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, between a delegation of Wisconsin Chippewa and the executives of the giant mining company that wants to build a mine near their reservation commenced with a prayer and pipe ceremony.
indentIt then stretched nearly 1 hours beyond the sixty minutes that had been set aside.
indentThe meeting took place Friday as members of the Sokaogon Chippewa delegation met with executives from the multinational mining corporation BHP Billiton.
indentIt was the first time tribal members have met with mining officials.
indentAlthough they received no commitments, members of the delegation say company executives appear willing to work with the band, one of the smallest and poorest in the nation, to end the 25-year-old controversy over building a zinc and copper mine on the headwaters of the Wolf River.
indentThe delegation from the Mole Lake reservation, which is adjacent to the proposed mine near Crandon, traveled to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa.
indentThey participated in the summit, meeting with other indigenous groups, and met Friday with mining company officials.
indentThey are scheduled to return to Wisconsin today.
indentThe band, along with a coalition of other tribal and environmental groups, has proposed that the state of Wisconsin buy the mine site as well as the mining rights to end the long debate over whether a mine should be built on the headwaters of the Wolf, one of the state's most popular and pristine rivers.
indent"Although no concessions were made," said Sokaogon attorney Glen Reynolds, "I think the company executives could see that mining in this area is completely incompatible with the concept of sustainability and respect for the integrity of indigenous cultures."
indentCorporate officials weren't immediately available for comment.
indentReynolds, who arranged the meeting and was in attendance, said the company was interested in discussing the state's possible purchase of the mine because of a newly released study, paid for by the international mining industry, called "Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development."
indentThe report recommends creating "no-go zones," which are areas of high environmental sensitivity as well as places of importance to indigenous communities.
indent"If there ever was a no-go zone, this is it," said Reynolds. "While the zinc and copper market is currently flooded with ore, there are no more ecosystems like the Wolf River or Rice Lake that are being produced."
indentSokaogon spiritual leader Robert Van Zile conducted the pipe ceremony to begin the meeting, using a ceremonial pipe the tribal members had carried with them from Wisconsin. The ban on smoking in the corporate board room was temporarily lifted for the occasion and BHP Billiton executives, including CEO Brian Gilbertson, participated in the ceremony.
indentDuring the meeting, Roman Ferdinand, a hydrologist with the band, told the mining company executives that, although the Crandon deposit is a rich ore body, the waste it will produce has one of the highest toxic chemical compositions of any ore body in North America.
indent"The only engineering solutions available to prevent heavy metals and acids from eventually washing downstream for the next ten thousand years is to pump, treat, and mitigate forever," Ferdinand said. "That is a terrible legacy for future generations."
indentReynolds said the meeting was a historic one for the Chippewa. "We had a good exchange of views and potential remedies to resolve this controversy," Reynolds said.
indentSokaogan delegate Ken Van Zile said meeting other indigenous people who are waging similar fights was worth the trip.
indent"I have been inspired by the countless small groups and communities from all over the world that have been represented here," Ken said. "We have met indigenous people from all over the world who are fighting similar battles .