The Dark Side of Mineral Mining

Introductory Earth Science course

No prior knowledge or skills required

This is one of several discussion board discussions sprinkled through the course.

Students will be able to:

• describe who the "stakeholders" are with respect to mining;
• describe the potential positive impacts of mining on local communities;
• describe some of the disproportionate, negative environmental and health impacts on Indigenous communities caused by mining; and
• describe a concrete example of the specific mining impacts in a region they have read about.

Students will be able to:

• compare and contrast the positive and negative impacts of mining on local communities;
• consider why our society's dependence on mineral resources has a disproportionate impact on Indigenous communities; and
• craft an argument for or against a specific mine or proposed mine, based on an evaluation of its impacts.

Students will be able to

• write a brief, respectful opinion piece about mining on or near tribal lands;
• respond respectfully to classmates' discussion posts

Students choose one of four short articles to read about mineral mining, including the impacts of mining on the Native American community in the region. Each article highlights a specific example where the Indigenous community's interests are in conflict with the mining company's interests. After reading one of the articles, students post a short reflection to a discussion board, then respond to at least one classmate's reflection.

Instructions to students, including possible discussion prompts: Dark side of mining assignment (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 37kB Apr23 21)

Articles:

• Lopez, M. (2020). Tribal Rights: The 1872 Mining Law's Past and Future. Natural Resources and Environment, 34(3), 53-55. This article discusses the General Mining Law of 1872 and its impact on tribal rights in the U.S. Also cited are the law's aim to regulate hard rock mineral development on federal public lands, the pollution caused by abandoned mines in surface water and groundwater, and the effects of the mines on the health of indigenous peoples, like the Nez Perce tribe.
• O'Connor, M. C. (2014). It's a Hardrock Life. Earth Island Journal, Summer 2014. This article discusses the opposition of Lake Superior Chippewa and their allies to a proposed open pit iron mine in northern Wisconsin. The proposed mine would be the largest open pit mine of its kind in the world. Opponents say that the mine would be an ecological disaster for the region's rivers and fisheries. Proponents point to the economic benefits of mining.
• Donohue, D. J., & Ettinger, D. P. (2020). Navigating Tribal Opposition to Permits for Great Lakes Mining Projects: Obstacles and Opportunities. Natural Resources & Environment, 35(1), 41–44. This article discusses the opposition of tribes to the issuance of environmental permits to Great Lakes-based mining projects. It explores the environmental degradation associated with acid rock drainage from mines, the way the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community challenged the state mining and groundwater discharge permits issued to the Eagle Mine/Humboldt Mill in Michigan, and the environmental concerns raised by the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin over the proposed zinc and gold mine in Michigan.
• Williams, F. (2008). On Cancer's Trail. High Country News, 40(10), 12–27. This article discusses the efforts of Navajo biologist Stephanie Raymond-Whish to find the link between the occurrence of breast cancer among Native Americans and the heavy metal uranium. With a history of breast cancer running in her family, Raymond-Whish, together with her co-workers in the Northern Arizona University (NAU) campus, discovered through laboratory animal tests that uranium at low dose can act as an artificial estrogen. Uranium tailings were found to pockmark Navajo lands in the U.S. since they were once a target of frenzied uranium ore mining during the time of the Cold War. The heavy metal appears to alter mammary cells at very low doses and interfere with normal hormonal signals.

This activity could be set up as a jigsaw, if you wanted all of your students to know something about each of the case examples in the articles.

Eighty percent of the grade is the initial posting and 20% of the grade is the response. Since I usually have multiple options and long lists of questions, I don't require that students answer all of the questions I have posted. I require a minimum length of post which has been pretty successful at ensuring that the posts are thorough and well thought out. If they follow the instructions and their post is on topic, then they get full credit.  Most people who submit a discussion post will get full credit.

Students are required to respond to at least one other person's posting with an original thought, idea, question, or new information that they have looked up. They can also compare or contrast their post to the other student's. I do not give credit for "good post" or "I like the ideas that you shared."

You and your students can explore these topics further via the following activities:

• Society's dependence on mineral resources
• Uranium mining on the Navajo nation
• Impacts of resource development on Native American lands