A group hoping to get voters to say 'no' during an Oneida county referendum on mining is hosting a meeting next week with two speakers scheduled.
Protect the Willow is hosting the public presentation Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.Holiday Acres Resort near Rhinelander.
Spokesperson Jill Hunger says she has booked two people with a background on mining and water issues to speak..
"....One gentleman is Tom Jerow who lives in Oneida county and he is working through an organization called Green Fire, he is a retired DNR expert and the other gentleman is Dave Blouin and he is the mining chairperson for the Wisconsin Sierra Club. Dave will be putting together a presentation outling the permitting process...."
The state removed the what was known as the Mining Moratorium Law which required counties to rewrite their laws. The Oneida County Board has asked voters to give their say on a non-binding advisory referendum on November 6. The question will ask whether the county should open up public forest land in the town of Lynne to mining development.
Opponents have said the ore body sits on a large watershed that could bleed long-lasting pollution into the Willow Flowage and Wisconsin River. Proponents said the mine would bring good paying jobs to an area in need of them and cite the Ladysmith mine project as one recent example.
Oneida County UW-Extension and Oneida County Economic Development announced recently are also working on an education effort prior to the vote in two months.
