Members of the Livingstone Landowners Group, 125 in total, living in the area which will be directly affected by the proposed magnetite mining operation north of Burmis, sent a letter to several political representatives last week, voicing their opposition to the mine.
Micrex Development Corporation, the company which would oversee the operation, held an open house information session in Cowley on October 6, as required by Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (SRD), which several area residents attended.
At the open house, Micrex representatives stated “not everyone is opposed to the mine.”
In order to determine the exact number of residents in opposition, local landowner Jan Nelson circulated a letter to those living on North Burmis Road, Chapel Rock Road and Willow Valley Road, asking for their opinion on the matter.
As a result, 125 residents voiced their overwhelming opposition to the mine by signing the letter, with only one resident in favour.
The resident who was in favour of the development said “it would be good for the economy, and mining companies reclaim land now.”
“There is a proven economy in this area already,” said Nelson. “It is based on ranching, home businesses, tourism, hunting, fishing, and equestrian outfitting - all things that would be negatively impacted by a mine, no matter its size.”
Nelson went on to say, “the jobs will be seasonal... meaning we, the taxpayers, will contribute to unemployment benefits for the balance of the year.”
But more importantly than any of that, Nelson said mining operations on the flanks of the Livingstone Range would endanger wildlife and vegetation, annoy residents, create excess dust on rural roads, and damage the natural landscape.
The area is home to bighorn sheep lambing grounds, grizzly bears, endangered white and limber pines, and various other species of plants and animals,.
However, SRD did not require that Micrex perform an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or archaeological studies.
This, apparently, is because the proposed mine would only encompass 5.5 hectares of land, and therefore the environmental impact or ecological footprint would be minor.
However, Nelson noted that the total amount of land purchased by Micrex amounted to 36 square miles, 56,909 hectares, and that the possibility exists that further mineral resources could be discovered, and operations could be extended to the outlying land package, which would make a significant impact on the landscape.