PolyMet: NorthMet Mine Species Inventory

The PolyMet Mining Corporation’s NorthMet project is located in St. Louis County on the east side of the Mesabi Iron Range, about 60 miles north of Duluth and 6 miles south of Babbitt, Minnesota. The property encompasses 6.5 mi2. The NorthMet mine will be the largest mining project in Northeast Minnesota since Taconite.

SER staff performed the rare, threatened & endangered species survey on this site prior to test drilling. Staff discovered what sensitive plant species were on the site and studied identification and habitat information prior to site visitation. Using GPS, we located areas where sensitive plant species populations were documented. We examined areas subject to drilling exploration both for sensitive species populations and for potential habitat.

No occurrences of six sensitive species were found onsite. One potential habitat area was found in an area to be drilled and avoidance was recommended by SER. The U.S. Forest Service were pleased with the report’s quality, were impressed with the thoroughness of SER’s methodology, and approved drilling within a month of report submittal.

SER staff provided information that allowed for mineral exploration of a site that would provide over 400 jobs for at least 20 years. As a result of the SER study, the drilling approval was quickly granted by the U.S. Forest Service and the exploratory drilling was performed.