Highland Copper has completed wetland restoration work and planted thousands of trees as part of environmental mitigation efforts at its Copperwood mine project. The company released drone footage showing restored wetland areas near the mine site, including the Gypsey Creek Wetland area and bridge replacement work on Choate Road over Bluff Creek. Highland Copper planted 20,000 trees and 14,000 live stakes along newly constructed stream banks to support stream diversion work. The company plans to restore up to 700 acres of wetlands total as environmental impacts remain a top priority since beginning efforts to open the mine.
Environmental groups have voiced concerns about Highland Copper’s plans, focusing on a proposed dam to contain mine waste that would hold toxic materials including lead, arsenic and mercury.
A $50 million grant that would have supported Wakefield Township’s industrial park and improved road infrastructure to the mine property was excluded from Michigan’s 2026 state budget. The mine has earned bipartisan support. Upper Peninsula Republicans have championed the project’s potential economic impacts, and Sen. Elissa Slotkin expressed support in September, according to the Daily Mining Gazette.
Highland Copper estimates the Copperwood Project’s economic impact could generate more than 425 million dollars.
You can find the drone footage available on the project’s website here.
Those interested in learning more about the concerns of environmental groups can learn more here.
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