From the Flambeau to the Red Cedar: A 40-Year Fight for Wisconsin’s Watersheds

In a recent interview with a member of a grassroots organization (GROWW) working to oppose a data center from being built in the Red Cedar Watershed, I was transported back to the late 1980s, when I was part of a protest grassroots movement that formed to save the Flambeau River watershed from corporate overreach’s open-pit sulfide mine in Ladysmith, Wisconsin. That movement isn’t much different from today’s protests to stop a data center because both work to save groundwater and watersheds from corporate overreach. Decades apart, these grassroots efforts were born from a shared commitment to protect our land and water for future generations.

History

In the late 1980s, I joined about 150 residents in protesting the Flambeau sulfide mine near Ladysmith, Wisconsin. Before the days of social media, our grassroots movement relied on telephone lists to mobilize rallies by the Flambeau River. We feared that the proposed open-pit mine—located just 140 feet from the vital Flambeau River Watershed—would contaminate our drinking wells. and the River.

“You can’t defend your home with just legislation and litigation. You need a social movement… Because someday our children are going to rise and say, ‘Where were you when they poisoned our river!? Where were you when we couldn’t eat the fish no more!?’ And they will remember who sat idly by, as we poisoned their bodies and poisoned their minds. The Seventh Generation philosophy is good. But we must not forget this generation. It is that close.” – Walt Bresette

The protest opposed a proposal by Flambeau Mining Company (a Kennecott subsidiary) to extract 225 feet of rich copper and gold ore, with plans to ship it out of the country for processing rather than refining it locally. The protest movement was led by Roscoe Churchill, a local citizens’ group that was allied with environmentalists across the state, and Ojibwe tribal members led by Walter Bressett. Kennecott was a subsidiary of British Petroleum (BP), which had acquired it when BP took over the Standard Oil Company of Ohio (SOHIO) in 1987. A big oil company not unfamiliar with Meta, which ran Balloonists, LLC as thier shell company. It is still all about corporate overreach!

The open-pit mine was located right next to the Flambeau River!

I remember walking into the site and having to be so careful not to trip over the television news crews. The TV crews were lying on the ground filming our feet as we walked by them. I watched as Walter famously “counted coup” on mining machinery using the war club of the Sauk chief Black Hawk. Counting coup was a traditional Indigenous practice of showing bravery by touching an enemy without harming them. I remember helicopters flying overhead, watching our every move. Nine people volunteered to camp on the mining site land, and they were promptly arrested for trespassing.

Corporate Overreach

We feared for the Flambeau River and groundwater. We knew that Kennecott ran an open-pit copper mine in Utah that had contaminated groundwater nearby. Many environmentalists from around the state feared that if the Flambeau mine went forward, other mines would follow. Local supporters argued that the mine would provide 50 jobs and tax revenue to Ladysmith. Opponents argued that those short-term benefits weren’t worth the long-term risk. This is the same cinerio given to Menomonie regarding a proposed data center. The data center was put on hold. Sadly, we were not able to stop the open-pit mine. But we laid the groundwork for making sure Kennecott had to clean up their mess after they left. In 1991, the project was approved, and work began preparing the site. Ore shipment began in 1993 and continued through 1997.

Both iterations of GROWW (GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin) share a unified legacy of resisting corporate overreach to protect natural resources. Today’s movement is fighting to protect the Red Cedar Watershed from big tech data centers, just as the movement I joined in the 1980s fought to save the Flambeau River watershed from open-pit sulfide mining in Ladysmith. Decades apart, these grassroots efforts were born from a shared commitment to protect our land and water for future generations.

We fight on…

You can read my interview with GROWW here: Stopping the Big Tech Takeover: Why GROWW is Pushing Back on Wisconsin Data Centers https://wolvesofdouglascountywisconsin.com/2026/06/19/stopping-the-tech-takeover-why-groww-is-pushing-back-on-wisconsin-data-centers/

Rachel Tilseth is a Menomonie, Wisconsin-based environmental writer, filmmaker, and owner of Wolves of Douglas County WI Films & Media. Lead writer at The Red Cedar Watershed Ledger. Her work explores the intricate relationships between humans, wildlife, and local ecosystems.

Additional reading about the aftermath of the open-pit mine.

Water around the mine site is monitored. For several years after 1999, samples from wells in the former pit showed elevated levels of sulfate, copper, manganese, and iron, as expected.

Surface water runoff from the mine site did not meet Wisconsin surface water quality standards. Runoff is polluting a stream that flows into the Flambeau River. Multiple water samples between 2004 and 2008 showed significantly elevated levels of copper, exceeding standards. Studies show that the stream is almost devoid of life, including vegetation and fish. Researchers believe this is because of the high metal levels. At one location, the copper level was approximately 10 times the acute water quality standard, and the zinc level was approximately twice the acute water quality standard. Copper and Zinc combined impact on aquatic organisms is greater than that of either by itself. Source: Chambers, D. M. and K. Zamzow (2009). “The Flambeau Mine”

In a monitoring well between the pit and the Flambeau River, the groundwater did not meet Wisconsin’s groundwater quality standards. These contaminants are moving out of the pit. Despite hopes that water infiltration and limestone would neutralize reactions within the pit, monitoring results show that pit reactions had not stabilized. Mine design plans called for the development of a cutoff wall between the pit and the Flambeau River to limit the movement of water exiting the pit. The contaminated water may be moving around, under, or through the cutoff wall. Another possibility is that the bedrock itself is permeable, and contaminated water is moving through fractures. Source: Chambers, D. M. and K. Zamzow (2009). The Flambeau Mine”

Today

A Certificate of Completion for reclamation activities was granted in May 2007; it did not take into account the groundwater contamination within the back-filled pit and potential impacts of the mine on fish and other aquatic life in the Flambeau River. The decision for partial certification was based on the completion of the surface reclamation activities. Certification was withheld for the 32-acre area where surface water pollution was emanating. There are several lawsuits.

Photo of the open pit mine near Ladysmith, WI, on the Flambeau River.

January, 2011

The Wisconsin Resources Protection Council filed a civil lawsuit against the Flambeau Mining Company in U.S. District Court alleging ongoing violations of the Federal Clean Water Act. The charge was that the discharge of copper, zinc, iron and other pollutants to Stream C was done without a permit and in violation of the Act.

July 2012

A federal judge ruled that the mine was the source of the pollution and that the mining company had indeed violated the Clean Water Act. At the same time, the judge praised the company for its environmental practices – recognizing the effort to clean up the pollution, but acknowledging it had not been fully successful.

Early in 2012

After the lawsuit was filed, the Flambeau Mining Company removed the liner from the water containment area that was a source of the pollution to prevent further discharges to surface waters. This now directs contaminated water to seep into groundwater.

Based in Menomonie, Wisconsin, in the historic Red Cedar Basin

Menomonie, WI. Discover how our local economy can thrive without leaving the planet behind. We cover news and stories on sustainable economic development, highlighting initiatives that boost community prosperity, foster equity, and protect our local ecosystems.

We are producing a series of educational articles and interviews featuring city leaders, scientists, and residents to explore sustainable economic development in the region. What began as a grassroots effort by Menomonie residents to successfully pause a controversial data center has evolved into a broader mission championing environmentally conscious, community-driven economic growth.”

The Red Cedar Watershed Ledger, Menomonie, WI

Wolves of Douglas CO WI Films & Media, LLC

https://wolvesofdouglascountywisconsin.com