Sand Mines

This is a map of the silica sand deposits in Wisconsin. My farm and house are in the central part of the red blob covering the western part of the state. The photo below is of the closest sand mine to me, outside of Menomonie. Imagine this part of the state covered with these. Sand mining is suddenly a big concerin in Western Wisconsin, since proposed mines are cropping up at an alarming rate. Projections are that western Wisconsin will have over 100 frac sand mines in the next two years.

Clearly some frac sand mining is going to take place in Wisconsin - but there's a strong grassroots interest in having reasonable regulations on these mines, and in the current political state of Wisconsin, environment has not been a high priority of our government.

http://uppitywis.org/sites/default/files/images/menomoniesandmine.normal.jpg  Menomonie Sand Mine

We are going to try to be a clearing house for information on sand mining in the state, since this is a high-priority issue, and as with many of the current environmental concerns in the state, it's getting short shrift and once the damage is done it will be very hard or impossible to recover.