Monday, November 15, 2010


MoreU Park

The Public be Damned?


Big Brother apparently doesn't need any advice from inside, or outside, the University of Minnesota...

The UMore Park fiasco continues...


UMore mining affects students, research

By Les Everett - Water Resources Center coordinator

Regarding the story "U preps for controversial UMore Park mining lease," the Minnesota Daily ignored the millions of dollars of research and facilities in the western third of UMore Park, the area targeted for mining. 

The University will receive $1 per ton of gravel mined. To replace that research farm and facilities in the Metro region will require a minimum of $40 million. 

That is 40 million tons of gravel unaccounted for in the Daily story. If the mining were shifted to the eastern two-thirds of UMore Park where there is no major activity now, it would cost zero tons of gravel since no replacement farm and facilities would be required. 

Twenty-nine faculty, staff and students of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences with research and teaching at UMore Park wrote the Board of Regents expressing their frustration with the lack of attention to existing research and the costs of proceeding with the plan to mine the western instead of eastern portion of the property. 

It is time to heed their advice.

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