In recognition of Earth Day, the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin applauded American Rivers, a Washington D.C.-based conservation group, for including the Menominee River to its 2017 America’s Most Endangered Rivers List.

According to the Menominee Indian Tribe, the conservation group included the Menominee River to the list because of the proposed Back Forty Mine, which is planned to be an open metallic, sulfide mine located 150 feet from the banks of the river, near Lake Township, Michigan.

The tribe says that if completed, the acid mine drainage threatens to permanently devastate and forever change the health of the region’s ecosystem.

“The Menominee Tribe views the proposed project as a dangerous and irresponsible threat to our cultural resources and the Menominee River ecosystem,” said Menominee Tribal Chairman Gary Besaw. “The tribe applauds American Rivers for bringing the endangerment of the Menominee River to the forefront nationally.”

The proposed Back Forty mine is a project of Aquila Resources, Inc., a Canadian development stage company, which plans to mine copper, gold, silver, and zinc at the proposed site.

The Menominee Indian Tribe is seeking to halt the final permit needed for Aquila to begin operations, as the company has already secured three of the four permits required by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.