Portage Township to seek public comment on gravel mining in Pilgrim River watershed

HOUGHTON -- Portage Township will host a public meeting on permitting a gravel mining operation near a large beaver pond on Superior Road at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28, at Houghton High School.

The pond is part of the watershed that feeds the Pilgrim River.

Residents have expressed concern that gravel mining (which reportedly includes dynamite blasting) by Thomas J. Moyle, Inc., is being done without a permit, despite the environmentally sensitive nature of the site -- a home to beavers as well as a breeding site for birds, including the Sandhill Crane.