Project Profile: Mitigation of high priority Abandoned Mineral Land features in Keweenaw National Historical Park

The Quincy Mine, located in Keweenaw National Historical Park, was known as "Old Reliable" due to its consistent earnings from hard-rock copper mining in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

NPS / Tom Baker

Inflation Reduction Act
Restoration | FY23-26 $2,307,000

The National Park Service will address critical safety concerns within Keweenaw National Park, focusing on resolving physical safety hazards, ensuring public safety, and preserving culturally significant resources. The park encompasses former copper mining areas on Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, characterized by aging industrial structures and mine features located in proximity to communities and high-traffic recreational trails.

Why? Various sites that preserve copper mining history in Keweenaw National Historical Park have structures and features in various states of disrepair, including insecure mine openings, falling materials, unstable structures, tripping hazards, and the risk of injury due to overgrown vegetation. A majority of these sites are located along well-traveled trails and are visited frequently by tourists and staff – calling for urgency to mitigate these risks, safeguard significant resources of heritage value, and ensure visitor safety.

What Else? The project prioritizes resolving high-risk safety issues, stabilizing National Historic Landmark-listed cultural resources, and establishing partner agreements for ongoing care. It will also add eligible features to the Abandoned Mine Land database and create a "Hazard Map" for better risk assessment and planning. By addressing these safety concerns and preserving historic features, the project contributes to the protection of nationally significant resources.

About the Inflation Reduction Act

The Inflation Reduction Act provides the National Park Service with an historic opportunity to address critical ecosystem resilience, restoration, and environmental planning needs. Projects funded in national parks represent broad-scale and impactful resource investments across every corner of out nation—from Alaska to Florida to Maine.