*This a local Indivisible event in collaboration with [Irish Hills Concerned Citizens!](http://ihccinfo.org)*
Register here to attend in person. To attend online, please register at
[https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/885276/](https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/885276/)
### On November 17, 2025, American Aggregates of Michigan, Inc., applied to Norvell Township for a 900-acre aggregate mining operation that would border [Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve]( https://www.washtenaw.org/413/Watkins-Lake-State-Park-County-Preserve) — a recreational resource for all Michiganders *and* an MDNR-designated Waterfowl Refuge.
### The gravel mine is being proposed as:
– establishing a mine and processing plant on 625 acres next to the Park
– mining a large portion of that area with bulldozers and other heavy equipment
– operating 5 days a week, and Saturday mornings, for up to 20 years
– 8-10 gravel trucks per hour, up to 104-130 trucks per day [operations go 13 hours, from 7 am to 8 pm in the summer]
– a haul route that runs through rural roads to Wamplers Lake Road and then past Hayes State Park
Because of the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, the township isn’t allowed to prevent mining unless very serious consequences would result. However, it is the burden of the applicant to show that no very serious consequences would result from the mining, including the impact on existing land uses in the vicinity of the property, property values in the vicinity of the property and along the proposed hauling route, and pedestrian and traffic safety in the vicinity of the property and along the proposed hauling route serving the property.
### The applicant (American Aggregates of Michigan) does not believe that “very serious consequences” would result from an environmental incursion of this magnitude.
### Join [Irish Hills Concerned Citizens](http://ihccinfo.org) in this informational meeting featuring Harmony Fierce-Gmazel, MSU Extension Educator (Planning) and Mike Wilcynski, Professional Geologist, Pangea Environmental, LLC.
Attend the meeting in person or online to learn
– What the proposal entails
– Regulations governing mining proposals
– Review and public participation process
*A core principle behind all Indivisible events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.*
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