January 2018

Grindstone Creek

96.8 acres located about one mile north of the Schuyler and McDonough County line has been placed in a conservation easement as part of the Industry Coal Mine litigation. Sierra Club and other groups filed legal action against the coal strip mine for over 600 NPDES water permit exceedences in 2010. The land includes a section of Grindstone Creek, which has a historic heron rookery. At one time the area had Indiana bats roosting in the vicinity but mining operations are thought to have forced the bats to move out. Strip mining was completed while the litigation went on for years with coal company delays.