State officials are allowing a copper mining company to resume exploration of a section of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.
Copperwood Resources is conducting test drills to see if a deposit first explored in the 1950s might be feasible for mining. The tests are scheduled for completion around mid-March.
Doug Rich of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources says the exploration will be scaled back from the company's original plan.
Copperwood will need wetlands permits from the Department of Environmental Quality for two of three sites it's targeting.
Under permit provisions intended to protect the park, drilling can be done only when the ground is frozen, preferably with at least a foot of snow cover.
Other exploration work is planned this winter for areas just west of the park.
