Some northern Minnesota residents upset about state mineral leases on their land

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will open bids Thursday for mineral leases that allow companies to prospect for copper, nickel, gold and other metals across northern Minnesota.

The state offered 621 parcels of land, private and public, for which the state owns the mineral rights across Lake, St. Louis, Itasca and Koochiching counties. The parcels, some suggested by mining companies as possible hotspots, are in areas where mineral deposits are likely to be present but which generally haven’t been confirmed.

Read more in the Duluth News Tribune (available for limited time).