Threatened trees found at mine site

BANNER -- Opponents of a proposed strip mine near the central Illinois community of Banner say the recent discovery of a threatened plant species on the property should prevent the project from going ahead.

Peoria naturalist Jane Ward opposes the strip mine proposed by Capital Resources Development Company. She says there is a field of of decurrent false asters growing in the middle of the proposed strip mine area.

The plants are listed as threatened by the state and federal governments.

It is unclear what the presence of the flowers may have on the mining project, since Capital Resources already has been granted a permit to mine by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Capital Resources engineer Greg Arnett says the plant likely was not present when the company originally surveyed for threatened species because.