Author Archives: standfortheland

Marquette Senior High School Censors Lois Gibbs

Posted on November 8, 2010 | 3 Comments

Wow, Lois Gibbs! What an amazing, courageous woman. I hope that some of you who are reading this were able to meet her and hear her speak on Oct. 15.

Sadly, we know that some in our community were denied the honor of hearing her – the student body and teachers of Marquette Senior High School.

When school officials told Gibbs – the day before she was scheduled to speak – that she would not be allowed to bring up the subject of Kennecott, Lois Gibbs made the decision to decline the speaking engagement. Continue reading →

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Posted in Uncategorized

Write the Marquette County Road Commission: Say No to the Woodland Road

Posted on October 12, 2010 | Leave a comment

The Marquette Couty Road Commission will announce its DECISION on whether to pursue the development of a new county/Kennecott haul road on Monday, October 18th.

Public comment will be taken.
MCRC Regular Board Meeting
October 18th – 6:30 pm
Ishpeming Township Hall

This road would go through one of our largest roadless areas.

If you cannot attend you can send Public comment \to the Marquette County Road Commission via email, phone or mail:
1610 N. Second Street
Ishpeming, MI 49849
Phone: (906) 486-4491
Fax: (906) 486-4493
Email: lbrogan@marqroad.org

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Posted in Public Land

Please Attend the Public Hearing on the Woodland Road Thursday, October 7th at 6:30 pm

Posted on October 6, 2010 | 2 Comments

There will be a public hearing this Thursday, October 7th at 6:30 pm – location the Ishpeming Township Hall – 1575 U.S. 41 West, Ishpeming, MI.

The subject of the hearing is to take public comment relative to the need for a NEW public county road from U.S. 41 north to the AAA road. We understand that the county is not presenting any alternatives – but rather just wants to query the public about the NEED for a new county road.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Native American Rights, Public Land, Uncategorized

Tribal mine protester gets delay of sentence

Posted on September 28, 2010 | 4 Comments

MARQUETTE – Keweenaw Bay Indian Community member Charlotte Loonsfoot received a 30-day delay of sentence today on a misdemeanor trespass charge involving a May protest of the Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company at Eagle Rock.

Loonsfoot, 37, of Baraga pleaded no contest today to the charge in Marquette County District Court. If she abides by all terms of the 30-day delay, the prosecution has agreed to dismiss the charge.

Click here to read the entire Mining Journal article

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Posted in Native American Rights, Public Land

Opinion in Local Newspaper

Posted on September 26, 2010 | 2 Comments

The Sept. 15 Mining Journal quotes Rio Tinto’s Matt Johnson saying the company is still “considering our power generation options at the mine site.”

In case no one noticed, these past couple years tall power poles holding seven thick wires have been erected on Marquette County Road 550, all paid for by Rio Tinto. (Recently) they are digging trenches to run power to the mine site. And Rio Tinto’s looking at other options? Continue reading →

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Posted in Uncategorized

Rally to protect public lands and treaty rights: Message from Cynthia Pryor to help support Charlotte Loonsfoot

Posted on September 24, 2010 | 1 Comment

We need to call out the troops for as large a rally on the Marquette County Courthouse steps as we possibly can – with flags, banners and signs flying. September 28th, 8 am (pleas revisit the website for possible time change). Continue reading →

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Posted in Native American Rights

Michigan Regulators Unsure How To Enforce Changes to Rio Tinto’s Eagle Mine

Posted on September 21, 2010 | Leave a comment

article from Headwaters News:

Marquette, MI – Since earlier this month Rio Tinto has been burying electric lines underneath County Road AAA in northern Marquette County. The underground lines will connect the company’s Eagle Mine with new power lines running on County Road 550, leading to a coal-fired power station in Marquette.

According to regulators at the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE), connecting the electric line to the mine site would be illegal. Or, it isn’t. It really depends who you talk with.

While Rio Tinto stretches the boundaries of Michigan’s new nonferrous mining law in the construction of its Eagle Mine, state regulators seem unsure how to apply the law, and the law’s interpretation seems to change from day to day.

Read the rest at Headwaters News.

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Posted in Public Land

Attend the Marquette, County Road Commission Meeting

Posted on September 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

County Road Commission Meeting, Monday September 20, 2010

The Woodland Road will be a subject at this week’s Marquette County Road Commission. The Board meets on the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m.; unless otherwise noted in the schedule. The meetings are held in the Board Room at the Road Commission’s Administrative Office located at 1610 North Second Street in Ishpeming, Michigan.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Public Land

Kennecott power project debated

Posted on September 15, 2010 | Leave a comment

BIG BAY – A dispute has erupted over an ongoing Alger Delta Electric Cooperative project to run power lines to the Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company mine site in Michigamme Township.

Under a permit from the Marquette County Road Commission, Alger Delta recently began burying electric lines, running roughly 13 miles from Marquette County Road 550 to the mine site.

Click here to read the entire article

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Posted in Public Land

Another Distress Flag Hangs Above Rio Tinto Mine Site

Posted on September 13, 2010 | 4 Comments

At first we thought Rio Tinto might be flying a Chinese flag (China owns more of Rio Tinto than any other entity) but a zoom lens revealed that another distress flag was flying above Eagle Rock (one flew over the site on July 4 weekend). It’s a sign that, while Rio Tinto and the DNRE continue to break the law, the public is still keeping watch.