Stand for the Land

from Keweenaw Now

Thursday, April 12, 2012

WATERSMEET, MICH. — On Sunday, April 1, approximately 100 people gathered on County Line Lake Road a few miles northwest of Watersmeet, Mich., for a hike to Wildcat Falls — to mourn the sacrificial loss of these special Forest Service parcels containing the unique natural features of potential old growth hemlock/cedar forests, amazing rock outcrops, high quality Scott and Howe Creek, as well as Wildcat Falls.

The crowd contained not only local residents, but numerous individuals who traveled from as far away as Houghton/Hancock, Marquette, Iron River, and Ironwood, Mich., as well as Rhinelander, Wis. This hike was sponsored by Partners in Forestry Coop (a local woodland owners organization dedicated to sustainable forestry practices), the Northwoods Alliance (a local non-profit that promotes land conservation issues), and the Northwoods Native Plant Society (a native botany club consisting of professional and amateur botanists).

To continue reading, please click here:  http://keweenawnow.blogspot.com/2012/04/hike-to-wildcat-falls-draws-large-crowd.html

A final, heartfelt appeal:  http://keweenawnow.blogspot.com/2012/04/letter-to-forest-service-on-wildcat.html

From Headwaters News

By Gabriel Caplett– 04/11/2012

Once again, the Army Corps of Engineers has objected to Kennecott’s planned ore hauling road, in Marquette County.  The road project, formerly called “Woodland Road,” but now going by “County Road 595” and applied for by the county road commission, “is deficient in several areas,” according to a letter dated March 29, sent from the Corps’ Detroit office to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The letter makes clear that the “the primary beneficiary of the route as proposed would be Kennecott.”  According to the Corps, 595 “is the most direct route from the Eagle Mine to Kennecott’s ore processing facility,” in Humboldt Township, so the road plan should be clear it would be built largely to service Kennecott’s mining operations.

In the letter, the Corps lists a number of other potential hauling routes that would be preferable to constructing 595, including rail options, something not considered in the application.  Rehabilitating abandoned railways, the Corps writes, “in combination with selected road improvements and active railroad lines, may provide a potentially viable alternative for transportation of ore and timber, as well as improve road access from US-41 to the northern portion of Marquette County.”

To continue reading, please click here:  http://headwatersnews.net/news/army-corps-objects-to-kennecott-haul-road/

The U.S. Forest service has entered into an agreement with a private land developer to trade away rare old-growth hemlock and cedar stands,  a portion of a creek, and the beautiful Wildcat Falls.  In exchange for this unique and relatively undisturbed ecosytem, we will acquire mostly cut-over acreage with few recreational opportunities and little timber value.

Public  input has been overwhelmingly against this exchange.  It is also opposed by a number of conservation groups, including  Partners in Forestry, which promotes sustainable use of woodlands.   PIF comments, and supporting documentation, may be seen here:  http://www.partnersinforestry.com/

A citizen appeal has been filed and is pending review before Chuck Myers, Appeal Deciding Officer for the Forest Service.  His decision may come as early as April 2012.

Please let him know these lands must be cherished and protected in trust for the public, by signing this petition:  http://signon.org/sign/ottawa-national-forest-1?source=s.em.cr&r_by=893716&mailing_id=2940  You are most welcome to contact him directly, as well:

Chuck Myers, Regional Forester
USDA Forest Service
Eastern Region – R9
626 East Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414.297.3600

clmeyers@fs.fed.us

We would also like you to join us in visiting this very special place as part of a group hike–this Sunday, April 1st, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Central time.  Please click here for details:  LAST CHANCE VISIT TO WILDCAT FALLS

A friend of the Falls has put together a brief video, a preview of what you might see:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIWyot-Mq8E&feature=youtu.be

We are asking that the decision be reversed.  It can be done.  It should be done.

Forest Service link for the Delich exchange:  http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/project_content.php?project=27625

Map of the proposed exchange: 

Link for USFS office in Milwaukee–submit electronic comments here:  http://www.fs.usda.gov/contactus/r9/about-region/contactus

Video footage of the properties that would be exchanged:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bns0aFaBceM&feature=youtu.be

While local officials and residents expressed support for the proposed mine, they seemed unaware of potentially serious impacts to the environment. To read Steve Garske’s article in Keweenaw Now, please click here:  http://keweenawnow.blogspot.com/2012/03/deq-hearing-on-orvana-mine-project.html

See also, standfortheland’s March 6 posting on the Orvana hearing, and KBIC’s excellent comments on the the Copperwood application: Comments of KBIC on Mining Permit Application by Orvana Resources

THE GTac ANNOUNCEMENT.  NO GLOATING YET.

March 7^th 2012, noon.

Everything is going according to plan – Gtac’s plan.  For a full understanding please Google the SILVER FOX PARABLE and take a few minutes to read it.  It goes something like this:

1.  A GTac operator comes in and announces that he intends to bring jobs and prosperity for all.  Gets the headlines.

2.  He tells how many millions he is going to invest and how local businesses will jump on the wagon and Ma and Pa’s cabins and stores will soon be bustling.  All he asks is that the politicians and the media will be kind to him and maybe relax some of the more onerous regulations.   The tree huggers turn out with their flags and slogans and stir up a bit of opposition, knowing how Big Business has screwed the natives elsewhere.   Most folks watch the Packers.

3.   GTac starts to hem and haw, knowing that many folks can already envision the new F-150 or the remodeled kitchen or the expanded hardware store.  They push for more concessions.  Continue reading →

Talking Points to assist Tribal and Public Comment

PUBLIC HEARING on the Orvana Copperwood Project
March 6, 2012, 6:00-9:00pm (Central Time)
Gogebic Community College
E-4946 Jackson Road, Ironwood, Michigan 49938

The purpose of this Public Hearing is for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to accept public comment on its proposed decision to issue a permit for the Orvana Copperwood Project near Lake Superior. Following the hearing, the DEQ will accept written comments until 5 p.m. on April 3, 2012.

Proposed project location:
Orvana Resources US Corp, a subsidiary of Toronto-based Orvana Minerals Corp., has proposed a copper mine located within Treaty of 1842 territory, about 70 miles west of the L’Anse Indian Reservation, and 1.5 miles from Lake Superior. The site is located in Gogebic County, in both Ironwood and Wakefield townships.

Note:
This project has been going through the state mine permit review process very quickly. This is the second and last round of oral public comment on the DEQ’s proposed decision to permit this mine.

1. Unacceptable Impacts to Lake Superior & Water Resources

The Copperwood Project would cause unacceptable destruction and degradation to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and pollute and degrade the waters of creeks that feed Lake Superior. Continue reading →

                       A notice from Higher Authority

Because of permanent environmental damage effected over the past two centuries, and impending additional damage, both visible and invisible, all further human activities in the Upper Peninsula will be CANCELLED.

At the end of March 2012 the UP will be blanketed with snow, at least five feet deep. Precipitation will continue indefinitely, until the UP is again capped with glacial ice and the atmosphere is again scrubbed clean – pristine by definition.

It is suggested that all residents develop systems capable of digesting spruce twigs and needles, as did the woolly mammoth last time around, or find an environmentally acceptable recipe for pasties made of snow.

Complaints should be addressed to your friendly mining corporations in London and Florida.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Bridge has been sold to Canadian Demolition Incorporated for recycling as soon as the ice will support heavy equipment. Make plans accordingly.

There will be no need to arrange for interment. Just get comfortable. Your County Road Commission plans to perform Last Rites beginning in mid-March, free of charge.

Requiescat In Pace

H.A.

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