MARQUETTE — Local grassroots environmental organization Save the Wild U.P. (SWUP) just completed the 2015 Summer Fellows program. SWUP’s Fellows enjoyed a dynamic summer, learning how to become better stewards for the environment and their community. The program included educational seminars on social justice, environmental awareness, and mining-related issues, and trainings geared toward becoming effective advocates through grassroots outreach.
The 2015 Fellows program focused on the controversial County Road 595. “The wealth of knowledge and experience that our Fellows gained this summer was transformational, “ said Lauren Yellen, SWUP Fellowship Coordinator. “They left prepared to advocate for clean water and responsible environmental legislation.”
Fellows began with an intensive two-day grassroots “Bootcamp” which covered topics ranging from geology and the history of mining in the Upper Peninsula to hydrology and environmental movements. While the Fellow’s focused on educating community members about the issues surrounding the Marquette County Road Commission’s lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency, the larger goal was to gain a comprehensive understanding of mining issues at local, regional and global scales.
“Mining is never an isolated incident,”said executive director, Alexandra Maxwell. “Mining affects the people and environments that witness the extraction, it affects economies, and the insatiable demand for minerals seems inextricably woven into modern life — but clearly we all need to make more responsible decisions. The next generation of environmentalists will need to view these issues as complex, multidimensional — and filled with opportunities to effect positive change. We strive for our fellowship program to do just that —this is hands-on learning at its best. We do our best to prepare our students with real-world skills and we certainly work hard to ignite their passion for wild places. We’re so proud of them!”
Maxwell is confident that the experiences Fellows were exposed to this summer will help them become better leaders in their communities. “Working on behalf of clean water,” says Yellen, “is a clear priority for all who are concerned about their fellow citizens and the health and integrity of Lake Superior Watersheds.”
“Too often, citizens are shut out of democracy — especially young adults,” said Kathleen Heideman, president of SWUP. “SWUP’s Summer Fellows program demonstrates our commitment to educate a new generation of environmentally-responsible leaders. This is critical to the future of the U.P., where we face regulatory capture, road and industrial encroachment, the risk of acid mine drainage from sulfide mining, legacy mining pollution, and serious threats to wild lands, wetlands, rivers, and Lake Superior.”