Kickoff Schedule:

CALL to RALLY: Drumming
Welcome and Introduction of the Campaign
SPEAKERS:

Rev. Jon Magnuson
Dr. Allan Olson
Laura Gauger, WI
Scott Rutherford
Sing-a-long with Circle of Friends and Cora Thiele
Drummers and Chanting
Art activity for children
Information Table
Pure WATER
Evening in Big Bay:
RALLY at the Mine Site Gate: Saturday, July 9, 4:30 pm
Food and Social in Big Bay
Fireworks, 10:30 pm, Squaw BeachOn Saturday, July 9, concerned citizens of Upper Michigan, Northern Wisconsin, and Lower Michigan will launch their ongoing, organized “U.P. Grassroots Campaign to Defend our Water and Stop the Eagle Mine.”

Led by WAVE (Water Action Vital Earth), the action partner of SWUP (Save the Wild U.P), the campaign kicks off with a rally on Saturday, July 9, on the steps of the Marquette County Courthouse at 1:00 pm.

Featured speaker will be Laura Gauger of Wisconsin, author of the book, The Buzzards have Landed. Other speakers include Dr. Alan Olson, addressing the importance of water, Jon Magnuson of the Cedar Tree Institute, and longtime activist Scott Rutherford of Hancock.

Speakers will make the case that the mine poses a clear and present danger to our watersheds of Lake Superior, and to the health of local citizens for generations to come.

WAVE holds that this mine is only the beginning of exploitation, and will lead to water contamination on a scale hitherto unknown in this area.

Following the rally, participants will travel to public lands near Eagle Rock for a time of meditation and reflection, before going to Big Bay for a picnic supper and Big Bay’s annual Fireworks.

The purpose of the campaign is to arouse, inspire, and mobilize our citizens to make a renewed effort to block the mine.  Its specific objective is to convince Governor Snyder to issue an executive order to halt work on the mine and call for a complete third party environmental impact study (EIS) on every aspect of the Eagle Mine project.

WAVE, in March, had appealed to the governor do so because of the grave danger the mine posed to our water resources and our health.   He refused, an action WAVE and SWUP found unconscionable.

Scott Rutherford, 77, a veteran and member of WAVE, is planning an extended, open-ended fast, beginning July 9.

Scott says, “The fast is, in part, an appeal to Governor Snyder to reflect on the moral implications of his refusal to call a halt to work on the mine.”

Campaign planners are working on several events during the summer and fall, including walks on the Yellow Dog Plains, special speakers and workshops, street theatre presentations, fund-raising socials, and an area-wide conference.

Everyone of good heart is welcome to participate in all events, say the members of WAVE and SWUP. Updated information will be continually provided on this website.