Mining Action Group of the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition

• • Steve Garske * ##
  • Kathleen Heideman * ##
  • Jon Saari * ##
  • Horst Schmidt  ##
  • Jeffrey Towner  ##
  • Evan Zimmermann, Information Technology Administrator  ##

Mining Action Group – Advisors

• • Chuck Brumleve
  • Margaret Comfort *
  • Nathan Frischkorn, Mining Action Group Fellow
  • Al Gedicks
  • Keith Glendon
  • Gail Griffith *
  • Michelle Halley
  • Ron Henriksen *
  • Janet Joswiak
  • Jeffery Loman
  • Michael Loukinen
  • Alexandra Maxwell ***
  • Sarah Redmond
  • Richard Sloat
  • Mac Strand
  • Chip Truscon *
  • Diane White Husic
  • Justine Yglesias, Save the Wild U.P. Fellow
  • Evan Zimmermann ##

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MINING ACTION GROUP

Steve Garske | Marenisco, Mich. * ##

Steve has nearly 20 years of experience as a field botanist in the northwoods. He received a B.S. in Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and an M.S. in Biology from the University of Minnesota Duluth. His M.S. project involved the study of an invasive Eurasian plant, which had spread from a former resort site to cover an entire hillside near the shore of Basswood Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. A Gogebic County resident since 1990, Steve enjoys being out in the woods and wetlands, as well as gardening, fishing, snowshoeing, canoeing and trying to keep his two old VW diesels running. 

Kathleen Heideman | Marquette, Mich. * ##

Heideman is a writer and artist based in Upper Michigan and a past fellow of the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists & Writers Program. She’s completed artist residencies with watersheds, forest research stations, private foundations and the National Park Service. Previously, she served as Save the Wild U.P.’s vice president and president. She is the author of Psalms of the Early Anthropocene (Winter Cabin Books, 2017). In 2018, American composer Griffin Candey was commissioned to create The Night Psalms, a vocal cantata featuring texts by Heideman, Pennington-Flax and Walt Whitman. Curious woman.

Jon Saari | Marquette, Mich. * ##

An emeritus professor of History at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan, Jon has traveled widely and lived in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China while researching and teaching modern Chinese history, third world history, historiography, and Finnish immigration. A Fin-Yooper, he joined the Save the Wild U.P. Board in 2007 with an interest in bridging our rich labor history with our current fight protecting our communities and environment. He shares a second home on a mountain farm in Austria with his wife of 45+ years and their two sons, and three grandchildren.

Jeffrey Towner | Marquette, Mich. ##

Jeff has been motivated by a love for wildlife and wilderness all his life. He earned a B.S. in Zoology from Ohio State University and an M.S. in Wildlife Biology from Michigan State University. Out of college he worked for an entomology lab in Ohio, then served in fisheries and national parks positions with the Peace Corps in Cameroon and Niger, West Africa, and later served as the anti-poaching officer for the World Wildlife Fund’s mountain gorilla project in Rwanda, East Africa. He held several positions with the Corps of Engineers: assistant branch chief, Environmental Analysis Branch, Detroit; chief, regulatory branch, Chicago; and chief, Enforcement Section, Alaska. A principal duty in all these positions concerned the protection of wetlands and waterways. Jeff was also the field supervisor for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s West Virginia and North Dakota field offices, where he oversaw the administration of several laws, including the Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. After retirement from the government he held a position as team lead, Natural Resources Team, SWCA Environmental Consultants. After retiring in 2016, Jeff and his wife Diane carefully considered where in the country they wanted to live, and they moved to the U.P. because of its high quality of life and outstanding environmental values. They both enjoy hiking, skiing, and paddling the U.P.

Evan Zimmermann | Marquette, Mich.  ##

Evan fulfilled his life goal to move from Wisconsin to the U.P. in 2010 after years of visits for outdoor recreation, and has worked as the Technology Coordinator for the Marquette Food Co-op ever since. He studied Computer Science at Concordia University (Wisconsin) and also has a B.A. in English, finding balance in modernity with poetry that celebrates symbiosis with our natural environment. Believes that the U.P. can be a model society for preserving the wilderness while building community and engaging our creative spirit.

 

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Mining Action Group Advisors

Chuck Brumleve | Baraga, Mich.

Chuck Brumleve is an environmental mining specialist and geologist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Margaret Comfort | Michigamme, Mich. *

Margaret was a mechanical engineer specializing in fuel economy and automotive emission controls for the auto industry. She also worked as a research analyst for the government, owned and operated a transitional-organic farm and B&B, and is currently working as a Physician Assistant with a background in oncology. She hails from downstate, has previously volunteered for several grassroots citizen groups, including one that successfully stopped a landfill for out-of-region waste from being sited next to a river. Her special interest is environmental/social justice and health.

 

Nathan Frischkorn | Marquette, Mich.

Nathan Frischkorn was a 2017 Fellow of the Mining Action Group while a senior at Northern Michigan University, where he earned a dual degree in Sociology and Environmental Studies. He is a vocal advocate of protecting the beautiful natural environment of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. He is passionate about environmental justice, and has studied the ways in which social injustices intersect with environmental degradation. Growing up in northern Wisconsin with the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest fifty feet from his front door, Nate recognizes the importance of preserving public wild lands. He has enrolled in law school, where he will continue to advocate for clean water, pristine lands, and social justice.

 

Al Gedicks | La Crosse, Wisc.

Al Gedicks is an environmental sociologist and Indigenous rights activist and scholar. He has written extensively about Indigenous and popular resistance to ecologically destructive mining and oil projects. In 1977 he founded the Center for Alternative Mining Development Policy and assisted the Mole Lake Sokaogon Ojibwe Tribe in successfully resisting Exxon’s proposed zinc sulfide mine upstream from the tribe’s sacred wild rice beds. He has made several documentary films about the history and culture of mining communities in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, including Keepers of the Water, about the Crandon mine battle. He is emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and executive secretary of the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council (www.wrpc.net).

 

Keith Glendon | Marquette, Mich.

Keith Glendon has worked over the past fifteen years as a consultant, principal, technical practice leader, regional services manager and global program director for two global multinational technology firms.  In these roles, he has developed deep skills in business strategy, consulting, solution development and management, sales, services delivery, personnel management, team-building, facilitation and negotiation. Prior to his career in international business, Keith was a unit communications manager in the US Army, stationed in Germany where he developed strong management, process and team leadership skills. A graduate of the Northern Michigan University College of Business, Keith attained his Bachelor of Science in a combined Business and CIS major – Summa Cum Laude. An avid runner, skier, surfer and all-around lover of the outdoors, he is a father of two and when not working can often be found running around in nature with his daughters, laughing a lot.

 

Gail Griffith | Marquette, Mich. *

Dr. Griffith retired as Professor of Chemistry at Northern Michigan University. She taught courses in environmental and biochemical toxicology, and developed curriculum in environmental and occupational hygiene. Griffith completed undergraduate work at Michigan Technological University, and earned her M.S. and Ph.D. from Michigan State University. She studied further at the University of California, Davis, and was an EPA fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Later, she served on the Michigan Toxic Substances Control Commission, the K.I. Sawyer Restoration Advisory Board, the Marquette Board of Light and Power, and the Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority. She has participated in the public oversight of mining of metallic sulfide ores in the U.P. since Kennecott first proposed the Eagle Project. In 2013, Griffith was awarded the Fred Rydholm Sisu Award, recognizing her outstanding service to the community and her tireless work on environment issues.

 

Ron Henriksen | Vulcan, Mich. *

Ron Henriksen lived and worked in the Chicago area before retiring in the Upper Peninsula. In 2003, he and his wife Carol joined the Front 40 citizen group to oppose the “Back Forty” project, an open pit sulfide mine proposed for the Menominee River, west of Stephenson. Residents are concerned about the potential contamination of groundwater, surface water and air. In 2015, Aquila Resources submitted permit applications for the Back Forty project. The Front 40 group continues to educate the public about the threat of the Back Forty mine proposal and the value of Menominee River, the Upper Peninsula’s largest watershed. Through his work with the Front 40, Ron joined the Save the Wild UP board of directors and is now an advisor for the Mining Action Group.

 

Michelle Halley | Marquette, Mich.

Michelle Halley is an attorney based in Marquette Michigan.

 

Janet Joswiak | Marquette, Mich.

Janet Joswiak was born and raised in Bessemer, MI, and is familiar with environmental concerns about mining. She feels lucky that her father also loved the U.P. — he wanted to preserve its land and water, and actively supported the idea of declaring the Upper Peninsula of Michigan a separate state, named “Superior.” She remembers traveling the U.P. with him, as a child, trying to get others to support this idea. Joswiak’s current credentials include a dual Michigan Elementary Central Office Administrative Certificate. Education experiences include a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood from Central Michigan University as well as pursuance of a Doctoral Degree from University of Michigan with a curriculum cognate. She served as Director of Elementary Supervisor of Early Childhood Education, Principal,and Elementary teacher with Saginaw Public Schools. Given her background in education, Joswiak hopes to instill the love of U.P. land and resources in future generations.

 

Jeffery Loman | Marquette, Mich.

Jeffery Loman is a former U.S. Navy Aquanaut and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Diver. He is a graduate of the University of California San Diego, CHMM, and a Senior Fellow at the Harvard JFK School of Government. Mr. Loman also has more than 20-years of Federal environmental management and regulatory experience that includes supervising operations at RCRA Part B TSDF’s, bio remediation facility operation, hazardous substance spill response and 10-years as the Chief, Natural Resources with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He recently served as the Deputy Director at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Alaska Region. Jeffery retired from Federal civil service in December 2012, as a Senior Special Advisor with the Department of the Interior. Currently, Jeffery Loman operates Keweenaw Konsulting, a firm that exclusively provides environmental and natural resource management and training to Indian tribes and Alaska Native Villages. Jeffery was born on the L’Anse Indian Reservation and is a member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.

 

Michael Loukinen | Marquette, Mich.

Loukinen is a retired professor of sociology at Northern Michigan University. He started by trying to teach using 35mm slide presentations. Gradually, he learned 16mm filmmaking, working with experienced filmmakers such as Tom Davenport, Debora Dickson, Kathleen Laughlin and especially Miroslav Janek (Czech Republic). Recently he has teamed up with digital cinema artist, Grant Guston. Most of his films are about the traditional cultures of the Lake Superior Region: Finnish Americans, Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) and wilderness workers (loggers, trappers, and fishers). He has also made three sociological intervention films, concerning at-risk youth in alternative schools, adults with disabilities fighting for independent life styles, and preventing vehicular homicide. His films have won both academic and artistic awards. His films have won numerous awards and have been featured at film festivals across the country. Loukinen’s most recent work is Winona, an historical documentary about a former copper-mining town.

 

Alexandra Maxwell | Marquette, Mich. ***

Alexandra moved to the U.P. in 2008. She has a B.S. in Sociology and Native American Studies from Northern Michigan University and has been working as a massage therapist since 2006. Alexandra grew up on a small farm in Lower Michigan and has always had a strong connection to the outdoors. Environmental conservation and activism have always been close to her heart. Alex served as Fellowship Coordinator, Interim Director and Executive Director for Save the Wild U.P. between 2014 – 2016. When not busy advocating for clean water and wild places, Alexandra can be found with her friends, playing music, dabbling in photography, or practicing yoga.

 

Sarah Redmond | Au Train, Mich.

Sarah Redmond is a Yooper by choice. After many years as a part-timer, she has retired to Shelter Bay along with husband Dan. A life-long justice activist, she recently participated in the Climate Change rally in NYC — along with 400,000 others demanding action to prevent climate destruction. Redmond believes we all need to act where we live, which is why she supports Save the Wild U.P.’s work. She is president of the Marquette Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Onota Township trustee, coordinator of Alger Friends of the Women’s Center and volunteers for Picture Rocks National Lakeshore and Hiawatha National Forest. Redmond holds a B.A. from Oakland University and a MSW from Wayne State University.

 

Richard Sloat | Iron River, Mich.

Richard Sloat was born and raised in Iron River, Michigan, and has lived a majority of his life in the U.P. Growing up, Rich witnessed the destruction and pollution caused by mining and became part of the “way it is” syndrome, working a year at the Groveland Mine. As a survivor of the boom-bust period created by the mining industry in the County, he now understands there must be a solution to the problem. He also understands we are all part of the problem and asks, “How can we touch the Earth gently?” A Surveyor’s Assistant by trade, he is familiar with a variety of places off the beaten path that need to be preserved. Rich is passionate about protecting the beauty and wonders of nature, and most especially the water, for future generations and the health of the Earth.

 

Mac Strand | Marquette, Mich.

Mac Strand earned a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. He is professor of biology at Northern Michigan University. Strand is passionate about ecohydrology, investigating the role of groundwater-surface water exchange dynamics in structuring northwoods stream communities and governing productivity through controls on nutrient delivery to and from streambed sediments. 

 

Chip Truscon | Marquette, Mich. *

Chip Truscon is a passionate advocate for public and environmental health. He received a Masters in Public Health (MPH) from University of Michigan. Truscon’s diverse background includes research for the Arctic Institute of North America, adjunct and associate professor positions at Catherine McCauley Health Center and the University of Michigan Hospitals, and experience as a program training specialist in the Extracorporeal Life Support Program, University of Michigan Medical School. Working extensively in the nonprofit sector, Truscon served on the boards of local, state and national organizations. He earned Raiser’s Edge Donor Management certification from Blackbaud University, and a Fundraising Management Certificate from Indiana University’s School of Philanthropy. He was a founding board member of Marquette Symphony Orchestra, and chaired the Marketing Committee for the 1999 Marquette Sesquicentennial, which resulted in the building of a new Presque Isle pavilion. As an entrepreneur, Truscon opened the Upper Great Lakes’ first internet cafe — Marquette’s Internet Bagel Cafe — based on a business model of heightened responsibility and community give-back, and Web Media Works, a full service company offering design, programming and shopping cart construction. Truscon is an avid kayaker, tele-skier, road biker, mountain biker, and snow biker. He is a docent at the Marquette Regional History Center where he portrays historic Marquette characters for bus tours, gallery tours and school programs, and was a cast member in the Tyler Tichelaar play, Willpower.

Diane White Husic | Bethlehem, Penn.

Diane White Husic received her B.S. in Biochemistry from Northern Michigan University and her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Michigan State University (1986). She is an author on over 40 publications and has contributed to a number of reports – including an ecological assessment of a Superfund site, the 2011 PA Climate Change Adaptation report, and the Council on Undergraduate Research publication “Transformative Research at Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions.” She has attended the international COP meetings as an official delegate for the past four years and serves as on the international steering committee for the Research and Independent NGOs constituency group (RINGOs). Over the past few years, she’s participated in the Keck/PKAL Facilitating Interdisciplinary Learning Project and was honored as an Audubon TogetherGreen Fellow in Conservation Leadership. She serves on the boards for the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society and the Lehigh Gap Nature Center, is the research coordinator for the Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge, and is involved with grant-funded projects for the Nurture Nature Center in Easton, home to a NOAA-funded “Science on a Sphere.”

 

Justine Marie Yglesias | Detroit, Mich.

Born in Detroit, Mich. and raised in Metro Detroit, Justine Yglesias didn’t discover her passion for nature until high school, when she took a geology class. Since then, she’s understood that pursuing her love for the Earth would inevitably lead to learning how to protect it’s amazing systems. Yglesias is in her final year at NMU, pursuing a degree in Earth Science and Environmental Studies. Outside of her studies, she loves hiking, photography, reading, crafting, rock and mineral collecting, and spending time with family, friends and animals. Justine Yglesias was selected to participate in Save the Wild U.P.’s inaugural Summer Fellows program.

 

NOTE:
*  previous members of Save the Wild U.P.’s Board of Directors
***  Maxwell previously served as Executive Director of Save the Wild U.P.
##  member of the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition Board of Directors