Thank you to Steve Garske of Marenisco for this excellent rebuttal to a inaccurate, inflammatory, and possibly slanderous LTE originally printed on 11/20/07.
Click here for the whole letter, Good and bad choices.
Author Archives: Save the Wild UP
Interesting LTE in the Mining Journal
Accolades for Daisy May
Congratulations to Daisy May on her wonderful recent reviews and mentions in the press! All of us here at SWUP want to send a big thank you to May and all of those people who help spread the word and educate folks about the beauty of the Upper Peninsula and our unique way of life! Take Action!
Jeff Daniel’s played last Saturday with Daisy and a group of other talented musicians at the Michigan Theater in
Listen to Daisy May’s “Letter from Downstream”
Mine Project Stopped in Northern B.C. Due to Social and Cultural Effects
Mine firm puts plan for big northern project on shelf
By Leanne Ritchie , The Daily News
Published: Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Northgate Minerals has taken its plans for the $200-million Kemess North
mine in northern B.C. off its books, and will no longer treat the
project as part of its future plans, said the company’s CEO.
“Given the negative recommendation of the (federal, provincial
environmental review) panel and tremendous uncertainty created,
Northgate can no longer treat the Kemess North project as a core part of
our business plan,” said Ken Stowe, Northgate CEO.
In September, a joint federal, provincial environmental review panel
said the company had met all the requirements of the federal and
provincial governments to proceed with the mine.
However, it would not recommend proceeding with the mine because the
impacts on aboriginal people – the unlikeliness of their communities
embracing the project and benefits, and the loss of spiritual values of
Duncan lake, which would be used to dispose of tailings – were a
“significant drawback.”
“The economic and social benefits provided by the project, on balance,
are outweighed by the risks of significant adverse environmental, social
and cultural effects, some of which may not emerge until many years
after mining operations cease,” said the panel.
The project included constructing a second open pit just north of the
existing Kemess South mine, 425 kilometres northwest of Prince George.
It was meant to to increase the life of the operation of the Kemess mine
another decade, continuing 350 existing jobs.
“Northgate strongly disagrees with the panel’s decision and believes the
project is engineered to world-class standards and could provide a
tremendous economic benefit to British Columbia,” said Stowe.
He specifically noted the panel said it was satisfied with the
mitigation measures planned by the company, both environmental and
social, and that the science and engineering of the panel were of high
order.
“This is a bar set so high that virtually all resource projects and
operating mines, including those operating or under consideration in
B.C. would find impossible to clear,” Stowe said.
“It is always difficult for a project proponent or supporter to deal
with opposition based on spiritual or religious beliefs. These beliefs
are inherently subjective and deeply personal. It is up to government
to balance these beliefs against the economic and other benefits of
development, to determine what is in the best public interest.”
The company posted a loss of more than US$11.9 million for the third
quarter after it booked a $32.3 million non-cash write-down of the
carrying value of the Kemess North project.
Comments in Opposition to the Mining, Air Use and Groundwater Discharge Permits
Kennecott filed its Mining Permit Application with the Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality February 2006. The three partners opposing the proposed mine, National Wildlife Federation, Huron Mountain Club and Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, were already involved with studies of the negative environmental impacts such a mining operation would bring to the Yellow Dog Plains in northwest Marquette County. Upon receiving the Kennecott Mining Permit application, the three groups procured additional technical experts to review every aspect of Kennecott’s 8,000 page Mining Permit Application. Other groups, namely Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve and Save the Wild UP, performed other functions including field studies of baseline conditions, public relations, political communications and community outreach.
The State of Michigan decided the permitting process for the proposed mine would consist of three separate permits: the Mining Permit, the Air Permit and the Groundwater Discharge Permit. Approximately nine months after the Kennecott application was filed with the State, the three mine opposition partners performing the technical reviews decided to concentrate their efforts on one permit each to better focus on the issues, improve the efficient use of limited resources and to eliminate overlap and redundancy in the ongoing technical reviews that each group was conducting. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) took the Mining Permit, the Huron Mountain Club (HMC) took the Air Permit and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) took the Groundwater Discharge Permit.
The comments submitted to the Michigan DEQ on October 17, 2007 consist of these three sets of comments:
- The NWF Mining Permit comments are contained in Volume I (24.8 MB PDF)
- The HMC Air Permit comments are contained in Volume II-1 (17.2 MB PDF)
- The KBIC Groundwater Discharge comments are contained in Volume II-2 (8.5 MB PDF)
You may also wish to review the Comments Opposing the Leasing of State Lands to Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company submitted to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources by the National Wildlife federation. (183 kb PDF)
Save The Wild UP Auction Fundraiser December 12
Our Way of Life: The Wild UP
Auction & Special Presentation
Fundraiser
Save The Wild UP will hold a fundraiser at the UpFront & Co. banquet room on December 12, 2007 at 7pm. This event will feature an auction of both items and adventures that showcase our unique way of life in the UP. There will also be a presentation by local historian Fred Rydholm and a slide show of historical photographs of the way of life in the wild UP by Jack Deo of Superior View.
Tickets for this entertaining event are $20 per person. This includes a free drink, hors d’œuvres, and admission to the presentation and the auction. There will be both a silent and live auction as well as door prizes. All proceeds from this community event will be used to continue Save The Wild UP’s effort to protect our unique way of life, wildlife, landscape and waters of the
We are proud to be a part of this community and want to give special thanks to the local businesses and individuals that have already donated items to the auction. We are still seeking adventures and items distinctive to this beautiful region to help raise funds. If you would like to contribute, please contact the office at 228-4444 or info@savethewildup.org. We offer free advertising via our website to all those who donate to this event and will feature pictures of the business in the auction’s printed materials.
The adventures and items available at this event would make wonderful Christmas presents for locals and visitors alike. We suggest bidding on adventures as gifts for friends and family not in this area to expose them to the beauty and wonder that is the “Wild UP”!
Sponsors & Items:
De Loughary’s Maple Syrup Gift Box
Guided X-Country Skiing on the Noquemanon Trail w/ Lunch
“Rivers of Light” Print by Kim Norlien
Guided Snowmobile Tour & Overnight Stay
“Yellow Dog Sky” Photo by Angela Lucas
The Real Yellow Dog Plains Tour
A Night in Historic Big Bay
Therapeutic Massage
Fly Fishing Float Down the Fantastic Escanaba River
“Coaster Brook Trout” print by Ben Niessen
Little Trees & Creeks Weekend
American Spoon Michigan Jam Gift Assortment
Wild UP Safari & Catered Lunch for the Young at Heart
Add Bells & Whistles for Your Chariot with Car Accessories
“Water’s Song” Mixed Media by Barbara Kellogg
Traditional Finnish Smoke Sauna for Four
“Isle Royale” print by Diane Magnuson
Boats & Bed in Big Bay
Huron Mountain/Ives Lake Getaway for Six
Wolf Photograph by Jim Wuepper
Mushing 101 for 2
Auto Care Package
“Wondrous Waves at Lower Harbor” Ltd. Ed. by Shawn Malone
Guided Kayaking Day Trip Along Pictured Rocks
“The Mouth of the Harlow Creek” by Carolyn Babcock-Elder
Ice Climbing Lesson in the Pictured Rocks
A Clear View of the UP—Window Cleaning Service
Wood Stove Dinner with Fred Rydholm
Guided Bentley Trail Tour in the McCormick Tract
Event Sponsors:
UpFront & Co: Venue
Bower and Bower: Auctioneers
Jeff Heidtman: Floral Designer
Nov. 30 Concert to Benefit Students Against Sulfide Mining
SASM will hold a concert 7:00 pm until midnight, November 30th at the Ramada Inn of Marquette. Entertainment will include a raffle ( a canoe that retails at $1200, Crescent Moon snowshoes, & an Eagle Nest lounge chair) a presentation by Cynthia Pryor, and the following bands: Blue Superiors, GrassMonkey, Superior Beats, and Lost Creek. Please attend and show your support. For more information contact SASM at sasm@nmu.edu.
Bimaaji Nibi: Save the Life of the Water
Save The Wild UP would like to send a special thanks to Keepers of the Water, a coalition partner, for their beautiful video highlighting the need to protect our freshwater resources from sulfide mining. The video, entitled Bimaaji Nibi, was directed by Barb Bradley and filmed and edited by Amy Parlette with assistance from waterfall guide Kora Mills. It recently aired on WLUC TV6 and contains footage of three waterfalls in the Yellow Dog Watershed. In the Ojibwe culture (the first people of the Great Lakes Region) the men are the keepers of the fire and the women are the keepers of the water, “nibi”. The project was funded through a grant from the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) and the Western Mining Action Network (WMAN).
1872 Mining Law Reform Passed in House
On November 1st the US House of Representatives passed an 1872 mining law reform by a vote of 244 to 166. SWUP would like to send a special thank you to all of you who sent letters to your representatives. This is an important step to protecting our land and water from unsustainable mining practices.
Click here if you would like to see how your representative voted on the issue
Kennecott Permit Decision Delayed!
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality officials have asked the Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company for a 30-day extension before making a final decision on whether to grant several permits for the company’s proposed nickel and copper mine on the Yellow Dog Plains.
Click here to read the the full story