Tag Archives: Science

Coasters Considered For Federal Protection

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“TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took a step Thursday toward placing the coaster brook trout, which once thrived in the upper Great Lakes, on the endangered species list.

A petition filed by two groups in 2006 made a strong enough case to justify a formal review, the service said in a Federal Register notice. The Sierra Club and the Huron Mountain Club sued the agency in December for failing to act earlier. Officials blamed the delay on budget restraints.”

Click here for the rest of the story
Click here for more information on Coasters from NMU Fish Biology Lab

Save The Wild UP presentation in Menominee well attended

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Mining Seen as Serious Threat To U.P. Resources

By Kurt Steidl, Eagle Herald Staff Writer, ksteidl@eagleherald.com

STEPHENSON– A group based in Lake Township has long expressed its concerns about the effects of exploration for metallic sulfide mineral mine along the Menominee River in the township.

The group, known as Front 40, invited a speaker to its Wednesday meeting to lay out problems that have stricken other areas with mines.

The speaker, Alexis Raney of Save The Wild U.P., kept the audience of close to 40 spellbound for almost an hour with graphic photographs of landscape damaged by acid mine drainage.

“It was founded specifically in an effort to address some of the threats seen by acid mine drainage,” Raney said of her group.

For the full story: 2008-0221-eagle-herald-front-40-amd-presentation.pdf

Leadville, Colorado in Danger of a “Toxic Gusher”

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from a Feb. 28 NY Times article; click here for the whole story

“This month, Lake County commissioners declared a state of emergency over concerns that rising levels of contaminated water could burst from the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel and flood the town.

For years, the federal Bureau of Reclamation and the Environmental Protection Agency have bickered over what to do about the aging tunnel, which stretches 2.1 miles and has become dammed by debris. The debris is holding back more than a billion gallons of water, much of it tainted with toxic levels of cadmium, zinc and manganese.

The threat posed by the tunnel is the latest misfortune for the town, which is grappling with the wreckage of more than a century of mining.

“Everybody made a lot of money in Leadville,” said Ken Olsen, a county commissioner. “They left years ago, and we’ve had to clean up after them ever since.”

Leadville Herald: Leadville commision gets results at Capitol meeting

Denver Post: Flooding in tunnel is blamed on Feds 

EPA releases latest Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)

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The EPA released new data this month at http://www.epa.gov/tri/

Click here for the TRI report where the following info was obtained. Go to page 21 of the .pdf for the Top 50 Polluters

Top 7 Most Highly Polluting U.S. Facilities, by Weight in Pounds (2006)

1) Red Dog Operations: Kotzebue, Alaska, 615.3 million
2) Kennecott Utah Copper Mine & Power Plant: Utah 102.5 million
3) Phelps Dodge Miami Inc.: Claypool, Gila County, Ariz. 59.5 million
4) Newmont Mining Corp. Twin Creeks Mine: Golconda, Nev. 56.9 million
5) Envirosafe Service of Ohio: Lucas County, Ohio, 53.3 million
6) Barrick Goldstrike Mine Inc.: Elko, Nev., 48.6 million
7) Kennecott Greens Creek Mining Co.: Juneau, Alaska, 44.5 million

Congratulations Kennecott, you placed twice in the Top 10!!

Coaster Brook Trout Update

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We’ve had some requests for updates on the Coaster Brook Trout:

The Sierra Club and the Huron Mountain Club filed a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to begin the investigative process of listing the Coaster Brook Trout as a Threatened and Endangered Species.  This petition filed in February 2007 was not addressed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a timely manner and the petitioners filed suit because of the delay.  The petitioners and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are currently in discussion about when USFWS would be prepared to issue a decision regarding the original listing petition.

The Gold Is In Our Green!!!

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A recent article from MLIVE.com

“West Michigan’s abundant natural resources — forests, sand dunes, wetlands and water — provide a variety of benefits that are worth at least $1.6 billion annually, according to a new study.

Putting a dollar figure on nature, also known as green infrastructure, is a tricky business, technically and philosophically. But officials at the West Michigan Strategic Alliance sought to demonstrate that nature is valuable and that damaging it comes at a price.”

Click here for the rest of the article

Also, refer back to the Brookings Institue Report on the economic benefits of clean, healthy Great Lakes

It seems that it is becoming easier to assign value to nature for nature’s sake!

“What’s that Sucking Sound?”

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It is the sound of michigan’s water being sold to the highest bidder if Michigan’s Senate gets their way!

Click here to take action

“…some Michigan politicians are supporting proposals that would allow up to 25% of some of our inland rivers and streams to be available for export to thirsty states and nations! Maybe they don’t realize that our lakes, rivers and aquifers—our drinking water sources—are all connected in the Great Lakes system. “

Suppressed Report: Great Lakes in Crisis

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“For more than seven months, the nation’s top public health agency has blocked the publication of an exhaustive federal study of environmental hazards in the eight Great Lakes states, reportedly because it contains such potentially “alarming information” as evidence of elevated infant mortality and cancer rates.”

Click here for the full story

OH CANADA!

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Canada creates largest Freshwater Marine Protected Area in the World on Lake Superior

Canada’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, announced the creation of the largest protected freshwater area in the world. The Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area spans more than one million hectares of Lake Superior. The marine park includes the Thunder Cape at the tip of Sleeping Giant Provincial Park in the west, to Bottle Point just east of Terrace Bay, and south to the Canada-US boundary.

To read more about the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area please check out the following links:

Canada’s official governmental website

Duluth News Tribune article

Lake Superior Conservancy and Watershed Council


We applaud Canada’s recent recognition of the value of Lake Superior and their efforts protect and conserve it!  It’s a wonderful start.