Acid Mine Drainage by savethewildup

In Is Michigan's BP Disaster Brewing in the UP? addressing the Kennecott Eagle Mine north of Marquette, the Center for Michigan's Phil Power writes:

Today, TV screens, newspapers and the Internet are consumed worldwide with the horrendous British Petroleum oil leak into the Gulf of Mexico, now believed to be the greatest man-made environmental disaster in our history, if not that of the planet.

But something eerily similar is going on, far from the cameras, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula near the tiny village of Big Bay.

There, a company with a history as one of America's greatest polluters is now planning to mine for copper and nickel right under one of Michigan's most uniquely famous trout steams.

Michigan US Representative Bart Stupak draws parallels between the BP disaster in the Gulf and Michigan's first sulfide mine. He writes:

Mining has been done safely to the benefit of the Upper Peninsula economy for generations, but the sulfide mine proposed in Marquette County by the Kennecott Minerals Company raises concerns that have yet to be adequately addressed.

Both BP and Kennecott's parent company, London-based Rio Tinto, have earned reputations for their willingness to cut corners on safety and environmental safeguards to improve their bottom lines.

...Unfortunately Michigan's mining laws fall short of holding Kennecott accountable. State permits were approved without requiring an Environmental Impact Statement and without independent baseline hydrological and geological studies. Because there is no evidence of the environment's condition before Kennecott starts mining, there is no way to prove what damage they cause.

We should heed the lessons we have learned from the Gulf spill. Weak state regulations in place for sulfide mining are worthless without proper enforcement. Given Michigan's continuing budget problems, it seems unlikely the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment will have adequate resources to ensure Kennecott is complying with safety and environmental standards. Kennecott should be responsible for providing the state with the funding needed for these inspectors.

You may also want to check out Jack Lessenberry's interview with Phil Power of The Center for Michigan about sulfide mining in Michigan.

Even now, some such as Representative Jason Allen are calling for reduced regulation of mining. The Kennecott Mine is only the first of many sulfide mines and even uranium mines that are being explored in Michigan. At a time when we are still coming to grips with the devastation that a poorly regulated company with an inadequate disaster plan has inflicted on one of America's water playgrounds, is it really a wise idea to rush into a   that could destroy our water playground?

We'll close with the US Environmental Protection Agency's report on acid mine drainage (pdf), and maybe you can tell me how this fits in with "Pure Michigan":

The formation of mine acid drainage and the contaminants associated with it has been described by some as the largest environmental problem facing the U.S. mining industry.

...Acid mine drainage from coal and mineral mining operations is a difficult and costly problem. In the eastern U.S., more than 7,000 kilometers of streams are affected by acid drainage from coal mines. In the western U.S., the Forest Service estimates that between 20,000 and 50,000 mines are currently generating acid on Forest Service lands, and that drainage from these mines is impacting between 8,000 and 16,000 kilometers of streams. In addition to the acid contribution to surface waters, AMD may cause metals such as arsenic, cadmium, copper, silver, and zinc to leach from mine wastes.

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More than 150 beers from some of Michigan's finest microbreweries and brewpubs. Live music. Food available for purchase. Rain or shine.

The first-ever Michigan Brewers Guild U.P. Oktoberfest is coming September 12 . . . and it's crossing the Big Mac bridge to do so! The excitement is taking over the heart of the Upper Peninsula and spreading!

Though Michigan craft beers have long been established in the Upper Peninsula, September 12 in Marquette unveils the first U.P. craft beer tasting event sponsored by the Michigan Brewers Guild. Set in the historic beauty of Marquette's lower harbor at Ellwood Mattson Park, this singular beer event summons the great tastes of Michigan craft brews to the heart of the U.P. Just in time for Michigan's craft brewers to unveil their fall-winter offerings, the U.P. Oktoberfest is sure to be the number one beer-lovers regional event this fall.

TICKETS

Purchase online or call 877-772-5425. For an updated list of ticket outlets please visit the MASH, at www.mbgmash.org. The cost to attend is $30 in advance, $35 at gate. Limited ticket availability. Advance ticket purchase encouraged. Includes 12 drink tokens. Additional tokens available inside festival. Must be 21 or over.

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Dog sled races, UP200, 2007 by e.rabior

Eric says that this photo shows a team arriving in Grand Marais, halfway point of the 240 mile race, amidst unrelenting lake effect snow.

This year is the 20th running of the U.P. 200 and Midnight Run sled dog races and Over 15,000 visitors come to Michigan's Upper Peninsula for one of the nation's premier weekends of sled dog racing. The U.P. 200 is a competitive, 12 dog, mid-distance sled dog race that is always held on the third weekend of February (Feb 20-22). The race is about 240 miles in length and is a qualifying race for the Iditarod.

You can get a look at what it's all about courtesy Wild Weekend TV if you click over to the UP 200 web site!

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Lakenenland Corporate Greed by Kristina_5

Found on the Absolute Michigan flickr pool, Kristina_5 has some interesting shots from an equally interesting sculpture park located 15 miles east of Marquette, Michigan on M-28. She writes:

This sculpture park was created by Tom LaKenen (pron. Lay-Kin-en) several years ago. He started creating these pieces as a hobby. Eventually his yard became full and he had a hard time finding places to display them. He thought about trying to sell some except he is kinda proud of them and has so many hours inot each sculpture that he would hate to see them go. This is when LaKenenland was born.

For more bizarre Michigan attractions check out her Michigan Oddities set on flickr!

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Together. by Rick Spillers

Eric Hansen is the author of "Hiking Michigan's Upper Peninsula" and "Hiking Wisconsin". In this morning's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, he has an editorial titled Headwaters are no place for toxic new mining that begins:

Take a moment to think about Michigan's Upper Peninsula and the nearby patches of Wisconsin, Lake Superior and Lake Michigan that border it. Picture the sparkling waterfalls, blueberries, brook trout and wave-washed shores there — the multitude of reasons so many think of this as God's Country.

Thing is, change is in the air — and there's a fair chance that it won't be a good thing for the unspoiled waters of the U.P. — or for our water quality here, downstream, in Wisconsin.

New proposals for mining in the U.P. involve a method — metallic sulfide mining — known for its record of toxic water pollution.

These metallic sulfide mining projects are an alarming new threat to the Upper Great Lakes that has gone largely unnoticed in Wisconsin, or elsewhere in the region outside of Michigan.

Are we, as a state and region, prepared for a metallic sulfide mining district in the U.P.? Have we done a thorough assessment of the risks involved and the long-range impact this could have on our groundwater, streams and lakes?

Read the rest...

With two proposed projects (Kennecott Eagle north of Marquette on Lake Superior and Aquila Resources Back40 project just a stone's throw from the Menominee River and the Wisconsin border) and many, many more prospected sites (see map), the question "Are we ready?" is a darn good question to ask.

Through virtue of our work with an organization called Save the Wild UP, we've been following the story of sulfide mining in Michigan for years. It's frankly stupefying that a mining technology that has killed fish and entire rivers, lain waste to lakes and as currently planned would actually spew tons of sulfide mining dust in the air as a kind of giant acid rain machine is still being considered at all.

Even more than the Lower Peninsula, Michigan's Upper Peninsula depends on tourism and outdoor recreation for its livelihood and a couple hundred jobs would do nothing to offset the damage that news of mine accidents and poisoned rivers, lakes and air would generate. Once a mine opens in Michigan, so will the floodgates of a mineral rush that is virtually guaranteed to forever change the face of Michigan and our priceless waters. For it to happen without a public debate, behind closed doors is something we can't allow to happen.

The photo above is just one of many in the Downstream group on Flickr, where almost 100 people have added one photo each to be paired with the song A Letter from Downstream by Daisy May Erlewine. The result is a fascinating look at the meaning of water in all our lives. I think more than any photo in the Downstream group, this one for me says why we shouldn't allow huge corporations to bet their profits against the future of the Great Lakes. These waters are all of ours, and those of generations to come.

Eric concludes his editorial:

This is our region's spiritual homeland, the headwaters country of our planet's finest collection of fresh water.

Let us think long and hard before risking that notable resource by allowing metallic sulfide mining to get its foot in the door at such a critical location.

Let us heed Gov. Milliken and join our voices to protect both a land and its pristine water that mean so much to so many of us. Our grandchildren will thank us.

Amen.

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Fun on Pleasant Lake by MWOOD19

Welcome to The Week on Absolute Michigan. Summer is in full swing around the state and candidates in Michigan primaries are trying to chicken dinner their way to an August 6th victory.

Our July Michigan Event Calendar says that events folks can check out this weekend include the Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival (Ypsilanti - man would I love to go to this!), Art On The Rocks in Marquette, the Hoxeyville Music Festival,   and the Yale Bologna Festival. Bologna Festival?? Early next week, the Traverse City Film Festival begins as well.

< The Week for July 14-20, 2008 | The Week for July 28 - August 3, 2008 >

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For more on this issue visit Save the Wild UP and also check out Anatomy of a mine: Lansing hearings put U.P. wilderness on trial from the Lansing City Pulse:

The hearings hit hard rock Wednesday, April 30, when a white-haired man in suspenders slowly made his way to the stand, leaning on a cane.

Jack Parker, a geologic engineer and author of “Practical Rock Mechanics for Miners,” told the judge he began evaluating drill cores, or samples from proposed mines, 60 years ago.

“Six-oh,” he said, to avoid confusion.

Parker rang a theme that subsequent witnesses would hammer hard: The Eagle Mine designs, he said, were based on partial data about the rock, optimistically interpreted, often by computer modeling rather than direct inspection.

Parker worked for decades as a miner and later became a consultant at hundreds of mines, most recently at White Pine Mine, 75 miles west of Houghton. He spoke in a whisper — nobody wanted to think about the buildup in his lungs — and his gravitas lent the legal proceedings a rocky heft. Even a witness later called by Kennecott, Idaho's Wilson Blake, acknowledged that Parker is an industry “icon.”

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NW vista by DA2Brian

Marquette, MI has been named one of the top 200 places in the U.S. for sportsmen and women to put their roots down in the April edition of Outdoor Life magazine.

These places exist in every state, towns where you can step out your back door with a fly rod or a shotgun and find abundant fishing and hunting opportunity in sight of the municipal water tower. Areas with decent weather and accessible public land and gun laws that don't criminalize hunters. Places where the economy is vibrant but the pace of life is slow. Towns with good schools and hospitals and a strong sense of community.

Places where you can wear fishing waders or a camouflage hunting jacket into a bar and not call attention to yourself.

Marquette ranked #7 on their list, which considered access to public areas for quality hunting and fishing, economically viability of the region and hospitality of the towns. The area's leading appeals were huge diversity of fish, from native brookies to rainbows and lake-run brown trout to steelhead, salmon, lake trout, walleye and pike.

Check out Marquette's Presque Isle from YouTube as well as this 3D tour of Marquette's downtown video. Absolute Michigan's Flickr group has many more great Marquette photos to view.

Check out web sites and features at Absolute Michigan keyword Marquette and get information on Marquette's history, demographics, geography and more visit Wikipedia entry for Marquette.

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Last weekend the state championships were decided in girls hoops. This was the first year that boys & girls seasons were held at the same time in Michigan, something that seems to have reduced the attention lady cagers receive (contrary to what the court case alleged). In the Class A game, it was Grosse Pointe North over East Lansing 58-46 (stats). Class B is was a cross-town match with Detroit Country Day topping Detroit Community 46-40 (stats). In Class C action, Saginaw Nouvel raced by Galesburg-Augusta 73-42 (stats) while in Class D, New Lothrop defeated Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart 42-36 (stats). You can get Audio/Video from MHSAA TV. While you're there, check out the video from the 1958 Class A Boys Basketball Final featuring Detroit Austin Catholic (led by Dave DeBusschere) vs. Benton Harbor (with Chet Walker).

Longest. Game. Ever.

The Freep has a story on the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 1 hockey state finals between Marquette and Orchard Lake St. Mary. The two teams played a U.S. High School Hockey record 8 overtimes to a 1-1 draw before finally being declared the first ever co-champions by the MHSAA and raising the same trophy. Division 2 was Trenton over Midland 3-0 while Calumet skated to a 1-0 overtime victory over Flint Powers Catholic. The photo is one of a giant set of photos by Marquette based sports photographer Daryl Jarvinen - check out the whole set of photos from this historic MHSAA Hockey match!

Michigan Boys Basketball State Championships

After last night's quarterfinals, the final fours are set for the 2008 boys basketball state championships. The Class C & D games take place on Thursday (Mar 13) with Class A & B on Friday (Mar 14). The Finals are on Saturday and will be televised live on Fox Sports Detroit: Class D is at 10 AM, Class C at Noon, Class A at 4 PM and Class B at 8 PM. Both the semifinals and finals take place at the Breslin Center at MSU in East Lansing, which brings us to...

Michpics March Madness

Over on Michigan in Pictures we're featuring the basketball arenas of Michigan's Division I universities (CMU, EMU, MSU, UM & WSU) each Saturday this month. So far we have Central and Eastern and you're invited to point us to cool photos and follow along with our Michigan March Madness posts.

...and don't forget about College Football

The Freep reports that Kirk Gibson (wide receiver for MSU from 1975-78, first-team All-American, Big Ten receiving leader), Rob Lytle (UM running back 1974-76, consensus All-America in 1976, '76 Big Ten MVP), Tony Mandarich (MSU offensive tackle in 1985-88, consensus first-team All-America in '88, on 1987 Rose Bowl winning squad) and Percy Snow (MSU linebacker in 1986-89, unanimous first-team All-America and Butkus Award winner in '89, 2nd all-time in career tackles with 473) are up for the College Football Hall of Fame. Also on the ballot is Darryl Rogers, who coached MSU from 1976-79. Rogers was the Big Ten coach of the year in 1977, Sporting News national coach of the year in '78. They also have a nice look at the major sports sites' predicted destinations for Michigan players (and who the Lions might get) in the 2008 NFL Draft. I'm thinking WR Mario Manningham to the Lions makes a crazy kind of sense.

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Book store. Copper Harbor, Michigan by pntphoto

Snowbound Books, Marquette
Snowbound Books is billed as a place for people allergic to life without books. The store currently carries over 30,000 new and used books and they sell on the internet, traveling far and wide to buy books and keep the shelves full.

North Wind Books, Hancock
North Wind Books is part of Finlandia University and much more than a traditional university bookstore. Special book collections feature Finnish, Great Lakes and Upper Michigan history and literature, and a wide selection of related topics including maritime history, copper mining, Native Americans, nature and the environment. An entire room of the bookshop is dedicated to children's picture books and young adult fiction. There is also a large selection of adult trade books that will satisfy even the most discriminating reader.

Grandpa's Barn, Copper Harbor
Grandpa's Barn is the history-filled bookstore created by Lloyd and Clyde Wescoat in the hay barn moved to this site by Clyde's grandfather. The store features a selection of vacation reading, nature guides, regional fare, children's literature and natural history.

Explore more of Michigan's great books, bookstores, authors and publishers at Absolute Michigan keyword Michigan Books!

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Native American guide Don Chosa
points out wild rice beds to his son

Delayed six weeks due to extremely low water levels, teenagers, an American Indian guide and volunteers on Saturday held the fourth annual planting of wild rice in a project aimed at restoring the once abundant grain to northern Michigan.

The groundbreaking Manoomin Project has teamed hundreds of at-risk teens with American Indian guides who have planted over a ton of wild rice since the summer of 2004 .

Manoomin means wild rice in Ojibwa.

Wild rice disappeared from Michigan over a century ago and is a vital part of Native American ceremonies and traditions.

"You are the first ones to bring wild rice back to the area," the teens were told by American Indian guide Dave Anthony of Marquette. "I am pleased that you are here and what you are doing today is very important."

"This is very, very significant, this is a gift from the creator, it's food grown on the water," said Anthony, who attends Northern Michigan University (NMU) and belongs to the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa (Ottawa) Indian based in Harbor Springs, MI. "Wild rice is the original North American grain and is very nutritious."

The importance of the project was not lost on the teens who picked up a few Ojibwa words.

Danny 'broadcasts' or spreads
wild rice seeds into the Dead River

"Megwiich," said Danny Carello, 13, of Ishpeming saying "thank you" to nature in Ojibwa while carefully tossing wild rice seeds into a small pond along the Dead River.

Shawn Molda, 15, of Gwinn said he learned that wild rice develops in stages including the "floating stage."

Anthony taught a special blessing to the teenagers and adults volunteers like Marquette County Juvenile Court child care counselor Jim Rule.

After a prayer, Anthony passed out a small amount of crumbled leaf tobacco to each participant who sprinkled the flakes into the river as a symbol of thanks for the planting.

This year's planting was delayed from mid-September because wild rice seeds were not available from Wisconsin tribes due to extremely low water levels that have had a major negative effect on this year's crop.

On a Saturday in November, the teens planted four pails of wild rice by carefully tossing the seed into slow spots in the Dead River near Marquette

The wild rice seeds are from Minnesota and were planted less than 48 hours before an approaching major winter storm.

Manoomin Project volunteer Tom Reed of Marquette, Michigan said the at-risk youth volunteer to plant and study wild rice "in lieu of community service."

"This is about educating the kids and not about punishment," said Reed.

Greg Peterson is a UP news reporter and volunteer media advisor for the Manoomin Project, the Earth Keeper Inititiative and the Turtle Island Project - all interfaith environment projects involving youth, Native Americans and 9 faith communities with 140 churches/temples.

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Acid Mine Drainage by Save the Wild UP

If a mine with the potential to generate battery acid and acid rain sounds like a poor choice for Michigan, consider attending tomorrow's (Wednesday Sept 19, 2007) public hearing at the Lansing Center in Lansing regarding the proposed metallic sulfide mine on the Yellow Dog Plains north of Marquette. Click for details on the hearing and public comment period that runs through October 17 from the Michigan DEQ. You may mail DEQ/DNR Kennecott Comments Office of Geological Survey P.O. Box 30256, Lansing, Michigan 48909-7756 or e-mail DEQ-Kennecott-comments@michigan.gov. There's a sample letter at savethewildup.org.

You might expect our state government to provide careful oversight of the first case of a potentially hazardous process. If so, consider the words of Phil Power, President of The Center for Michigan:

"At the start of all this, some of us actually believed the DEQ could handle review of Kennecott's permit applications with integrity and impartiality The agency's record since then belies these hopes. The internal culture of the Office of Geological Survey is to facilitate mining, not regulate it. Documents have been suppressed, Freedom of Information requests ignored, and the commitments made by the agency to prevent pollution have been overthrown. Now the DEQ proposes to grant to Kennecott an air permit that allows the company to spew toxic copper and nickel dust all over the central UP. It's increasingly clear the DEQ has neither the expertise nor the guts properly to review this project." (full release)

Will State Allow Sulfide Mining Under U.P. River? and Industrializing the Wild UP are two articles from the Michigan Land Use Institute that provide a broad overview. They are releasing a third article later today and also plan to hold an awareness event at the Hagerty Center in Traverse City on Friday, Sept. 28 with music provided by Joshua Davis of the band Steppin' In It.

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A couple of weeks ago I did the Photo Friday on a Thursday, which I suppose is better than almost forgetting about it altogether!

I'm going to pretend that I decided to wait until evening get the full impact of this great fireworks photo.

In addition to this set of Bay City fireworks photos, Michphotog has a bunch more firework photos from locations including Caseville, Traverse City, Marquette and (I think) the Garden Peninsula.

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