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Issues & Events in 2010

2010

On going issues & opportunities:

Ballot Initiative
“There’s No Pure Michigan Without Pure Water”
The only way to give voice to the threat of metallic sulfide and uranium mining and win the battle for pure water is to take the message to Michigan voters directly via a ballot initiative campaign.
Read More...

Proposed Kennecott Mine Eagle Project Update
Due to the extreme complexity of this issue and the many fronts going on simultaneously, here is an update of events that have taken place in the past year to date:
Fact Sheet

Wisconsin Citizens May Sue Kennecott for Ongoing Pollution at the Flambeau Mine

The Wisconsin Resources Protection Council (WRPC) announced it intends to file a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and Kennecott's Flambeau Mining Company (FMC). The lawsuit would be in response to ongoing water pollution that violates Wisconsin law and the Federal Clean Water Act at the Flambeau mine in Rusk County. Since Kennecott and other mining companies have promoted the Flambeau mine around the world as an example of a "green" and sustainable mine, winning this lawsuit will help protect everyone's freshwater resources.

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UPPCO Land Sales May Put Former U.P. Recreation Areas Off-Limits

In early December, 2005, U.P. residents were startled to hear 7,300 acres of recreational lands currently open to public use were being put on the block by their owner, the Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO). According to a website set up by UPPCO to inform the public about the proposed sales, 2,300 of those acres are in Alger County, 2,800 in Ontonagon Co., 500 in Marquette/Delta Counties, and 1,700 acres of land in Baraga Co. The acreage in question abuts the company’s hydroelectric plants at Au Train, Boney Falls, Bond Falls, Cataract, Prickett Dam, and the Victoria Flowage. By the end of December, 2,720 acres had already been sold to a private developer.

A group of people concerned about the sale of this land has been formed. The Upper Peninsula Public Access Coalition (UPPAC) has created an on-line petition drive requesting legislators call for a new environmental impact study of those areas. To sign the petition or learn more about this issue, go to UPPAC’s new website at www.uppac.com. UPEC will continue to stay on top of this issue and report what is going on as we learn more about the sale of these unique public lands.

FROM DEQ & DNR: Public involvement is a vital part of many programs administers by the Departments of Natural Resources (DNR) and Environmental Quality (DEQ). A successful public involvement process ensures that those who are most likely affected by a decision are notified, understand the proposed decision, and have an opportunity to provide meaningful input prior to a DNR or DEQ action. Staff from the DNR and DEQ has put together a survey to better understand how the public participation process is currently working and where improvements can be made. Please take a moment to answer a short survey on public participation located at the following link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=xySmS2igGfT_2bizpMOKGB7g_3d_3d

Please only respond to the survey once and share the link with others who can provide feedback.

The Peter Wolfe Chapter of the North Country Trail Offers Volunteer Adventure!

The NCTA is looking for volunteers to help build and maintain the trail in Baraga County. Work will begin June and run thru the summer. For more information, go to their website at www.northcountrytrail.org/pwf

2010

January 2010:

**Saturday January 16, 2010: UPEC Board Meeting, Baraga, for more info, contact us. 

Sunday Jan 31 at 9pm, & Feb 1st at 1pm on WNMU TV channel 13: Film Celebrating Wolf Moose Exploration on Isle Royale to Air on WNMU TV
 –For the past fifty years, scientists have been observing the delicate balance among wolves, moose and climate on Michigan's Isle Royale National Park .   Filmmaker George Desort spent over four years gathering material from this unique ecosystem for Fortunate Wilderness, a film that will be airing on Sunday, January 31 at 9 pm ET on Marquette’s WNMU, Channel 13.  Repeats Monday, February 1 at 1 pm. Anchored in the Northwest depths of Lake Superior, Isle Royale is one of America’s last remaining wild places.  Inhospitable waters isolate the island from the mainland, making it a difficult yet ideal environment for discovery.  Explore this wilderness island with renowned wolf biologists Rolf Peterson and John Vucetich as they attempt to make sense of this complex, fascinating relationship. "The Isle Royale wolf-moose research project is iconic in the world of predator-prey studies.  George Desort's film 'Fortunate Wilderness' …relates the stories, personalities, and spirit of the people in this special place studying these amazing critters." Doug Smith, Yellowstone National Park. 
                    About George Desort  
George Desort is an independent filmmaker working in Chicago, Illinois.   After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison he taught skiing in Aspen, Colorado for ten years, and then returned to Columbia College in Chicago and earned a BFA.  Desort spent three years in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan researching and collaborating on Fortunate Wilderness.  His nature photography and video work has been featured in National Geographic, Audobon Magazine, Backpacker, and the Chicago Tribune. 
Trailer from the film can viewed here.

Click here to see
Past Issues & Events in 2009

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