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Thursday, May 28, 2009

Great Lakes events scheduled for June, July, August

MARQUETTE -- Join the staff and supporters of Save the Wild UP, Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve and Freshwater Future in a Great Lakes Walk, Paddle and Roll Fundraising event, which kicks off with a 5-mile paddle around beautiful Lake Independence on Saturday, June 6.

There will be three events throughout the summer, including an orienteering event to be held on Sunday, July 12, in Big Bay as well as a biking event in August in Marquette. All funds raised will be used to support environmental outreach, educational activities and similar efforts around the Great Lakes region.

Visit Save the Wild UP for details.

Photo Contest

The Central Upper Peninsula Group of the Sierra Club is sponsoring a photo contest to celebrate the beauty of the Yellow Dog River Watershed. Do you have favorite photographs of the area? Enter them in the contest for a chance to win prizes and help make everyone aware how special this area is. You need not be a member of the Sierra Club to enter.

Photos that are entered should fit one of these categories: 1) Water –- lakes or rivers in the Yellow Dog Plains; 2) watershed scenery and landscapes –- beautiful photographs that don’t feature water recreation; 3) hiking, fishing, blueberry picking, skiing or whatever you, friends or family enjoy doing in this area; 4) Plants and animals –-living things that make the watershed special.

Up to four photographs may be submitted by each contestant. Please send pictures electronically to john.rebers@michigan.sierraclub.org. Entries should be submitted no later than Aug. 28, 2009.

Prizes to be awarded include: $100 cash prize for the best photograph overall and additional prizes for great photos in each of the categories above.

For more information Click here.

Protect the Earth Gathering

Mark your calendars for Saturday, Aug. 1, and Sunday, Aug. 2, for the 2009 Protect the Earth Gathering on the Shores of Gichigami. Last year, Protect the Earth was very powerful, uniting people of all walks of life to protect our land and water. A warm invitation is extended to all those who value the Earth and want to protect it. Although Protect the Earth is not just about mining issues, potential metallic sulfide and uranium mining activity is still a major threat to the health of Great Lakes communities and our freshwater resources and will be a major focus of this year's gathering.

Saturday's events will take place in Marquette, Mich., and will include speakers, music and dance, workshops, a film premiere and displays about current environmental issues in the Great Lakes Basin. Sunday will begin with an annual walk to Eagle Rock and will culminate with a lunch and a special ceremony for our land and water, including a memorial for author, friend, historian and community activist Fred Rydholm with his family and friends.

Help is needed in all stages of the event (planning, setting up, cleaning up), so please email yellowdogsummer@gmail.com or call 906.942.7325 if you can contribute your time. Also, if you are able, please make any monetary contributions payable to Keepers of the Water, 254 Dukes Rd., Skandia, MI 49885. Please specify if you would like to donate specifically to Fred's memorial.

The Protect the Earth Gathering is sponsored by: Keepers of the Water, Yellow Dog Summer, Students Against Sulfide Mining and Friends. Stay tuned for updates, maps and more information, coming soon. Please visit http://yellowdogsummer.wordpress.com for details.

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