Despite this No Trespassing sign, Native Americans from the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) and supporters have been camping on Eagle Rock in protest against Kennecott / Rio Tinto's plan to put a sulfide mine beneath the rock and the Salmon Trout River. As of Sunday, Apr. 25, the third day of the peaceful protest, Kennecott officials said they were open to talks with the KBIC. (Photo © and courtesy Stand for the Land)MARQUETTE -- Stand for the Land is a new Web site from Marquette with the latest articles, photos and videos on the protests at Eagle Rock, a sacred site for the Ojibwa people and an entrance for the proposed nickel and copper mine Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, plans to develop on the Yellow Dog Plains.
Protesters on Eagle Rock Sunday, Apr. 25, 2010. (Photo © and courtesy Stand for the Land)Cynthia Pryor of the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve was in jail for three days last week after being arrested for her presence on public land near Eagle Rock -- land that Rio Tinto/Kennecott has allegedly leased. However, the lease does not permit construction.
"In my mind, that lease is not real," Pryor said in an interview with TV6, WLUC-TV in Marquette. Click here to see a video clip of the interview.
Pryor and others involved in the protest against Kennecott / Rio Tinto will speak at a Public Forum to be held at 6 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, Apr. 27, at the Women’s Federated Club House, NW Corner Front and Ridge Streets, Marquette, across from Peter White Public Library, where parking is available.
Here is the agenda for the meeting:
Welcome: Cynthia Pryor
Arrest on Public Land:
- What actually happened -- Cynthia Pryor
- Community Reaction -- Jon Magnuson, Gail Griffith, LOOSM, others
- Legal Implications and court proceedings -- Cynthia/Michelle Halley
KBIC Stand at Eagle Rock: Significance of Eagle Rock to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community
- Chris Swartz -- KBIC Chairman / Summer Cohen - Cultural
- Discussion about what we are doing to do to support KBIC and their members -- Teresa Bertossi, Gabriel Caplett, Save the Wild U.P. (SWUP)
- Next Actions
Smudging on Eagle Rock, considered a sacred site by the Ojibwa people. (Photo © and courtesy Stand for the Land)Blogs and other ways to communicate -- Gabriel Caplett
What Citizens can do:
- Legal Action Support, Community Action Support -- Kristi Mills/Adrian Bakker
- Monitoring the Site and Safety Issues -- Chauncey Moran
- Citizen Lawsuits -- Michelle Halley
- Faith Based Communities -- Jon Magnuson
- Environmental Justice Issues and Community Petitions -- Emily Whittaker
Q/A Citizen Action - GROUP DISCUSSION -- Teresa Bertossi/Catherine Parker
Native American Activists Protest at Eagle Rock
By Gabriel Caplett
Published: April 25, 2010
A member of the youngest generation at Eagle Rock. (Photo © and courtesy Stand for the Land)Native American activists were setting up a tent camp at Eagle Rock Saturday, expecting to stay indefinitely peacefully protesting the Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company nickel and copper mine on the Yellow Dog Plains.
"I’m here because this is a sacred spot to our people," said Charlotte Loonsfoot, 37, a Keweenaw Bay Indian Community member from Baraga who organized the stand at the rock. "They’re going to drill underneath that rock. I’ve seen the spot, it’s like feet from the rock and it’s huge -- the hole is huge."
Eight year old Wakinyan and five year old Tokalasha were some of the earliest risers. When asked why he was there, Wakinyan said, "They’re going to blow holes in Eagle Rock and drill through the ground." (Photo © and courtesy Stand for the Land)Read the rest of this article and more updates and photos on Stand for the Land.
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