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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

KBIC to host two films in "Mining Impacts on Native Lands" film series Dec. 1, 2

BARAGA -- This week the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) Natural Resources Department will host two more films in the "Mining Impacts on Native Lands" film series.

The Return of Navajo Boy will be shown at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, in the Ojibwa Casino Chippewa Room. This film is a 57-minute, award winning documentary directed by Jeff Spitz. It tells the story of Navajo woman’s ongoing struggle for environmental justice and how Navajo communities have been impacted by more than one thousand abandoned uranium mines. The film reunited a Navajo family and triggered a federal investigation into uranium contamination.

A repeat showing of Red Gold: The Pebble Mine Debate will take place at 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2, at the Ojibwa Senior Citizens Center. This film is a 55-minute documentary regarding a large proposed gold mine at the headwaters of Alaska’s Bristol Bay -- the world’s largest salmon spawning grounds. It highlights the conflicting perspectives surrounding this mining proposal, including Native, commercial and sport fishermen whose way of life depends on this extraordinary fishery.

The goal of this monthly film series is to increase community awareness and capacity in the midst of growing mineral interest throughout Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the Lake Superior basin.

Featured films look at the environmental and social impacts of mining, particularly on Native communities. Each film is followed by mining updates and opportunity for questions and discussion.

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