Penokee Hills Education Project welcomed to downtown Ashland

By Barbara With

Posted Apr. 6, 2013, on Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative (Reprinted in part with permission.)

Located at 616 Main Street West in downtown Ashland, Wis., the Penokee Hills Education Project offices will be a gathering place for people from all over the state to take action to protect the Penokee Hills and Lake Superior from the devastation of an open pit iron ore mine. (Photo © Barbara With. Reprinted with permission.)

ASHLAND, WIS. -- On the evening of April 5, 2013, the Penokee Hills Education Project and the Mining Impact Coalition opened the doors of their new offices and education center at 616 Main Street in downtown Ashland, Wisconsin. About 150 people attended the event, which marked the beginning of a permanent home for the community organization that was established to protect the water of the Bad River watershed.

Frank Koehn, Penokee Hills Education Project (PHEP) founder, speaks to the crowd gathered for the Grand Opening of the new offices for PHEP and the Mining Impact Coalition in Ashland Wisconsin on Apr. 5, 2013.* (Photo © Barbara With. Reprinted with permission.)

PHEP co-founder Frank Koehn was overjoyed by the reception the opening of the offices received from the community. Many who attended were concerned citizens who have been actively engaged in protecting the water, while others were new to the issue. Educational materials, maps, and information will be available concerning the 21-mile open pit mountaintop removal iron ore mine being proposed for the Penokee Hills. Mining company Gtac has stated it will apply for exploration permits within the next month....

Click here to read the rest of this article on the Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative Web site.

* Click here for more photos and a video, by Barbara With, of the April 5 opening of these offices in Ashland.