Houghton County Dems to host Inauguration Party Jan. 19

HANCOCK -- Everyone is invited to the Houghton County Inauguration Party to celebrate President Obama's inauguration. The event starts at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, at the Brownstone Hall in Atlantic Mine.

A DJ will play fun music, including music popular in America during inaugurations past. This will be a great evening of music, dancing, conversation, and refreshments.

Early Bird Special

Reserve your tickets by Tuesday, Jan. 15, to get the discounted price of $15 each. Buy tickets now online at https://secure.actblue.com/page/houghtonball or send the Houghton County Democrats a check at the address below to reserve your tickets.

Checks must be received by January 15 to honor the advance ticket price.

Last-minute tickets

After January 15, tickets reserved by mail, purchased online, or at the door will be $20 each.

Here is the office mailing address:
Houghton County Democratic Party
323 Quincy Street, Suite 2
Hancock, MI 49930
Visit the Houghton County Dems on their Web site. Questions? Please email HoughtonDems@gmail.com or call (906) 523-1233.

Idle No More event to be held in Baraga Jan. 11

On the way to Eagle Rock in solidarity with Idle No More on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, are, from left, Kathleen Heideman,  Georgenia Earring, Jaimee Loonsfoot, Nancie Lamb, Margaret Boyer, Charlotte Loonsfoot and Dan MacNeil. Another Idle No More event will be held this Friday, Jan. 11, in Baraga. (Photo © and courtesy Jessica Koski. Reprinted with permission.)

BARAGA -- Members of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) invite supporters of the Idle No More movement to a rally and march beginning at 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11, at Ojibwa Community College in Baraga. Participants will walk from the college to the Ojibwa Senior Citizens' Center, where they will have Chile and Corn bread and drumming from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Idle No More calls on all people to join in a revolution that honors and fulfills Indigenous sovereignty which protects the land and water. Colonization continues through attacks to Indigenous rights and damage to the land and water. We must repair these violations, live the spirit and intent of the treaty relationship, work towards justice in action, and protect Mother Earth. Bring: hand drums, shakers, signs, and regalia. Images of the event will be shared widely in solidarity with the movement.

Editor's Note: Click here and here to read about the Dec. 28 Idle No More visit to Eagle Rock.

Portage Library to offer EBook training sessions Jan. 9, 12

HOUGHTON -- If you received a Kindle or a Nook for the holidays and are still wondering how to use it, join Portage Lake District Library staff for a training session that will teach you how to use your eReader or tablet. You will also learn how to download books from the library’s downloadable books collection.

Two sessions will be offered: Wednesday, Jan. 9, from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 12, from 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. There will be time for questions and a practice session after the presentation. Bring your eReader and learn a new way to enjoy books.

Library programs and events are free, and everyone is welcome. For more information please call the library at 482-4570 or visit www.pldl.org.

Portage Library to host local Food Policy Group Jan. 15

HOUGHTON -- The Portage Lake District Library will host the Western U.P. Health Department and the recently established U.P. Food Exchange for an organizational meeting to create a local food policy council from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 15.

Representatives from the U.P. Food Exchange will share information about their successes in the Eastern and Central U.P. They will discuss the viability of local foods and show how investing in local food has had a positive impact in the region. They will also discuss future plans for the U.P. Food Exchange that include establishing an online marketplace to connect producers and consumers, training in season extension, marketing, and outreach.

The presentation will be followed by an opportunity for group dialogue about food production and food access in the Western U.P. and as well as forming a food policy group in our region.

Please RSVP by emailing ssalo@hline.org or by calling (906) 482-7382 ext 114 if you are planning to attend.

Library programs and events are free and everyone is welcome. For more information, please call the library at 482-4570 or visit www.pldl.org.

From Earthworks: Wisconsin’s Mining Moratorium Under Attack

By Al Gedicks and Dave Blouin*

Posted on EARTHblog Jan. 4, 2013

Reprinted with permission

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and the mining industry have begun a major lobbying effort to overturn Wisconsin’s landmark Mining Moratorium Law. The law, also known as Wisconsin’s "Prove it First" law, was developed to address the problem of acid mine drainage from metallic sulfide mining.

The law requires that before the state can issue a permit for mining of sulfide ore bodies, prospective miners must first provide an example of where a metallic sulfide mine in the United States or Canada has not polluted surface or groundwater during or after mining. So far, the industry has not been able to find a single example where they have mined without polluting water. A recent study of metallic sulfide regulation in the Great Lakes region by the National Wildlife Federation called Wisconsin’s "Prove it First" regulation an exemplary law.

Tim Sullivan, chairman of the Wisconsin Mining Association, is leading the effort to repeal the law. Sullivan is the governor’s special assistant for business and workforce development and a past director of the National Mining Association. He is a former president, CEO and director of Bucyrus International, the largest mining machinery company in the world, now owned by Caterpillar Corporation. He recently told a Wisconsin Senate Mining Committee that Wisconsin’s Mining Moratorium was an obstacle to new sulfide mine proposals, including Aquila Resources’ gold and copper sulfide deposits in Marathon and Taylor counties in north central Wisconsin.

Mining lobbyists have cited the "success" of the partially-reclaimed Flambeau metallic sulfide mine in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, which Kennecott/Rio Tinto operated from 1993-97, as a reason for repealing "Prove it First" legislation. However, there is no scientific evidence to support such claims.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently completed an investigation of water quality at the Flambeau Mine site and recommended that "Stream C," a tributary of the Flambeau River into which Flambeau Mining Company (FMC) has been discharging polluted runoff from the mine site since 1999, be included on its list of "impaired waters" for 2012 for "acute aquatic toxicity" caused by copper and zinc. These illegal discharges of toxic metals are why U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb recently ruled that FMC violated the Clean Water Act on numerous counts.

Wisconsin is now under a well-funded mining industry attack on the grassroots environmental, sportfishing, and tribal movement which mobilized tens of thousands of Wisconsin citizens to successfully oppose Exxon’s destructive Crandon mine at the headwaters of the Wolf River and enact Wisconsin’s landmark Mining Moratorium Law. That citizen movement also supported the sovereign right of the Mole Lake Ojibwe Tribe to protect itself from any mining pollution upstream from the tribe’s sacred wild rice beds. In 2003, BHP Billiton admitted defeat of the Crandon mine project and sold the mineral rights to the zinc and copper deposit to the Mole Lake Ojibwe and the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe.

Veterans of the 28-year Crandon mine battle were among those who mobilized public opinion against Gogebic Taconite’s (GTac) proposal for a giant open pit iron mine in the headwaters of the Bad River watershed adjacent to the sacred wild rice beds of the Bad River Ojibwe Tribe on the shore of Lake Superior. GTac wrote legislation that exempted itself from critical environmental protections and excluded the public and the tribes from the permitting process. Strong criticism of the Iron Mining bill led to its defeat by one vote in the Wisconsin Senate last spring.

With new GOP majorities in the Wisconsin Legislature, Governor Walker, along with the WMA and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, has made passage of the Iron Mining Bill and repeal of Wisconsin’s Mining Moratorium Law their top legislative priority in 2013.

Many of the new Republican legislators are unfamiliar with the Crandon mine conflict and the ongoing pollution at the closed Flambeau mine. How else can one explain the disregard for the sovereign rights of the Bad River Ojibwe Tribe, whose sacred wild rice beds and way of life are threatened by mining pollution from GTac’s proposed open pit mine?

The tribe has sovereign authority, under the Clean Water Act, to protect its wild rice from mining pollution. They also have the right to be consulted about any legislation that would affect their treaty rights. So far, these rights have been ignored. Legislators rushing to accommodate the wishes of powerful corporate actors may be in for a painful reminder about the power of engaged citizens and tribes.

* Al Gedicks is the Executive Secretary of the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council, one of the plaintiffs in the successful lawsuit against the Flambeau Mining Company. He is also the author of Resource Rebels: Native Challenges to Mining and Oil Corporations. Dave Blouin is the Mining Committee Chair for the Sierra Club -- John Muir Chapter (WI) and co-founder of the Mining Impact Coalition of Wisconsin.

Editor's Notes:
Visit the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council Web site to learn more about these issues.

Click here to sign a petition to protect Wisconsin's Minin Moratorium (You don't have to be a resident of Wisconsin to sign it.)

See also our Nov. 19, 2011, article about Al Gedicks and the Penokee iron mining project: "Updated: Penokee iron mining proposal threatens Bad River watershed."

Photo: Al Gedicks speaks at Protect the Earth, Eagle Rock, 2009. (Keweenaw Now file photo © and courtesy Gabriel Caplett)

Nordic Film Series to present "Iris" Jan. 10

HANCOCK -- The Nordic Film Series will present the film Iris (Finland, 2011) at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10, at the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock. The film, in Swedish with English subtitles, tells the story of a young girl who leaves her comfortable life in Stockholm for a summer with her mother’s peasant family on Åland. The film is 121 minutes in length.

The Finnish American Heritage Center is at 435 Quincy Street, Hancock. For additional information, contact Hilary Virtanen, programming coordinator for the Finnish American Heritage Center, at 906-487-7505.

Genealogical Society to meet Jan. 8 at Portage Library

HOUGHTON -- The Houghton-Keweenaw County Genealogical Society will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, at the Portage Lake District Library, in Houghton. A group project will be introduced to commemorate the victims of the Italian Hall Disaster. The meeting is open to the public. For further information, call 482-4021, or email HKCGSociety@gmail.com.

Calumet Library to host 1913 Strike exhibit Jan. 7 - Feb. 1

The "Tumult and Tragedy" traveling exhibit will be on display at the Calumet Public-School Library Jan. 7- Feb. 1. (Poster courtesy Michigan Tech Archives)

CALUMET -- An exhibit exploring labor in Michigan’s historic copper mining district will visit the Calumet Public-School Library in January. "Tumult and Tragedy: Michigan’s 1913-14 Copper Strike," a traveling exhibit created by the Michigan Tech Archives, will be on display from Jan. 7 through Feb. 1.

The library is open to the public Monday: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., Tuesday: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., Wednesday: 8 a.m. - 7:30 p.m., Thursday: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., and Friday: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

A special open house will take place Tuesday, Jan. 15. Architectural historian Kim Hoagland will present an illustrated talk titled "Seeberville 1913: Everyday Life in Violent Times" at 6:30 p.m., and the exhibit will be open to visitors. Support for this event is provided by the Friends of the Calumet Public Library.

On July 23, 1913, members of the Western Federation of Miners took to the streets over grievances about pay and working conditions. The strike was marked by violence and tragedy, including the deaths of more than 70 people, mainly children, during a Christmas Eve party at Calumet’s Italian Hall. Local mining companies refused to recognize the union, however; and the strike finally ended in April 1914. The confrontation between organized labor and mining companies affected local residents from all walks of life, created headlines across the nation, and continues to resonate in Michigan’s Copper Country today.

The "Tumult and Tragedy" traveling exhibit consists of 12 panels and includes photographs, excerpts from newspapers, documents, and songs from the strike era. A free giveaway brochure contains links to related web content about the 1913-14 Michigan copper strike online at http://www.1913strike.mtu.edu.

The exhibit will remain on display at the Calumet Library through Friday, Feb. 1, and then tour to four other locations in Houghton and Baraga Counties. The exhibit was made possible through a $14,500 grant from the Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional funding was provided by Michigan Technological University, Cranking Graphics, and Dr. Robert and Ruth Nara.

For further information, contact the Michigan Tech Archives at copper@mtu.edu or 906-487-2505, or the Calumet Public-School Library at 906-337-0311, extension 1107.

More photos: Idle No More: Returning to Migizii wa sin (Eagle Rock)

By Michele Bourdieu

A sacred fire on top of Eagle Rock, near Big Bay, provides inspiration and some warmth for participants in the Dec. 28, 2012, visit to the Rock to reclaim it as a sacred Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) site. (Photo © and courtesy Kathleen M. Heideman. Reprinted with permission.)

EAGLE ROCK, MICH. -- Participants in the Dec. 28, 2012, visit to Eagle Rock in solidarity with the Idle No More movement and Chief Theresa Spence, who continues her hunger strike to call attention to First Nations issues of treaty rights and environmental justice in Canada, seemed undaunted by the cold as they climbed through deep snow at the Anishinaabe sacred site, now being used as the portal for Rio Tinto's Eagle Mine.

Carrying signs, supporters of the Idle No More movement climb Eagle Rock on a chilly Dec. 28. (Photo © and courtesy Margaret Boyer. Reprinted with permission.)

Charlotte Loonsfoot, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) member, organized the activity along with Jessica Koski, KBIC mining technical assistant.* Koski recorded a statement by Loonsfoot atop Eagle Rock.

"My main reason for being here is to come pray for Chief Spence," Loonsfoot said. "I just pray that the leaders of the Canadian government will meet with her. It takes a lot of courage, and women are coming to a spiritual time right now and we're feeling our strengths. I think the women of the earth will get a lot done in the future. I pray for everyone in Canada -- they are our brothers and sisters too all the way down to South America. We are all related!"**

Charlotte Loonsfoot (foreground), one of the organizers of the Dec. 28 visit to Eagle Rock, is pictured here with friends Jessica Straczowski and Dan MacNeil at the top of the Rock. (Photo © and courtesy Kathleen M. Heideman. Reprinted with permission.)

Kathleen M. Heideman, artist and writer, posted this comment about the Eagle Rock event on Facebook: "Inside the gates of Rio Tinto's 'Eagle Project' we hiked to the top of Eagle Rock. To the south, a divine terrain of snow and pines, the Yellow Dog watershed and distant blue hills. The sacred promontory of Eagle Rock is penned in on the North, West and East by the new mine, but we tried to stay focused on what remains. Sacred fire, heartfelt wishes for Chief Spence, and many prayerful thoughts of water, earth, air and life. Songs of deer and eagle; songs of healing....!"

A view from atop Eagle Rock. (Photo © and courtesy Kathleen M. Heideman. Reprinted with permission.)

Nancie Lamb of KBIC said she also went to Eagle Rock to show support for Chief Theresa Spence.

"I support what she is doing wholeheartedly because I believe if it doesn't stop now, it's going to happen here on our reservation," Lamb said. "I also went because the Idle NO More people asked that everyone return to their sacred place, and Eagle Rock is one of ours that needs recognition."

Nancie Lamb of KBIC, center, is pictured here at the sacred fire on Eagle Rock Dec. 28. Helping tend the fire are Richard Sloat, left, of Iron River, and Jim Haun, right, of Skanee. (Photo © and courtesy Margaret Boyer. Reprinted with permission.)

Margaret Boyer, from Batchewana Band, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, said she has been following all the news updates about Idle No More since the time it began, and she participated in a 24-hour fast in support of Chief Spence earlier in December.

"Normally I am not an activist of any sorts," Boyer noted, "but while learning about what the Harper government is doing I find myself getting frustrated with what is happening with our lands, with the treaties, and to my people. I am angered by it all -- and with all the activity around the world and in my homeland, I knew that, I, too, had to show my support."

On Dec. 28, Georgenia Earring of KBIC places signs in support of the "Idle No More" movement to reclaim and protect sacred places during the group visit to Eagle Rock, a sacred Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) site. (Photo © and courtesy Margaret Boyer. Reprinted with permission.)

Boyer, who is now a student at Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College in Baraga, said Nancie Lamb invited her to join the group for the visit to Eagle Rock.

"My worry is my grandchildren," Boyer said. "How will this affect them? And this is where I get angry and want to fight the cause...What will this leave for them? What will THEIR country be for them when they are growing up?"

Kristi Mills of Big Bay also climbed the Rock along with her young son Tom.

"I was so glad that Tom came with me," Mills said. "He was able to witness a beautiful ceremony rich with prayer, reflection and song. Still tingling from that experience made the announcement about 595 all the sweeter."***

April Lindala, director of the Center for Native American Studies at Northern Michigan University in Marquette and a member of Grand River Six Nations, holds an Idle No More sign on Eagle Rock. Lindala is also a poet and singer and led the group in singing. (Photo © and courtesy Margaret Boyer. Reprinted with permission.)

A view of the decline tunnel (center toward lower left of photo) -- the portal to the Eagle Mine -- that descends under Eagle Rock. (Photo © and courtesy Margaret Boyer. Reprinted with permission.)

Notes:

*See Jessica Koski's article on this event: "IDLE NO MORE: Returning To Our Sacred Places - Migizii wa sin."
** Click here for an update on Chief Theresa Spence and her hunger strike.
*** On Jan. 3, 2013, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced they would not issue a permit for CR 595, a haul road for the Eagle Mine, because of a complexity of issues concerning impacts to wetlands and streams. Click here for the DEQ letter to the Environmental Protection Agency.

"Idle No More" event to be held in Watersmeet Jan. 6

By Michele Bourdieu

On Dec. 28, 2012, Georgenia Earring places signs in support of the "Idle No More" movement to reclaim sacred places during the group visit to Eagle Rock, a sacred Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) site near Big Bay, Mich. (Photo © and courtesy Margaret Boyer. Reprinted with permission)*

BARAGA -- Local supporters of the "Idle No More" movement are invited to join Native American groups from Lac Vieux Desert and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community at 11:30 a.m. TOMORROW, Sunday, Jan. 6, at the Lac Vieux Desert rec center, Watersmeet, and to walk with them to the Lac Vieux Desert Casino at noon for the event.

Click here to find a map and directions to Lac Vieux Desert.

According to their Web site, "Idle No More calls on all people to join in a revolution which honors and fulfills Indigenous sovereignty which protects the land and water. Colonization continues through attacks to Indigenous rights and damage to the land and water. We must repair these violations, live the spirit and intent of the treaty relationship, work towards justice in action, and protect Mother Earth."

Both Native and non-Native supporters are welcome to join in the Idle No More activities, which also support Chief Theresa Spence, whose fast/hunger strike has called attention to issues facing First Nations peoples in Canada.** Activities may include a medicine dance, so those who wish to participate should wear appropriate clothing.

If anyone needs a ride from the Baraga area please contact Charlotte Loonsfoot on Facebook or email Jessica Koski at jlkoski@gmail.com.

* See Jessica Koski's article on the Dec. 28, 2012, visit to Eagle Rock, part of the Idle No More call to return to sacred places to reclaim and protect them. Watch for more photos from this event, coming soon.

** Chief Theresa Spence has been fasting since Dec. 11, 2012, and asking that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Governor General meet with her and other First Nations leaders. Yesterday, Jan. 4, 2013, Harper and Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan agreed to meet with a delegation of First Nations leaders on Jan. 11, 2013.
Click here to read about Idle No More on Indian Country Today.
Click here to read about the Prime Minister's decision.
Click here for a video of the Idle No More Round Dance at the Mall of America -- Minnesotans in support of Chief Theresa Spence.

Also, read Winona LaDuke's recent article, "Why Idle No More Matters."

New Year's Day plunge celebrates support for Conservancy's Seven Mile Point

AHMEEK -- North Woods Conservancy is celebrating their 2012 goal of receiving pledges from 400 people -- who have signed up as monthly sustainers, giving $10/month for the year -- to help make the mortgage payments on Seven Mile Point, a beautiful Lake Superior beach in Keweenaw County.

Since the Conservancy reached its goal, Kate Griffith volunteered to go in the water on New Year's Day at Seven Mile Point.

Kate Griffith and her friend Patrick Jaszczak prepare to make the New Year's Day 2013 plunge at Seven Mile Point. (Photo © and courtesy North Woods Conservancy)

As this video shows, Kate and Pat did make the plunge!

Kate Griffith and her friend Patrick Jaszczak jump in the icy water of Lake Superior at Seven Mile Point in Keweenaw County on New Year's Day, 2013. They are celebrating the North Woods Conservancy fundraising effort reaching 400 supporters to help pay the mortgage on their purchase of the pristine beach. (Video clip © and courtesy North Woods Conservancy)

In 2001 the North Woods Conservancy (NWC) purchased this ecologically sensitive parcel, located on the north shore of the Keweenaw Peninsula in Allouez Township, for protection and limited public access.

Summertime photo of the beach at Seven Mile Point on Lake Superior. The parcel contains 32 acres and 1,506 feet of Lake Superior shoreline, including sand, cobble and 1.1 billion year-old bedrock beach. The Michigan Natural Features Inventory calls Seven Mile Point one of the gems of the Keweenaw. (2010 File photo by Keweenaw Now) 

Visit the North Woods Conservancy Web site to learn more about Seven Mile Point and their work.

Calumet Art Center open TONIGHT, First Friday

CALUMET -- Tonight, First Friday in Calumet, visit the Calumet Art Center and see the changes that are taking place. Ten looms are dressed and ready for weavers and classes that start soon. The looms can be rented by the month so you can learn before you buy one. The old barn loom that was gifted to the Calumet Art Center by Paul and Anita Campbell is also dressed and ready for you to try out.

Next week the Clay class with Ed Gray takes off with "FUN WITH CLAY." The Calumet Art Center Gallery is changing each day and hopes to be full with new artists by spring. Studio art sessions with school youth start this Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The Center will offer two 8-week sessions. Visit http://calumetartcenter.com/ for details.

The Calumet Art Center is at 57055 Fifth Street. For more info call 906-281-3494.

Gallerie Bohème to host opening reception for new exhibit Jan. 4

"Frosty Night" (detail), by Georgi Tsenov. (Photo courtesy Gallerie Bohème)

CALUMET -- Gallerie Bohème in Calumet will host an opening reception for their January exhibit of works by professional artists Georgi Tsenov, Stuart Baird, Margo McCafferty and Tom Rudd from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. TOMORROW, First Friday, Jan. 4.

"We will have a loaf of bread, homemade wine, cheese, (maybe some leftover Christmas cookies), some non-alcoholic punch and lots of good company," says artist Tom Rudd.

Gallerie Bohème is at the north end of Fifth Street, near the Omphale Gallery and Café, in Calumet.

For more information call Tom Rudd at 906.369.4087.

Copper Country Associated Artists to offer polymer clay workshops Jan. 4

CALUMET -- If you’ve graduated from Play Dough, but you still enjoy sculpture, then First Friday in Calumet at the Copper Country Associated Artists (CCAA) Gallery will be a fun event for you. They are offering two polymer clay workshops -- one at 6:30 p.m. and another at 7:30 p.m. -- on Friday, Jan. 4.

Miniature Pasty Meal, made of polymer clay. (Photo courtesy Copper Country Associated Artists)

Polymer clay is available generally under the brand names of Sculpey or Fimo. With these fine grained clays, adults and kids can make wonderful miniature objects suitable for use as jewelry, home décor and play things.

Members of the CCAA will teach participants how to use small quantities of polymer clay to create items like beads or miniature pasties and sandwiches. Participants can then take the items home with instructions for oven-hardening. Although the material is non-toxic, this material is most suitable for people 8 years old and up. The workshops are free and open to the public, though donations will be accepted.

The gallery is at 205 Fifth Street in Calumet. For more information e-mail ccaartists@gmail.com.

Ziyad and Co. to exhibit Gallery Favorites, beginning Jan. 4

Owl, by Joyce Koskenmaki. (Photo courtesy Ziyad and Co.)

CALUMET -- Start the New Year off with a visit to Ziyad and Co. to get a glimpse of the gallery's favorite works of art, on display for the month of January. An opening reception will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on First Friday, Jan. 4, 2013, at Ziyad and Co. art gallery at 109 Fifth St, Calumet.

For more information call 906-337-5970 or email at ziyadgallery@gmail.com.

K-SNAG to host Adopt A Pet Jan. 5

HOUGHTON -- K-SNAG (Keweenaw Spay-Neuter Assistance Group) is holding Adopt A Pet at two locations on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013, with some wonderful cats and kittens. They will be at Erickson Feed, Seed and Pet Supply in Hurontown, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., and they will also be at the Copper Country Vet Clinic on Sharon Avenue in Houghton from 9 a.m. until noon.

Sen. Levin on Fiscal Cliff agreement

WASHINGTON, D. C. -- U.S. Sen. Carl Levin issued this statement on the recent Fiscal Cliff agreement in Congress:

"It was essential that Congress avoid the highly damaging effects of going over the fiscal cliff. Inaction would have threatened to throw us back into a recession, and that was clearly unacceptable. So while I would have preferred an agreement that better addressed our historical shortfall in revenues, passing an imperfect agreement was far better than the alternative of returning to recession.

"But the harsh reality is that we have delayed only for two months the damaging automatic spending cuts called sequestration. As we seek in the coming months a more comprehensive approach to avoid sequestration, one that will require both prudent spending cuts and additional revenues, it is imperative that we focus on the hundreds of billions of dollars lost to tax avoidance schemes. Closing offshore tax loopholes and ending corporate tax avoidance gimmicks will help us avoid the harmful automatic cuts to important domestic and national security priorities and make the tax system fairer."

IDLE NO MORE: Returning To Our Sacred Places - Migizii wa sin

By Jessica Koski, from her blog*

Posted Dec. 30, 2012

Reprinted with permission

Atop Eagle Rock, Dec. 28, 2012. (Photo © and courtesy Kathleen Heideman. Reprinted with permission.)

"Idle No More calls on all people to join in a revolution which honors and fulfills Indigenous sovereignty and which protects the land and water. Colonization continues through attacks to Indigenous rights and damage to the land and water. We must repair these violations, live the spirit and intent of the treaty relationship, work towards justice in action, and protect Mother Earth." ~Idle No More**

BARAGA -- In solidarity with indigenous peoples seeking to protect and reclaim their sacred places around the world and the Idle No More movement, we gathered at Migizii wa sin, Eagle Rock, on December 28, 2012. We gathered in support of Chief Theresa Spence and our brothers and sisters in Canada, across Turtle Island, and down to South America.*** We prepared a fire and shared prayers, blessings, songs, and inspiration for our lands, waters, sacred places, Mother Earth, and the future.

On the way to Eagle Rock on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, are, from left, Kathleen Heideman,  Georgenia Earring, Jaimee Loonsfoot, Nancie Lamb, Margaret Boyer, Charlotte Loonsfoot and Dan MacNeil. (Photos © and courtesy Jessica Koski except where otherwise indicated. Reprinted with permission.)

Idle No More arose from grassroots and First Nations people across Canada in response to Bill C-45 which aims to gain access to natural resources on First Nation lands by removing environmental protections. Over the past two weeks, Flash Mobs and Round Dances have occurred throughout Canada, the U.S. -- from the Mall of America to Times Square, and even Europe, New Zealand and the Ukraine. Attawapiskat First Nation Chief Theresa Spence approaches week three of a fast/hunger strike protest. She is courageously willing to die for her people as she waits for Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and a representative of Queen Elizabeth to accept her request to simply meet with her and other indigenous leaders to address the issues facing their communities.***

On December 28, the day of the full moon -- Manidoo-Giizisoons (Little Spirit Moon) -- indigenous peoples were asked to gather at their sacred places in solidarity. Eagle Rock, also known as the Home of the White Wolf and the High Place, has been a sacred place to the Anishinaabe and other peoples for centuries. It is located on 1842 Treaty territory in the presently occupied territory of the State of Michigan in the Upper Peninsula near the town of Big Bay. In 2010, Keweenaw Bay Anishinaabe Ogichidaag were arrested at our sacred site to make way for a sulfide mine, known as the "Eagle Mine."**** One of the world's largest mining companies, Rio Tinto, blasted a mine portal directly into Eagle Rock.

Eagle Rock, surrounded by Rio Tinto's fence, is to the left in this photo. The portal to their sulfide mine has been blasted into the rock.

Despite grassroots efforts and legal challenges, the company has constructed a mile long tunnel to a highly reactive sulfide copper/nickel ore body they plan to begin exploiting by 2014 beneath a river of Lake Superior. The effects would ripple to groundwater discharges to freshwater springs, a potential new 21-mile haul road through our pristine wetland and medicinal plant areas, processing and permanent disposal of 2.5 million tons of sulfide-bearing tailings at a lake at Humboldt in the Escanaba River Watershed of Lake Michigan, about 45,000+ acres of mineral rights claimed or leased by Rio Tinto, and a half dozen more sulfide mine target sites.

Sign placed at Eagle Rock on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, in solidarity with the Idle No More movement.**

The Anishinaabe and their supporters who care for this land and do not wish to see the threshold of the world's fresh water poisoned, have continued to gather and pray at and near Eagle Rock -- amidst its strength and in the face of greed and destruction. We gathered again at Eagle Rock at this important time of solidarity with our brothers and sisters across Canada. We are inspired by the revitalization and strength of indigenous peoples, and we pray for the healing of our people and the protection of our lands and waters across Turtle Island.

Recently Rio Tinto sought to fund a program for tribal students. I issued this statement concerning the program: "My belief is that if Rio Tinto wants to begin respecting indigenous rights and leadership, it should halt its mining activities immediately at our sacred place and begin honest and meaningful consultation with our traditional and political leaders."

On Eagle Rock, participants in the Dec. 28, 2012, event display signs in solidarity with the Idle No More movement. Pictured here are, from left, Nancie Lamb, Kathleen Heideman, Georgenia Earring, and Margaret Boyer.

Editor's Notes:

* Keweenaw Now guest writer Jessica Koski, an Anishinaabe from the Otter Clan, is a member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) and is KBIC's Mining Technical Assistant. Most of this article appears on her blog: jessicakoski.blogspot.com. We have added a few of her additional statements.

** Learn more about the Idle No More movement by visiting their Web site.

*** Learn more about Chief Theresa Spence and her hunger strike by watching this You Tube video of a Dec. 18, 2012, interview with her. Click here for a Dec. 31, 2012, article about her invitation to Canadian Parliament members, despite her weakened state.

**** See our May 2010 slide show on Eagle Rock, those who marched in Marquette and those who camped on the Rock to protect it until some were arrested.

HANCOCK -- Old jazz and dance music with the Backroom Boys will swing in the New Year, starting at 8:30 p.m. TONIGHT, Dec. 31, at the Copper Island Beach Club on the Hancock waterfront, bottom of Tezcuco Street.

"Music you can dance to, with sound levels at which you can still carry on a conversation," says musician Oren Tikkanen. "Leave your earplugs at home, but bring your dance shoes."

The Backroom Boys tonight are Bob Norden, trombone and vocals; John Munson, tenor sax, clarinet, and piano; Scott MacIntosh, bass; and Oren Tikkanen, banjo, guitar, and vocals.

Swedetown Trails allow snow bikes on "Fat Tuesdays"

From Cynthia MacDonald, President
Swedetown Trails Club

CALUMET -- After 6 p.m. on Tuesdays snow bikes are allowed on all Swedetown trails. You must have a season or day pass. Fat tire bikes (3.7 or larger tires) only -- no mountain bikes.

Snow bikes (fat bikes) have very large tires and operate with very low air pressures to keep from sinking into snow. (Keweenaw Now file photo © and courtesy Chris Schmidt)

Here’s the expected trail courtesy: Yield to skiers. Do not ride near the groomed tracks. If you must stop please stay on the edge of the trail away from groomed area.

Note: Fat Tuesday is cancelled when conditions are soft.

There is no end-of-day sweep at Swedetown Trails. Let someone know your plans and ride safely. Cell phone service is coming to the trails near the M203 trailhead very shortly, but until it is working we don't really know the coverage.

For more information visit swedetowntrails.org. For trail conditions see keweenawtrails.com. Chalet phone: 337-1170.