"Wilderness is ..." exhibit to open at Omphale Gallery Jan. 11

CALUMET --The Omphale Gallery in Calumet will host an opening night reception for "Wilderness is ..." -- a community exhibit by artist George Desort -- at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11.

While completing an artist's residency at the Porcupine Mountains in August 2007, Mr. Desort began gathering contributions to a project titled "Wilderness is..." Visitors to the exhibit will have the opportunity to participate in this project by expressing their thoughts on wilderness using available art materials and 4 x 6 inch postcards. Hundreds of these postcards have already been completed by individuals around the country and will be on display at the Omphale Gallery and at wildernessis.com.

This is one of hundreds of community contributions to George Desort's art project, "Wilderness is ..." (Photo © 2008 George Desort)

Mr. Desort's exhibit also includes a piece of artwork exploring the recent botulism e outbreak in the northern waters of Lake Michigan. A two-minute video of a long-tailed duck stricken with the bacterium will also be shown throughout the evening.

The opening night reception will include refreshments as well as opportunities to purchase Mr. Desort's work and to support local preservation efforts.

A short film, "Wilderness is..." -- with an introduction by wolf biologist John Vucetich -- will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on opening night. The film explores the different philosophies of wilderness among park visitors to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The film is available for viewing during gallery hours as well.

A wilderness advocate displays his sign for the "Wilderness is ..." project. (Photo © 2008 George Desort)

The exhibit will be held through Feb. 29. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The Gallery phone number is (906) 337-2036.

For more information, please visit www.wildernessis.com or contact George Desort at (906) 523-4771 or georgedesort@gmail.com.

"New Year; New Beginnings" opens at Vertin Gallery Jan. 11

The Back Wall at the Vertin Gallery features paintings and a reading/visiting table. (Photo courtesy Keweenaw Krayons)

CALUMET – The Vertin Gallery, located on the corner of Sixth and Oak in Calumet, welcomes the New Year with a new diverse platform of art works from the Upper Peninsula. An opening reception for all of the gallery artists, "New Year; New Beginnings," will take place from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 11.

Music will be provided by the Cat’s Meow featuring Brian Parmeter, John Munson and Greg Wright. Light refreshments will be provided.

The Cat's Meow includes, from left, local musicians John Munson, Brian Parmeter and Greg Wright. (Photo courtesy Keweenaw Krayons)

Pablo "Pig" Casso, Keweenaw Krayons’ traveling Piggy Bank, will be making a guest appearance.

"We are excited about Pablo being invited to this New Year celebration," stated Keweenaw Krayons’ director, Susan Hallwachs. "The Vertin also supports us by carrying our line of greeting cards. All this helps to keep our doors open and our programs free or low cost."

In addition to the gallery space on the main floor, the second floor of the Vertin houses artists' studios. Tom and Leona Blessing are two of the current artists occupying this space.

"Having a studio in the Vertin has been very productive for me," Tom stated. "It has given me a place away from the distractions of home to write, edit and draw. The openness and light on the studio floors would be impossible to duplicate anywhere else."

Blessing has been writing and publishing poetry for over 25 years. His work has appeared in several anthologies and many magazines including Passages North, Modern English Tanka, Modern Haiku, Ocho, MiPoesias, Thunder Sandwich and From East to West.

"When I first began taking painting lessons in 1997 I never thought I would be able to work in a place as wonderful as the Vertin studio," Leona Blessing said. "The light here is fantastic. I wish I could spend more time painting."

Artist Leona Blessing works in her studio at the Vertin Gallery. (Photo courtesy Keweenaw Krayons)

For additional information about the opening reception, the artists, available studio space and more, call the Vertin Gallery at 337-2200.

Lahti encourages communities to apply for recreational grants

LANSING -- State Representative Mike Lahti (D-Hancock) advises local governments in the Western Upper Peninsula to take advantage of recreational grants offered through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The funding is designed to help communities enhance their outdoor recreational opportunities and facilities.

"There are a lot of great things about the Upper Peninsula, but it's our untold natural resources that make us so special," Lahti said. "Recreational tourism plays a huge role in our economy; and, by strengthening our trails and parks, we will bring more people and more dollars into our communities."

Communities have until March 1 to apply for grants through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The LWCF is a federal program, administered by the National Park Service and managed by the DNR in Michigan. The program provides funding assistance for state and local outdoor recreation needs, including development of outdoor recreation facilities.

Types of development projects that are eligible for LWCF funding include non-motorized trails and riverwalks, skate and spray parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, picnic areas and other types of outdoor recreation. Roughly $1 million in LWCF assistance is available annually.

"This is a great opportunity for local governments to enhance recreational opportunities in their communities," Lahti said. "I strongly encourage local leaders to take a look and get involved."

Grant application materials can be obtained from the DNR Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr-grants. For more information, call at (517) 373-9125.

Public comments needed on DNR Land Use Lease for sulfide mine

MARQUETTE -- The Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC) will discuss the "Metallic Mineral Mining Operations Surface Use Lease" from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for Kennecott's proposed sulfide mine at the next NRC meeting on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008, in Lansing.

Kennecott wants to lease 120 acres of public land for 35 years from the State of Michigan to use for most of the surface facilities associated with their proposed mine.

Although the comment period has ended for the mining permit, concerned citizens can still send letters to members of the NRC, reminding them that all Kennecott permits need to be granted before the surface use is considered. In addition to the DEQ permits outstanding, the EPA has yet to issue an Underground Injection Control (UIC) permit. Moreover, the Mining Safety Health Administration has not yet received a permit application.

Please visit Save the Wild UP for a letter you can edit and sign to be emailed to the Governor and the NRC decision makers before the Jan. 10 meeting.

Click here for a map showing the location of this state land Kennecott plans to lease and close off to the public for 35 years.

Click here to read the Draft Lease.

Keweenaw Now announces 2007 Photo Contest winners

HANCOCK -- As the end of 2007 approaches, let us praise Lake Superior and its watershed, the greatest natural resource of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, now threatened by potentially destructive mining. Let us express our love for the Big Lake -- its beauty, its wildlife and its recreational and educational features -- with some photo memories of 2007.

Keweenaw Now presents the winners of our first Lake Superior Photo Contest. Last fall we invited readers to submit amateur photos in three categories: landscapes, wildlife and responsible action (environmental stewardship or responsible recreation in the Lake Superior watershed). Here are the winning photos, as judged by photographer Eric Munch of Calumet.

Landscape category: First place goes to Joe Kaplan of Hancock for his photo of a sunset at Lane Cove, on Isle Royale.

This photo of a sunset at Lane Cove, Isle Royale, wins first place in the landscape category of Keweenaw Now's Lake Superior photo contest.

Winning second place in the landscapes is this photo by Bryan McKamey of Copper Harbor:

Taking second place in the landscape category is this photo of the Lake Superior shoreline just west of the Hunter's Point area in Copper Harbor. The photographer, Bryan McKamey of Copper Harbor, notes the young woman in the photo is his daughter Aliza.

Wildlife category: Joe Kaplan takes another first place with this photo of Isle Royale wildlife:

Joe Kaplan's candid shot of this red squirrel taking his siesta at Blake Point, Isle Royale, wins first place in the wildlife category.

Second place for wildlife goes to Dan Larson of Skanee for this photo of a loon taken while kayaking on Dirkman Lake:

Dan Larson of Skanee wins second place in the wildlife category for this photo of a loon on Dirkman Lake.

Stewardship category: Winning first place in the stewardship category is Sue Haralson, Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District (HKCD) administrator, for her photo of volunteers pulling knapweed at the Joseph and Mary Lizzadro Preserve on Lake Superior, between Copper Harbor and Eagle Harbor. Spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa) is an aggressive weed that is crowding out native plants at both the Lizzadro and the Bete Grise Preserves. Last July HKCD sponsored the knapweed pulling at both preserves.

Volunteers pull Spotted knapweed, an invasive, non-native plant, at the Lizzadro Preserve on Lake Superior July 18, 2007. Sue Haralson, Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District (HKCD) administrator, takes first place in the stewardship category for this photo. Pictured here in the foreground are Janet Shea, right, of Keweenaw County, and her grandson Nathan Ozment of Sheboygan, Wis. Pictured in the background are John Bowie and Larry Forth of Ahmeek. Others who helped (not pictured here) were Rachel Tarpey, Bonnie Hay, Rex and Nick Wilson and Gina Nicholas.

"It was a hot day with a lot of hard work; but the ice cold lemonade, chips and cookies hit our spot!" Haralson noted. "Nine people showed up, and we filled 16 large garbage bags with knapweed."

Second place in the stewardship category also goes to Sue Haralson for her photo of participants in the Gratiot Lake Conservancy's Reading the Landscape (RTL) program last summer. On July 21, 2007, RTL participants visited Bete Grise beaches with educators Jim and Judy St. Arnold and writer and teacher Peter Blau to gain an Ojibwe perspective on both historical and current use of natural resources along the shore.

Second place in the stewardship category goes to Sue Haralson for this photo of Reading the Landscape participants walking along the beach at Bete Grise South, famous for its "singing sands."

Keweenaw Now wishes to thank those who sent photos for our first Lake Superior photo contest. Readers, please save your best 2008 photos for next year's contest!

Sulfide mine opponents sue MDEQ for issuing illegal permits

MARQUETTE -- One week after a controversial decision by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to permit a sulfide mine in the central Upper Peninsula, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Huron Mountain Club and Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve filed, on Dec. 21, 2007, a contested case petition and a lawsuit against the MDEQ as the first step in a legal challenge to halt the mine.

"The opponents of the mine have presented MDEQ with over 1000 pages of unequivocal evidence that Kennecott’s proposed sulfide mine does not meet the state’s legal requirements and would result in profound pollution, impairment and destruction of air, water and other natural resources," Michelle Halley, attorney for NWF and the other co-petitioners explained. "The MDEQ has issued permits that are based upon defective, inadequate and incomplete applications and are therefore illegal," she added.

Read the rest of this press release on Save the Wild UP.
Read the Marquette Mining Journal article.

Read also the article, "Rio Tinto Poised to Open 6 More Projects on the Yellow Dog Plains" concerning plans by Rio Tinto (Kennecott's parent company) to expand its mining operations in the U.P. beyond the current Eagle Project in order to meet demands for nickel, especially from China.

See also other related articles on Save the Wild UP, including Congressman Bart Stupak's statement expressing his disappointment at the DEQ decision to permit the Eagle Project sulfide mine near Marquette.
Photo: A fall 2006 view of the Salmon Trout River, which flows through an area proposed for Kennecott Minerals' Eagle Project sulfide mine. The river contains a rare population of Coaster Brook Trout. (Photo © 2007 and courtesy lexup at Save the Wild UP. Reprinted with permission.)

Finlandia hosting traveling exhibit Dec. 20-Jan. 31*

HANCOCK -- The Finlandia University Gallery, in the Finnish American Heritage Center, Hancock, is hosting the traveling art exhibition, "A Celebration of the Upper Peninsula as Home," from Dec. 20, 2007, through Jan. 31, 2008.*

"Calling for Other Coordinates," Mixed Media by Ingrid Blixt of Escanaba. (Photo courtesy Finlandia University)

Organized by the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition (UPEC), and co-curated by artists Joyce Koskenmaki and Christine Saari, "A Celebration of the Upper Peninsula as Home" features eleven artists from across the Upper Peninsula whose work reflects their feelings about living here.

An opening reception for the artists will take place at the gallery from 7 p.m to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007. The reception is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

At the reception, Jon Saari, UPEC board president, and several participating artists will give a brief gallery talk about the goals of UPEC and the role of artists in celebrating the Upper Peninsula ’s unique beauty.

The exhibit includes pieces in various media from Joyce Koskenmaki of Hancock; John Lundeen of Munising; Ron Lukey, Christine Saari, Patrick St. Germain and Vicki Allison Phillips of Marquette; Ingrid Blixt of Escanaba; Eric Munch of Calumet; Peg Sandin of Ironwood; Jan Manniko from the Keweenaw; and Rex Marsh of Sault Ste. Marie.

Co-curator Joyce Koskenmaki has a special connection to the Upper Peninsula: "My grandparents came from Finland and settled in Baraga County around the turn of the century. I was raised here, imprinted by the land and climate and grounded in family history," Koskenmaki says. "I helped curate this exhibition because I wanted to celebrate what growing up here and coming back to live here after a lifetime away has meant to me as a Finnish-American woman. It is a very special history, and this is a very special place."

"Passage Island," Ink and Watercolor on Paper by Joyce Koskenmaki of Hancock. (Photo courtesy Finlandia University)

Choosing artists who share her love of the Upper Peninsula was an easy task for Koskenmaki.

"There are many wonderful artists living in the Upper Peninsula. These artists choose to live in the relative wilderness for many reasons; chief among them is the love for place," she notes.

"The Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition," Koskenmaki explains, "is concerned about encroaching development, as well as the effects of climate change, forest fragmentation and (metallic) sulfide mining. This exhibition honors the voices of artists who love the land and feel deeply connected to it, offering their work as a celebration and an act of love and concern."

Connecting the themes of nature and home was obvious for Jon Saari of UPEC.

"Home is where we want to be most, where we have chosen to root our lives and to get to know a place deeply and broadly," Jon Saari says. "It sets man-made and natural places together: the house in the yard, the camp in the clearing, the canoe on the lake, the trail in the woods. At home, nature is familiar and approachable; and in small doses we are most at ease with it."

Saari adds the "celebration" in this exhibit is more meaningful than fireworks or partying.

"At the deeper levels, we honor what we celebrate," he says. "We honor the U.P. not because it is an easy or convenient place to live, but because it tempers us with long winters and black flies and rewards us with quiet outings in beautiful and remote places."

"A Celebration of the Upper Peninsula as Home" will be on display through Jan. 31, 2008.

*Update: Please note the gallery will be closed from Dec. 22 through Jan. 1, but will re-open Jan. 2.

The Finlandia University Gallery is in the Finnish American Heritage Center, 435 Quincy Street in Hancock. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., or by appointment. Please call 906-487-7500 for more information.

Turquoise Gallery to re-open Dec. 20

HANCOCK -- The Turquoise Gallery in Hancock is re-opening Thursday, Dec. 20, with a reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., for an exhibition called "Scrapbook" by Sevil Soyer. The exhibition will continue through Jan. 25.

Artist Sevil Soyer, right, and her sister, Serpil Narmanli, pose for a photo together at a previous Turquoise Gallery exhibit. (Keweenaw Now file photo © 2003 Michele Anderson)

While she was away Sevil worked on a series of large paintings inspired by her friends here in the Copper Country.

"When I was in the Copper Country during the 6 years from 1999 to 2005, I met a lot of wonderful people," Soyer writes. "They were very kind, helpful and friendly. With the friendship during the 6 years, Houghton and Hancock became like a second home to me. I have unforgettable memories about these years. My last exhibition is about these people; it is a kind of diary from my life in the U.P. I dedicate this exhibition to my wonderful friends and to the people of the U.P."

The Turquoise Art Gallery is in the E.L.Wright Building (old school) in Hancock. Phone: 906-370-7332.

Sheriff Lahti collects toys for Keweenaw tots

By Carissa and Deborah Pavolich

EAGLE RIVER -- In his 10th year of collecting for Toys For Tots, Keweenaw County Sheriff Ron Lahti is once again conducting business amidst a mass of toys and other donations gathered in his office. While taking phone calls, patrolling Keweenaw County, and taking care of the Keweenaw County Jail inmates, he still finds time to help families who are experiencing the strain of tight budgets during the holiday season.

In his office in Eagle River, Keweenaw County Sheriff Ron Lahti is collecting toys for tots for the 10th year. (Photo © 2007 Carissa Pavolich)

As we entered his office this Sunday morning, he was graciously accepting a donation from a local church. This donation and other monetary donations will be used to buy gifts and necessities, such as winter jackets and boots, for local area children. Sheriff Lahti receives a list of families who need that extra bit of help from the Family Independence Agency. Along with those names, he gets clothes sizes, ages and interests of each child so he can match them up with appropriate toys. The Eagle River "Courthouse Ladies" help Sheriff Lahti do the shopping each year.

Sheriff Lahti says, “In the last ten years, this has grown. We really appreciate the help we’ve gotten, because needy children who might not otherwise get Christmas gifts will get help.”

Though many people have dropped off their donations at his office in the Keweenaw Sheriff’s Department, others have used the alternate drop-off sites at Slim’s Café and Superior National Bank in Mohawk, The Eagle Harbor Inn in Eagle Harbor, or the Bear Belly Inn in Lac La Belle. People may make donations until Friday, December 21.

Any new toy still in its packaging may be brought to one of the drop-off sites. Toys may be purchased for boys or girls, infants through teenagers. Stocking stuffers, such as candy, may also be donated. No gift of money or toys is too big or too small. They all add up. If you have any questions or would like to donate an item, you may call Sheriff Lahti at 337-0528 or email him at ksheriff@pasty.com.

Editor's Note: Carissa and Deborah Pavolich are residents of Laurium. Carissa is a fifth grade student in the CLK Elementary School, while Deborah, her Mom, teaches second grade at CLK Elementary.

Rally in Marquette Dec. 17 to show disappointment at DEQ approval of sulfide mine permits

Save the Wild UP sign in Chassell. (Photo © 2007 Gustavo Bourdieu for Keweenaw Now)

MARQUETTE -- Save the Wild UP invites others opposed to Kennecott's proposed metallic sulfide mine to join them at noon on Monday, Dec. 17, in front of the Marquette Post Office, to show community members' disappointment and opposition to the DEQ's recent approval of some of the required permits for the mine. Dress warm and feel free to bring a chair if needed.

If you do not live in the Marquette area, Save the Wild UP suggests showing your opposition to the proposed Kennecott project in your neighborhood. Put a sign in your yard (where permitted), get a group of people together in your city center, or write a letter to the editor!

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) approved on Dec. 14, 2007, a series of permits to the Kennecott Eagle Minerals Co. to conduct mining operations at their proposed Eagle Project Mine near Marquette. According to the DEQ press release, Kennecott must still acquire a surface use lease from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Read the DEQ press release. Read more on this issue at SavetheWildUP.

See also our Oct. 11 article on the public hearings, with comments by local residents, and the Oct. 14 Viewpoint article by Chuck Brumleve, geologist.

Keweenaw Now also invites readers to post comments or send us a letter with your viewpoint on this issue.

PasiCats to celebrate Pikkujoulu (Little Christmas) with song, dance Dec. 16

HANCOCK -- Musti says that Winter has arrived with a blast and it's time to celebrate Pikkujoulu (Little Christmas) with PasiCats music beginning at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 16.

Pasi says there will be no blizzard inside the Community Arts Center in Downtown Hancock. So take your family and your holiday spirit and head there to sing Finnish Christmas Carols and to loosen your muscles with PasiCats music.

Oren Tikkanen and Dave Bezotte will join Pasi on stage to lead the Finnish Christmas Carol sing-along between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. And don't worry, we'll bring you the lyrics.

PasiCats will take the stage at 3 p.m. and swing the place with their humppas and polkkas. But you never know Pasi. He might slip a couple of "Christmasy" tunes into the middle.....

The cover charge is $5. Finnish bakery items and coffee will be for sale.

Visit the PasiCats' new Web site!

Community Arts Center to hold Open House Dec. 14

HANCOCK -- The Copper Country Community Arts Center will celebrate with a Holiday Open House from noon to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 14. A Gourmet Bake Sale and Silent Art Auction will be held throughout the day. Silent auction items can be picked up after the live auction.

Keweenaw Krayons will conduct Kids' Art Activities from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Stop in from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. for Artist demos. Enjoy live music and sing-along Christmas favorites with Tom Hiltunen from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Guitar music by members of the CopperCountry Suzuki Association will be from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15.

Don't miss the Parade of Confections, beginning at 6:30 p.m., when Auctioneer Ray Sharp will conduct the Live Auction of Gourmet Desserts and Art. This will include, for example, Kathy Halverson's famous cookie suite and Joan Chadde's pumpkin cheesecake with gingersnap pecan crust, as well as a traditional yule log, flan, chocolate bonbons, etc., etc.

Take advantage of your visit to the Arts Center to view the Pottery Exhibition in the Kerredge Gallery. The new exhibition, through Dec. 23, is the work of seven potters: Suzanne Hoppe, Rya Dalman, Mary Ann Predebon, Miriam Dobrofsky Pichens, Marsh LaTulip, Lenni Rukavina, and Elaine Eikenberry. All work is for sale.

There will also be an exhibition of wonderful Art from the Calumet Schools in the Youth Gallery. The Friday Open House celebration will also be the opening reception for this event. The work is up now and will be there through December 22. Don't miss this great work by students from first through twelfth grades!

The Community Arts Center announces these winners of the Shaft Show Community Choice awards: Kevin Breyfogle, Tammy Toj Gajewski and Jan Manniko. Honorable Mentions are awarded to Kristine Danielson and Kathy Carlton Johnson.

Updated: Guatemalan market postponed; newsletter available

HANCOCK -- The Copper Country Guatemala Accompaniment Project (CCGAP) Market of jewelry and textiles, ornaments and bags, originally scheduled for Dec. 20-21, has been postponed to a later date.

Read the latest stories from accompaniers in Guatemala, including news of the September elections, in the November 2007 CCGAP Newsletter, now available on their Web site.

The Copper Country Guatemala Accompaniment Project (CCGAP) is a group of organizations and individuals who financially support accompaniers to serve as human rights observers and a deterrent to the violence that threatens people in Guatemala who are struggling for justice and an end to impunity. The Guatemala Accompaniment Project (GAP) is a branch of the national organization, NISGUA (Network in Solidarity with the people of Guatemala).

MTU to host U.S. Cross Country Skiing Championship races Jan. 1-6

HOUGHTON -- For the second year in a row, the U.S. Cross Country Skiing Championship races will be held Jan. 1-6, 2008, at the Michigan Tech Nordic Training Center (MTU Trails).

Skiers approach the finish of the individual sprint race during the 2007 U.S. Cross Country Championship races held at the Michigan Tech Nordic Training Center. Competitors cover a 1.5 km course, working their way through the bracket to reach the finals. Pictured here are Torin Koos (center), who finished second and Kris Freeman (right, in the yellow "Leader" bib). Both are two-time Olympians. (Photo © 2007 Adam Johnson of brockit.com. Reprinted with permission.)

Members of the U.S. Ski Team -- including Olympians Kris Freeman, Andy Newell and Kikkan Randall -- will be among the 400 skiers competing in the four-race, week-long extravaganza.

"We will have the top skiers in the country here," said organizing committee chair Mike Abbott, director of MTU sports and recreation. "Our stadium area is very spectator friendly, and this is a rare opportunity to see this caliber of event in the Midwest."

Those top skiers include members of the US Disabled Team, who compete on sit-ski devices, using their arms and poles to propel themselves around the course.

For details on the race see the full article on Tech Today.

Volunteers needed for Christmas Classic Nordic ski races Dec. 15, 16

HOUGHTON -- Michigan Tech will hold its annual Christmas Classic Nordic ski races Saturday, Dec. 15, and Sunday, Dec. 16, at the Michigan Tech Nordic Training Center (MTU Trails).There will be probably 70-100 college and high school racers. Volunteers are needed to help with the timing. This would involve being at the trail from approximately 9 a.m. through 1 p.m., and this is an indoor job (in the timing hut), unless you want to be outside at the finish line. You can help on one day or, if your schedule allows, both days.

Recording stopwatches will be used for timing, which means the jobs are: 1) pressing the button on the stop watch when someone finishes; 2) writing down a bib number when someone finishes; or 3) calling out bib numbers as people finish. For #1 and #2, more than one person will be doing the job (for redundancy and in case a stopwatch malfunctions). There is also a youth 2 km event that will start about 1 p.m., and a couple of people will be needed to stay for that.

If you are interested, please email deanwoodbeck@gmail.com.

The race will feature the race courses to be used for the 2008 U.S. Cross Country Championships, which will take place Jan. 1-6, 2008, in Houghton. The event is also a Great Lakes Division Junior Olympics qualifier. For more information on the races see www.keweenawtrails.com or contact Joe Haggenmiller (487-2986 or jjhaggen@mtu.edu).

Carnegie Museum to offer Food exhibit, presentation on potato farming Dec. 14

HOUGHTON -- A reception for the Michigan Tech Archives exhibit "Scrounging for Food: Copper Country Foodways during the Great Depression" will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 14, in the Carnegie Museum (former Portage Library).

At 6:30 p.m., Erik Nordberg, MTU archivist, will give a presentation about this exhibit, which tells the history of potato farming in the Upper Peninsula during the Great Depression. The exhibit features photographs from the MTU collection and memorabilia from many area potato farmers.

The Carnegie Museum is located on the corner of Huron and Montezuma streets in historic downtown Houghton. Winter hours at the museum are Tuesdays, 12 noon - 7 p.m.; Thursdays, 12 noon - 5 p.m.; and Saturdays, 12 noon - 4 p.m.

Open House Dec. 18

The Carnegie museum will hold an Open House from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 18. Gingerbread houses will be on display, including a "walk-through" house for small children. The public is invited to share in cookie decorating, Storytime by a Portage Lake District Library librarian, holiday cookies and warming drinks for all.

Finlandia to celebrate Finnish Independence Day Dec. 6

HANCOCK -- The 90th anniversary of Finland ’s independence will be celebrated at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, at the Finlandia University Finnish American Heritage Center on Quincy Street in Hancock.

The keynote speaker is Finlandia President Philip Johnson, who joins the celebration for the first time as president of the university.

A selection of Finnish music will be performed by local musicians Pasi Lautala, Oren Tikkanen, and David Bezotte; and a two-act play, The Boarding House, will be presented.

Pasi Lautala, left, and Hannu Leppanen appear as a trammer and a mine worker in a previous performance of The Boarding House, which will be presented on Dec. 6, Finnish Independence Day, at the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock. (Photo courtesy Finlandia University)

The Boarding House is a drama written in the 1920s for the Finnish American cooperative and labor movement. It depicts an afternoon in the life of three miners as they cope with naturalization problems and try to find the perfect woman. The play will be performed in Finnish.

Tanja Aho, a German-Finnish national, translated the play. Aho, whose research interests are in Finnish-American literature, recently completed an internship with the Finlandia archives. She attends the Ernst-Mortiz-Arndt University in Greifswald, Germany .

Now a member of the European Union, Finland was part of the Swedish realm for some 600 years until 1809 when it became attached to the Russian empire. In 1906 Finland acquired its own national parliament; and on Dec. 6, 1917, a Russian revolution prompted Finland to declare herself independent. Russia’s Bolshevik government recognized Finnish independence on Dec. 31, 1917.

Traditionally, Finnish Independence Day is a solemn observance of those that made freedom possible for Finland. In recent decades, however, celebrations often include fireworks, parades and celebratory cakes decorated with the blue and white Finnish flag.

For more information about this year’s program, please contact James Kurtti, director of the Finnish American Heritage Center, at 906-487-7302.

Students' Reflection Gallery to host receptions Dec. 6

Preceding the Independence Day celebration, the student-run Reflection Gallery at Finlandia University’s Portage Campus will open an exhibit by studio arts senior Christine Sommerfeldt with a reception and artist’s talk at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 6.

Sommerfeldt’s work will be exhibited through Dec. 21, 2007. Her show, “Sun Over Revolving Cycles,” is a series of four large oil paintings, each titled for one of the four seasons.

Also on Thursday afternoon, at 5 p.m., the Reflection Gallery will host a reception for the Bohemian Artist Coalition’s pre-holiday silent auction. The silent auction student art work is on display, and bids are being accepted until Dec. 14. At the reception, student ceramic works will be available for purchase, and a ceramics demonstration will take place. More than half the sales price will be donated to the Bohemian Artists’ Coalition. With the funds, the student club plans either to take a trip or to re-invest in Portage Campus facilities.

The Reflection Gallery is on the second level of Finlandia’s Portage Campus, Hancock. For additional information, please contact Yueh-mei Cheng, at 487-7375.

Updated (Dec. 6, 2007): Keweenaw Mountain Lodge unable to open this winter

By Michele Anderson

MOHAWK -- The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge in Copper Harbor, owned by Keweenaw County, will not remain open this winter as projected. Several setbacks, including needed water and sewer repairs and delay in the winterization of the motel and cabins, have obliged County officials to postpone the first winter opening of the Lodge until next year.

This photo, taken in late June 2007, shows one entrance to the new Conference Center addition to the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge near Copper Harbor. (Photo © 2007 Michele Anderson)

In its first season, the new Conference Center, which opened last spring, has been a success; and advance reservations for next year will continue to be taken during this winter, since two employees will remain on duty despite the closing -- Wendy Lampela, the bookkeeper, and Michele Olson, who takes reservations. Darlene Bjorn, former general manager of the Lodge, has expressed a wish to resign as general manager but to remain as manager of the Conference Center.

The Keweenaw County Board of Commissioners recently decided to seek independent professional management for the Lodge -- a decision that has met with considerable opposition from the County Parks and Recreation Commission and from some local business owners.

At their Nov. 7 meeting, the Keweenaw County Board of Commissioners voted three to two to pass a Resolution to contract independent professional management for the Lodge. For the last 18 months, the reponsibility for management oversight has been handled by the Keweenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission, originally made up of 10 members. At the Nov. 7 meeting County Commissioner Joe Langdon, who represents the County Board on the Parks and Recreation Commission, voted against the Resolution along with County Commissioner Randy Eckloff.

Langdon expressed much opposition to the Resolution and challenged the Board Members who voted for it, County Board Chair Don Keith and Commissioners Frank Stubenrauch and Al Gunnari, on its legality. He complained he hadn't been told about it in advance of the Nov. 7 meeting and felt it was unfair to pass the Resolution in the absence of most of the members of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Langdon and Sam Raymond were the only Parks and Recreation commissioners present at the Nov. 7 meeting.

Keith defended the resolution, which removes the Parks and Recreation Commission from management oversight of the Lodge, saying he had received legal advice from County Prosecuting Attorney Donna Jaaskelainen before introducing it.

"Many of the reasons are very sensitive legal issues," Keith said. "For the last 18 months the Parks and Recreation Commission has never coalesced into a cohesive unit of management."

In addition, the $28,000 feasibility study done on the Lodge before the Conference Center was built contained a recommendation that the County hire professional management for the facility.

County Commissioner Frank Stubenrauch said the Resolution follows the suggestion of that feasibility study.

The Resolution also "directs and charges the parks and recreation commission to plan, acquire, and develop a county-wide system of trails for all forms of recreation" as their "number one priority for growth of tourism and public access."

Sam Raymond, the one Parks and Recreation member to attend both meetings, has been working on non-motorized trails in the area for several years. He said he would continue to work on trails and he realized motorized trails are necessary for tourism.*

Sam Raymond, a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, who has been working on non-motorized trails near the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, speaks at the Nov. 7 meeting of the Keweenaw County Board of Commissioners. Raymond also spoke at the Nov. 21 County Board meeting, reading a letter expressing his opposition to the Resolution on the Mountain Lodge. (Photo © 2007 Michele Anderson)

"I plan to continue to support the trails as I've done prior to to the establishment of the Parks and Recreation Commission," Raymond said. "I think the motorized trails are a necessity for the County, but we need a balance of both."

Members of the Parks and Recreation Commission attended the Nov. 21 County Board meeting and made extensive comments in opposition to the Resolution removing management oversight from their Commission. Several of the Parks and Recreation Commissioners asked the County Board to rescind the resolution. However, only the County Commissioners who voted for the Resolution would be permitted to make a motion to rescind it, and none of the three Commissioners who voted for it would agree to rescind it.**

Members of the Keweenaw County Board of Commissioners listen to public comments during their Nov. 21 meeting in the Mohawk School. Pictured, from left, are Al Gunnari, Don Keith (Chair), Joe Langdon, Frank Stubenrauch, Randy Eckloff, Marilyn Winquist (Clerk) and Pauline Johnson. (Photo © 2007 Michele Anderson)

Langdon also expressed the only nay vote against a motion to make Board Chairman Don Keith responsible for signing any Board-approved contracts for the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge. Keith and Stubenrauch both said they had legal advice confirming the legality of the County Board running the Lodge, which it has done in the past.

The Board unanimously approved transferring $90,000 from the Keweenaw County Economic Development Committee (EDC), as a loan to be repaid, to the general fund of the Mountain Lodge.

Keith has appointed an advisory search committee for recommending candidates for independent professional management of the Mountain Lodge. The committee includes County Commissioner Frank Stubenrauch; Phil Musser, executive director of the Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance (KEDA, formerly the Keweenaw Industrial Council) and Kim Stoker, director of WUPPDR (Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region).

"I appointed Frank (to this advisory committee) because ... he is senior on this board with almost 16 years serving as a County Commissioner," Keith said. "He is highly respected in this County ....He has my total trust."

Citing the Board's Bylaws, Langdon questioned Keith's authority to create this (advisory) committee; but Keith replied he had the authority to appoint committees, based on conversations with Prosecuting Attorney Donna Jaaskelainen.

Stubenrauch acknowledged the work of the Parks and Recreation Committee on the Mountain Lodge expansion project.

"I think they were sincere in their efforts, and they put in a lot of time pro bono. They didn't even get paid mileage," Stubenrauch said.

Stubenrauch will serve as agent of the Board of Commissioners in regard to the Mountain Lodge.

"We have to open next winter (2008-2009)," he said.

County Board hears Parks and Recreation Commissioners' comments

While Keith did not give detailed answers to questions from Parks and Recreation Commissioners who attended the Nov. 21 meeting, he did allow them to express their views on the Resolution.

During the Nov. 21 meeting Sam Raymond -- after commending the County Board members for their continued support of the trails, both motorized and non-motorized -- read from his Nov. 8 letter addressed to the board and written after he had attended the Nov. 7 meeting.

"The manner in which this issue was handled under the radar illustrated a lack of professionalism and a total disrespect for the dedication and hard work put forth by the volunteers who serve on our Commission," Raymond wrote.

He supported the Parks and Recreation Commissioners as having the best interest in the success and profitability of the Mountain Lodge in mind, with commitment and a variety of expertise -- including people with backgrounds in marketing, engineering, management, retail, law, hospitality, accounting and recreation.

In his letter, Raymond objects that the entirety of the County Board was not adequately informed of the Resolution prior to the Nov. 7 meeting and that the Parks and Recreation Commission was not consulted in advance of the Resolution.

Raymond questioned whether the Board of Commissioners was really in a position to oversee the successful operation of the Lodge, given all their other responsibilities for the county.

Joel Tuoriniemi, Keweenaw County Road Commissioner and member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, read a letter from Ken Stigers, owner of the Pines Resort in Copper Harbor. Stigers was appointed to the Parks and Recreation Commission by a motion approved 4 to 1 at the Nov. 7 meeting of the Board of Commissioners. He replaces Frank Kastelic, who resigned from the Commission this fall. In the letter Stigers requests that the Board rescind their Resolution to contract independent professional management for the Lodge.

Joel Tuoriniemi, Keweenaw County Road commissioner and member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, addresses the County Board during their Nov. 21 meeting in the Mohawk School. Also pictured are, from left, Wendy Lampela, Lodge bookkeeper; Janet Shea, former Parks and Recreation commissioner; Al Gunnari, County commissioner and Don Keith, County Board chair. (Photo © 2007 Michele Anderson)

Tuoriniemi also addressed the Board with some financial information about the Lodge operating losses this year, attributed in part to opening too soon (in May 2007) while construction was still in progress. He added the Parks and Recreation Committee's decision not to open this winter was based on information from U.P. Engineers and Architects concerning some infrastructure problems with the cabins and the motel.

"The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge is deeded as a county park," Tuoriniemi said. "As a county park either a park and recreation commission has oversight or park trustees have oversight."

Tuoriniemi said Keweenaw County Prosecutor Donna Jaaskelainen had informed him this is the law.

Tuoriniemi asked Stubenrauch to make a motion to rescind the Resolution.

Peg Kauppi, Copper Harbor business owner, said she had made adjustments in her own business, including closing her dining room, in order to support the Mountain Lodge. She also asked that the Board rescind the Resolution. Admitting she didn't always agree with everything the Parks and Recreation Commission has done, she said she felt they deserved an apology.

Peg Kauppi, co-owner of the Mariner North in Copper Harbor, addresses the Keweenaw County Board of Commissioners during their Nov. 21 meeting. (Photo © 2007 Michele Anderson)

"We have a project that can be the biggest and best thing that has happened in Keweenaw County in a long, long time and for many, many years to come," Kauppi said. "But we can't do it this way. Those people are dedicated and committed, and that's what it takes."

Kauppi said the situation requires time and expertise the County Board doesn't have.

"And if you want to hire a management company, you still have to make that whole thing work," Kauppi added.

Lodge financial situation a factor in Resolution on management

Stubenrauch admitted the Resolution "was handled badly," but said the County Board is going to take over the responsibility because of the present financial situation at the Lodge.

During the public comment period, Lisa Trevethan, a former employee at the Lodge, asked several questions, addressing them particularly to County Commissioner Joe Langdon. She wanted to know how and when the borrowed money would be paid back.

Langdon said the Parks and Recreation Commission had borrowed $60,000 last year and paid it back this year and would pay back the $90,000 from the EDC as well.

Answering Trevethan's question on the government bond issue, Keith said it was for a period of 27 years.

"If we're successful, the final payment will be made in the year 2036," Keith said. "I personally have to accept responsibility for the fiscal integrity of this County, and part of my decision (the Resolution on the Lodge) was based on that."

Trevethan, who said she had 25 years of hospitality experience, nine of them running a restaurant, said she believed there were some real issues behind the Board's decision.

"I just think it needs to be brought out to the public that there are other issues besides what's being brought up, and the decision you gentlemen made was not all just arbitrarily out of the air," Trevethan said.

She said directly to Langdon that she realized he had reported at County Board meetings that the Lodge was not making money but she didn't see any program implementing any change in that situation.

"Your Board (the Parks and Recreation Commission) was put in place to manage the oversight of the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge. It's not being managed," Trevethan noted.

Doug Shubert, former chairman of the Parks and Recreation Committee, said the Lodge isn't ready for a management company, because it needs to be complete as a "plant" to produce a product before a management company would want to invest in it. He also asked the Board to rescind the Resolution.

Mac Marzke, a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, said he didn't believe the County Board runs the business of the Mountain Lodge like a business.

Jon Soper, chairman of the Keweenaw County Planning Commission, who is also a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, said he was impressed by the quality of the people on that Commission.

Jon Soper, chairman of the Keweenaw County Planning Commission and member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, addresses the County Board on Nov. 21. (Photo © 2007 Michele Anderson)

"These people have a heart for the Keweenaw," Soper said. "They're interested in seeing that the whole tourism industry of the Keweenaw moves forward and that the Mountain Lodge moves forward and develops into more than what it is right now."

Marzke and Soper both asked the Board to rescind the Resolution, as did Parks and Recreation Commissioners Glen Patrick and Gregg Patrick.

Glen Patrick said he wished both Janet Shea and Frank Kastelic, both of whom resigned from the Parks and Recreation Commission, were still on it.

"I think they did a great job," he said.

Kastelic said he "had his reasons" for resigning but didn't say what they were.

"I saw no problem with the direction we were going in total," Kastelic said during the public comment period. "I don't think the Commission was given a long enough opportunity to prove out their plan when we had an interrupted year to start with."

Janet Shea, who resigned from the Parks and Recreation Commission in September, 2007, after serving as secretary, said she believed Keith and the other County Commissioners did the right thing.

"I think the Resolution is probably adequate in saying why these actions were taken," Shea said. "Hopefully these issues can be put behind us, and we can look forward and work to make this happen."

Shea said she believed everyone at the meeting, including members of both Commissions and residents of the County, realizes what a critical operation the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge is going to be for the economic welfare of Keweenaw County.

"This (the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge) should be the priority of the County because our tourism industry depends on it," Shea noted.

Shea, who is a business owner in Copper Harbor, is a member of the Keweenaw County Planning Commission and the County Zoning Board of Appeals. She is chair of Keweenaw County's Economic Development Committee (EDC), and she has been very active in the land use planning efforts in Keweenaw County.

"I have a high respect for all of the members of the Parks and Recreation Commission, and I hope they will continue to serve," Shea said. "I was eager to be part of the Commission; but I felt ineffective in contributing much, other than taking minutes of the meetings, due to a lack of communication among parties I was tasked to work with, and among the Commission members in general. I'm just hopeful that everyone who is really interested in the success of the County and the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge will get behind it, no matter what form the management takes."

Phil Musser of KEDA: Cooperation needed for Lodge success

On Nov. 28, Phil Musser, executive director of KEDA, spoke with Keweenaw Now concerning the advisory committee asked to search for independent professional management for the Mountain Lodge. Musser has agreed to serve on the committee along with Kim Stoker of WUPPDR and County Commissioner Frank Stubenrauch.

"It really is important that Keweenaw County and the Parks and Recreation Commission work together to make the Mountain Lodge a successful operation," Musser said. "These two groups and the Economic Development Committee (EDC) are really the leadership in terms of economic development in Keweenaw County and need to be working together."

Noting that he had not yet seen any strategic plan or financial report for the Lodge, Musser said he was only recently asked to provide advice.

"I'll certainly be willing to do that," he said.

Musser gave the Smart Zone as an example of a successful partnership.

"KEDA, Michigan Tech, Finlandia, Houghton and Hancock, the State of Michigan and many others have been working together to make that a success," Musser noted.

"The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge is really an important economic asset for Keweenaw County. It needs to be successful in order not only to have cash flow but also to draw in customers for other businesses in the Keweenaw," Musser added. "One of the lessons we've learned over the years is the better the partnerships among those working toward economic development, the better the economic development results are going to be."

* Editor's Notes: The plans for winterizing the Mountain Lodge, according to Joel Tuoriniemi, originally included especially non-motorized trails for cross-country skiing, downhill skiing and snowshoeing, since the idea was to appeal to tourists interested in silent sports. See the July 2007 article, "Keweenaw Mountain Lodge to celebrate Grand Opening of Community / Conference Center July 21" on Keweenaw Now.

** Keweenaw Now regrets the error in our original posting, which stated that the County Board voted against rescinding the Resolution on the Mountain Lodge management. There was no vote on this. As of the County Board meeting on Dec. 5, 2007, the Resolution stands as originally passed on Nov. 21, 2007.

Prehistoric logs found near Arnheim may pre-date Lake Superior

These logs, found below a pond near Arnheim, may possibly pre-date Lake Superior, according to Michigan Tech forestry researchers. (Photo courtesy Michigan Technological University)

HOUGHTON -- Asked to dredge a pond on Dennis Myllyla's farm near Arnheim, Mich., the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) found a prehistoric forest 15 feet down. Preserved in the soil, the trees may possibly pre-date Lake Superior. They could be more than 10,000 years old, according to researchers in Michigan Tech's forestry department.

Read Jennifer Donovan's story about the logs on the Michigan Tech web site.

Poor Artists Sale to join downtown Calumet for festive shopping Dec. 1

HANCOCK -- The Copper Country Community Arts Council celebrates its 31st Poor Artists Sale from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, at the CLK Gymnasium in Calumet. This year’s sale offers the work of over 60 artists including 15 that are new to the event along with the return of many long-standing favorites.

Shoppers will find handmade jewelry, pottery, wreaths, ornaments, baskets, functional and decorative wood art, blown glass, stained glass, furniture, rugs, rustic garden décor, art clothing and accessories, books, dolls, fiber art, journals, candles, soaps, paintings, photography, gift baskets and much more.

Shop and visit with friends in a festive atmosphere and enjoy homemade baked goods at the hospitality table. Copper Country Suzuki students will perform at 1 p.m. Renew your Arts Council membership (or join for the first time) and take advantage of a preview shopping hour for members only from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Don’t miss the biggest holiday art shopping event in the U.P. as the Poor Artists Sale teams up with Calumet galleries, artist studios, restaurants and shops for “Calumet Celebrates the Arts”! Calumet shops will be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. with refreshments, music and artist demonstrations. Horse-drawn wagon rides will shuttle people from the Poor Artists Sale to downtown Calumet.

The Poor Artists Sale is put on by the Copper Country Community Arts Council and is a benefit for the Community Arts Center in Hancock. For more information stop by the Community Arts Center at 126 Quincy Street in Hancock or call 482-2333.