Portage Library to welcome new pet June 5

HOUGHTON -- The Portage Lake District Library invites children and families to a welcoming event for its new pet Mexican Red-Knee Tarantula! That’s right, tarantula.

From 11 a.m. to Noon on Saturday, June 5, Sandy Hubscher will introduce the tarantula and talk about its many beautiful and unusual characteristics. Kids will notice that the tarantula is currently laying a web, which is a fascinating process to watch. They will find out that a single strand of spider web is stronger than any man-made material of equal size and that birds of all species use spider webs when they build their nests because of its strength. Kids will also learn why tarantulas fling hairs, how they groom themselves, why and how they molt, how and what they eat, and enjoy the very docile nature of this beautiful creature.

Kids will also hear a story about a spider and receive handouts describing tarantula facts.

This tarantula won an overwhelming amount of votes in the contest to choose which kind of tarantula to get. Kids will be asked to suggest names for their new pet over the next two weeks, and the winner of the naming contest will receive a prize.

Everyone is invited to attend and library presentations are free. For more information, please call the library at 482-4570 or visit www.pldl.org.

Volunteers needed for National Trails Day June 5

COPPER HARBOR -- It's that time of the year again to grab your bug net and head to Copper Harbor as it celebrates National Trails Day on Saturday, June 5.

Volunteers should meet at the Keweenaw Adventure Company (KAC) and plan to work on the trails from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Work will include a mixture of maintenance on some of the existing trails and corridor work on the new "Manganese Creek Trail." Because early June is known for the blackflies, bug nets are highly recommended, so bring 'em if you got 'em! A limited supply will be available to volunteers on a first-come, first-served basis. Folks should also bring work gloves and drinking water.

A group mountain bike ride or hike will follow the work session at 5 p.m., followed by a free pasta dinner for all volunteers at 7:30 p.m. at the Mariner North.

The evening will be topped off with live music at Zik's Bar and Grill with "Sound-Stable Minds," a new band composed of Andrew Aubin, Tony Laux and Luke Dedo of the former "Jummy Hats" notoriety, along with Randy "the Dandy" Wakeham at 9 p.m. There will be a $3 cover and folks must be 21+.

Free tent sites in the KAC backyard if needed.

Please join the Copper Harbor Trails Club for this annual fun-filled and productive start of the summer trails season! Visit the Copper Harbor Trails Club Web site for more information.

First Friday in Calumet: art, music, fun TONIGHT, June 4

CALUMET -- First Friday in Calumet tonight, June 4, offers art exhibit openings, a dreamcatcher art activity and music. All First Friday events are free and open to the public.

Updated: Vertin Gallery features "The Torola Exhibition"

"Mendota Lighthouse," by Ellen Torola. (Image courtesy Vertin Gallery)

An opening reception for "The Torola Exhibition," featuring paintings by the Torola family, will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. tonight, Friday, June 4, at the Vertin Gallery, 220 Sixth Street in downtown Calumet. The exhibit continues through June 30.

Ellen Torola is a self-taught artist in many varieties of media. She has attended numerous workshops over the years, expanding her knowledge of art and its application. Ellen owned and operated the Paint Box Gallery in Calumet for over thirty years. She painted and sold her artwork there, did framing for the public, and taught art classes in painting and drawing. She has painted in watercolors, oils, acrylics, and pastels, but remains fascinated with watercolors of local flowers. Her local watercolor and acrylic paintings are vibrant and captivate and reflect the colors and beautiful scenery of the Keweenaw. Since retirement from the gallery, Ellen has continued to paint in her home studio, where she teaches an occasional watercolor class and also does basswood carvings of Santas.

Update: Sadly, Ellen Torola will not be able to attend the reception because of a death in the family.

Other Torola family members with work in the exhibit include Margaret Helminen, daughter; Marisa and Mallory Torola, granddaughters; Lynn Torola, daughter-in-law; and Kayleen Horsma, niece. They will exhibit their beautiful landscape and figurative paintings, stained glass and sculptural work.

Mallory Torola writes this in her artist statement: "My artistic journey started before I can even remember -- I grew up with a pencil in my hand (and if it wasn’t a pencil, it was a crayon or a marker). My earliest drawings consisted of people with huge eyes, tiny bodies, and enormous spidery fingers. My sisters and I would draw for hours on end, and I felt such wonder at the amazing worlds we created -- all through the simple tools of our pencils and our imaginations."

Lynn Torola says her medium is soft pastels.

"It was over 20 years ago when I was dawdling in acrylics, some pastels," Lynn writes. "For many years all I did was crafts -- quicker, smaller things. Then several years ago I took out my small box of 'grays' (gray pastels). I found out, lo and behold, that I could still paint! And it was fun! So after painting a bunch of 'grays' for practice, I got right back into it, painting with pastels, a medium a little easier for a busy Mom with kids all around!"

For more information on upcoming events and the gallery itself, visit the Vertin Gallery Web site or phone Kerri Corser, artistic coordinator at (906) 337-2200.

Jack Oyler exhibit to open at Ed Gray Gallery

The Miskwabik Ed Gray Gallery presents "In and Around the Lake," an exhibit of acrylic and wood by local artist Jack Oyler, from June 4 through June 30, 2010. An opening reception will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. tonight, June 4. The Gallery is located at 109 Fifth Street.

Build a Dream Catcher at Copper Country Associated Artists Studio/Gallery

A stick and some stones can break your bones … but, with a bit of effort and a lot of creativity, they can also build a Dream Catcher. Of course you have to catch the Dream before it becomes your own. Build your own catcher with the assistance of our artist members from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. this First Friday, June 4, at the Copper Country Associated Artists (CCAA) Studio/Gallery in Calumet.

You can bring beads, stones, feathers and maybe a meaningful bit or two, as a start on your own dream journey. According to an ancient North Woods legend, good and bad dreams fill the night air. The legend says that a dream catcher hung above the bed entangles all of the bad dreams in its web but allows the good dreams to float down to the dreamer. Follow the dream and discover the rainbow.

The (CCAA) Studio/Gallery is at 112 Fifth St. in Calumet. For more information about the CCAA call 906-337-1252 or visit their Web site.

Lefty and Curly at Conglomerate Café

Top off this First Friday evening with music and maybe a dance from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. TONIGHT, June 4, at the Conglomerate Café on Fifth Street.

"Has Lefty -- a.k.a. John Munson, champion of hard-core right-wing saxophone and piano -- got enough fire remaining to heat the pot for a Tea Party? Does Curly -- alias the winsome-if-balding Oren Tikkanen -- have any proletarian spunk left in his pinko banjo?" asks Oren Tikkanen. "Only the boldest -- perhaps most foolhardy -- attendees of the stylish Calumet First Friday will know the outcome. At the last First Friday faceoff, the scene turned out surprisingly mellow, with couples dancing to old-time jazz and blues, bossa nova, and even bits of Belafonte-calypso and Finnish waltz."

The café offers a heady mix of music, art, freshly baked pastries, good coffee, strongly-held political opinions and more.

Updated: Sulfide mine opponents rally in Lansing June 3

June 3 Stand for the Land Rally in Lansing. (Photo courtesy Cynthia Pryor)

By Cynthia Pryor

LANSING -- A Stand for the Land Rally was attended by over 150 participants on the Lansing State Capitol steps early Thursday afternoon, June 3. Members of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community along with members and Tribal Council members of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians from Manistee attended -- presenting Tribal Council resolution and support of KBIC and the peaceful action at Eagle Rock. Drum, flute, and song were part of the full three-hour rally.*

Michigan singer songwriters such as Drew Nelson, Daisy May, Rachael Davis, Josh Davis and many others brought new works to the rally to support the event. Speakers included Brian Matrious, Lee Sprague, Cynthia Pryor, Charlotte Loonsfoot, Chelsea Smith and Georgenia Earring -- who covered topics such as Tribal Treaty Rights, Environmental Justice Principles, Sacred Sites and the experiences at Eagle Rock, as protesters encamped there for a month before being driven off the state land where two were arrested for trespassing.

The group then walked to the Governor's office and presented the Environmental Justice petition of over 1000 signatures before attending the DNRE (Department of Natural Resources and Environment) Natural Resources Commission en masse, where many gave public comment.

Charlotte Loonsfoot, who was arrested last week for trespassing at Eagle Rock, stated: "All our helpers were there and I feel we were heard. I am just very proud that the Little River Band passed a resolution approving support of Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and their legal efforts to stop the Kennecott mine at Eagle Rock. I pray all tribes will pass the same resolution."

*Visit standfortheland.com to see a video clip of the Rally including statements by Cynthia Pryor and Lee Sprague and Drew Nelson's song "Eagle Rock."

Editor's Notes: Keweenaw Now spoke with State Representative Mike Lahti (D-Hancock) Thursday, June 3, and learned he was not in Lansing but on Mackinac Island along with other invited representatives and political candidates, attending a conference for business and political leaders with Governor Granholm and enjoying a beautiful view of the lake from the Governor's summer residence, which is owned by the State of Michigan.** Rep. Lahti stated he continues to have faith in the DNRE to enforce Michigan's rules for hard rock mining in the case of Kennecott-Rio Tinto. His 110th District includes Big Bay, Baraga County, part of Marquette County and all of Houghton, Keweenaw, Gogebic, Ontonagon and Iron counties as well.*** Rep. Lahti confirmed he still plans to run for the State Senate seat now held by Mike Prusi.

** Read about the annual Detroit Regional Chamber policy conference on Mackinac Island.
*** See map of the 110th District.

Read an excellent article that includes many important events in the development of the Eagle Mine Project on the Yellow dog Plains near Big Bay and the citizens' movement opposing it. The author, Kari Lyderson, is a Chicago-based, free lance reporter who has spent time in the area researching this issue. (Click on "Minefield" under Earth Island Journal.)

Update: See State News: "Protesters rally against U.P. mine."

Artists McCafferty, Rudd create, teach, join Keweenaw community

Artists Margo McCafferty and Tom Rudd, pictured here in front of their garden gate at their home / studio in Calumet, have introduced a variety of art to the Keweenaw, where they create, teach and involve themselves in the community. (Photos by Keweenaw Now unless otherwise indicated)

By Michele Bourdieu and Jennifer Drewyor

HANCOCK -- Margo McCafferty and her husband, Tom Rudd, are an unusual pair of artists who work together, teach together, share common values and high standards of art and still retain an individualism that makes each one an artist in her / his own right.

McCafferty just completed teaching a Watercolor Painting Workshop at the Community Arts Center in Hancock. In the two-session workshop that began last Wednesday, May 26, and continued tonight, June 2, students learned how to focus on paint handling techniques and to understand pigment qualities, materials, and methods of applying watercolor techniques to other water-related media.

Artist Margo McCafferty (standing) demonstrates beginning watercolor techniques during the first session of her Watercolor Painting Workshop at the Community Arts Center in Hancock on May 26. Workshop participants pictured here are, from left, Gisela Shonnard of Chassell; Ronda Jones, Community Arts Center education coordinator; Carol Kurz of Calumet; and Andrea Puzakulich of Houghton.

Last week, McCafferty -- painter, print maker and art educator -- introduced watercolor painting to a group of community members, some of them artists themselves who were exploring a new medium, and others just learning and having fun.

"It's a different form, so that's exciting to me," said Andrea Puzakulich, fiber artist, who makes original, artistic, one-of-a-kind outfits in her Distant Drum Studio.* "It's different for me to work on paper instead of fabrics, but I love working with colors in any medium."

Andrea Puzakulich, fiber artist, explores a new medium at Margo McCafferty's Watercolor Workshop held recently at the Community Arts Center in Hancock.

McCafferty said the May 26 workshop was a step-by-step introduction to help students progress from working with one color to achieving a transition from one color to another.

"We started with some really basic color techniques," McCafferty said.

With her characteristic calm and patient demeanor, McCafferty walked around the large work table, stopping to help each individual student who had a question -- helping them master doing a flat (uniform) wash, a graduated wash (transition from dark to light) and a two-color wash (a smooth transition from one color to another in the same small space on the paper).

Artist Margo McCafferty demonstrates a watercolor technique to Gisela Shonnard of Chassell. At left is Pat Gotschalk of Houghton, Michigan Tech director of student judicial affairs, and at far right is Ronda Jones, a graduate of Finlandia University's School of Art and Design, who now teaches art business at Finlandia.

In the middle of the table were a number of green and yellow apples.

"They're going to paint lots of apples," McCafferty explained. "It's a really good way to learn to paint because of the simple but interesting shapes and colors -- green or yellow because it's easier to see the lights and darks."

During the second session of Margo McCafferty's Watercolor Painting workshop, students paint various objects on the table, including apples, radishes and plants. Pictured here with McCafferty are Tammy Gajewski, left, of Dodgeville, who is an oil painter and potter (she runs a clay co-op for the Community Arts Center) and Ronda Jones, Arts Center education coordinator.

McCafferty added the students would also work on a self-portrait in the second session of the workshop.

While noting she isn't an artist, Pat Gotschalk of Houghton appeared to be enjoying this first experience.

Pat Gotschalk studies models of watercolor techniques during the May 26 session of Margo McCafferty's workshop at the Community Arts Center.

"This is therapy for me," Gotschalk said. "This is fun. I've always wanted to take an art class. I've already learned a lot, and it's only been an hour and 20 minutes!"

Gisela Shonnard of Chassell identified herself primarily as "a Mom," but admitted she has painted before and has taken other classes at the Community Arts Center. One of her favorite artists is Monet.

"I have two children," Shonnard said. "My son is in high school and my daughter's in middle school. She wants to be a fashion designer."

Gisela Shonnard of Chassell and her daughter, Christina, work on painting apples during the second session of Margo McCafferty's Watercolor Workshop, held on June 2.

And her mother-in-law is a watercolor artist, Shonnard added.

Sharon Huhta of Rochester Hills, a seasonal resident, said this was her first experience in watercolor painting.

"I draw," Huhta noted. "I do pastels and watercolor pencil."

Sandy Cooney of Houghton, a retired tax accountant, said she was trying to find out if she has a creative side.

"I do a lot of sewing around the home, but this is the first time I'm trying watercolor," Cooney said. "Martha Hermanson started watercolor later in life, and she's my inspiration."

Sandy Cooney of Houghton practices beginning techniques of "washes." According to artist-teacher Margo McCaffrey, "washes" mean you wet the paper, then wait until the shine disappears and then put in the watercolor paint. At right is Sharon Huhta of Rochester Hills, Mich.

Carol Kurz of Calumet said she has done a lot of figure drawing but watercolor is a different medium for her.

"I'm taking the opportunity to learn from a great artist -- to learn some tricks of the trade -- instead of spending a lot of time experimenting on my own," Kurz noted.

Kurz's term, "great artist," is not an exaggeration. Despite McCafferty's modesty, her own art, the work she shares with her husband, Tom Rudd, and Rudd's own art -- particularly sculpture -- are quite famous.

McCafferty, Rudd create color reduction relief prints together

In March, McCafferty and Rudd exhibited their color reduction relief prints at Finlandia University's Reflection Gallery. In early April they offered workshops to the community and to Finlandia's International School of Art and Design students on this printing technique, which the two artists do together.

Amanda Moyer, Reflection Gallery director, second from left, introduces Margo McCafferty and Tom Rudd, with their son, Max, at the opening of their March 2010 exhibit of color reduction relief prints in Finlandia's Reflection Gallery. At far left is Jaimianne Amicueri, Reflection Gallery curator. Moyer is a student in Finlandia's School of Art and Design, and Amicueri graduated from the School this spring.

The reduction print process begins with drawings and photos. They are carved into a surface, usually a piece of wood. Rudd says cherry wood from Japan and Pennsylvania are his favorites because you can always carve against the grain. First they carve everything that will be white, then the next lightest color and so on. The colors are placed one on top of the other except in those areas where the block has been carved away to allow for the previous colors to show through. Each block can only be used once working in a “print, carve, print, carve” manner, as McCafferty describes it. They have used about 12 colors at the most. The relief ink comes to the surface as opposed to an intaglio print, where the ink sinks in.

"Runoff," one of the color reduction relief prints exhibited in the Reflection Gallery in Hancock last March. (Photo © and courtesy Margo McCafferty)

The artists say they share a similar sense of aesthetics and mutually decide which colors to use. McCafferty noted they like to think of this as colors interacting side by side instead of overlapping.

Tom Rudd addresses Finlandia International School of Art and Design students and visitors at the opening of McCafferty and Rudd's Reflection Gallery exhibit last March. With him are his wife, Margo McCafferty, and their son, Max.

“I’ve been doing this for 50 years," Rudd said, "but it took me a long time to find someone I could work with."

They now do two to three color reduction prints a year as well as other art forms.

Margo McCafferty chats with Cynthia Coté, Community Arts Center director, at the Reflection Gallery exhibit of McCafferty and Rudd's color reduction relief prints last March.

When the couple met in the 1990s they began a collaborative process that would take them various places in the U.S. and beyond. They say they learned to draw when they lived in Japan, where they discovered that their environment influenced their artistic process.

"Each place we’ve lived in we’ve done a series," Rudd said.

It took them 93 prints to make their first print, but since then they have created 150 images including the Cascade Mountains and a flood series done when they lived below Mt. Jefferson. More locally, they have done an Isle Royale Series, a Pictured Rocks Series and a Calumet Series. Their present series, on the Keweenaw Peninsula, often refers to environmental issues -- and especially the quality of water. Much of their current art is inspired by Lake Superior and the Gratiot River, where Rudd fishes.

McCafferty and Rudd have been artists in residence both on Isle Royale and at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

"Isle Royale," a color reduction relief print in McCafferty and Rudd's Isle Royale Series, inspired by their artist residency on the island in 2005. This print was exhibited at the entrance to the Reflection Gallery.

"When we did the residency on Isle Royale (in 2005, while living in Pennsylvania), we visited here a number of times," McCafferty said, "and we decided to move here. The air is so clean and there's a lively arts community and we really like the beaches -- like Horseshoe Harbor, Hunters Point, Bete Grise."

They moved here in 2007, the same year they did an artist residency at Pictured Rocks.

In April 2010, McCafferty and Rudd did a workshop on their color reduction relief print process at Finlandia's School of Art and Design, located in the Jutila Center in Hancock.

At a workshop in Finlandia's International School of Art and Design last April, Tom Rudd demonstrates to Finlandia Art and Design students and Yueh-mei Cheng, second from left, Finlandia Art and Design associate professor in studio arts, how to set up the block to be used for the color reduction relief print process. Students pictured here are Mallory Torola, left, and John Fish, right.

John Fish, Finlandia graphic design major and acrylic artist, said he was interested in learning about this print process.

"It's something I've never done before and I'm learning a new technique," Fish said. "I usually take my acrylic prints and make them into graphic designs."

During McCafferty and Rudd's workshop at Finlandia, Mallory Torola, Finlandia Art and Design student, rolls out ink on a linoleum block to be used for the color reduction relief print.

Mixed media, stone sculpture favorites

McCafferty said she likes working with a variety of media.

"I like the prints," she said, "but I really like using lots of dry pigments -- mixed media -- to paint trees, bark, roots and rocks."

Margo McCafferty sits at her drawing desk at home with her model, a birch tree -- part of the furniture.

Birch trees are among McCafferty's favorite subjects.

"Birch IV," one of Margo McCafferty's mixed-media birch tree paintings. (Photo © and courtesy Margo McCafferty)

Carving stone is "absolutely" Rudd's favorite kind of art. He does large sculpture in limestone, marble or basalt.

He has done external sculpture for Western Oregon University and Grand Valley State University and a park in Detroit -- Fish Park. A big stone fish that he carved is in the middle of the park -- one of a series that he calls "Monuments to Minnows." Rudd considers minnows "a metaphor of the common man."

Tom Rudd carves a large piece of stone in his backyard studio in Calumet.

Rudd recently designed a sculpture "pocket park" for Fifth Street in Calumet. He is a member of the Main Street Calumet Design Committee.

"No matter where we go we are active in environmental and community projects," Rudd said.

McCafferty and Rudd have also found time to work on their garden and to home school their children, both of whom are talented in their own pursuits.

Their son, Max, now 11, especially likes creating games on the computer and writing.

"I'm sorry for my geekery," Max said, after explaining some of the family's computer problems.

"He writes wonderful poetry," McCafferty said.

Max also edited the recent publication, Keweenaw: Art from Our Youth. The book, published by Miskwabik Press, is a collection of artwork and writing by 75 local youth. Proceeds from the sale of the book support Calumet Art Center programs.

Max said he did five poems and several drawings for the book.

"I try to write stories," Max noted. "I like poetry better."

Max has been in a number of home school drama club plays. The club, which consists of about 30 home-schooled students, recently did a performance, including scenes from A Midsummer Night's Dream, at the Little Gem Theatre in Lake Linden.

Max said he likes home school and also playing the piano. He likes jazz "to play and to listen to." His music teacher is Susan Rokicki of Calumet.

Max has an older sister who lives near Raleigh, NC.

"Our daughter, Ursula Vernon, writes children's books," McCafferty said. "Right now she's writing a series of kids' books -- the Dragon Breath series -- and she's also an artist. She has an award-winning Web comic called "Digger."

Max displays a children's book from the Dragon Breath Series, written by his sister, Ursula Vernon.

McCafferty and Rudd both have works in "North of the Bridge," an exhibit now showcasing artists from the Upper Peninsula through Sept. 2, 2010, at the Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey, Mich.**

The couple will be doing a show at Calumet's Vertin Gallery this August.

"We'll be showing new work that we're making now," Rudd said.

While the places they have lived have allowed this artistic family to create art from the West to the East coasts and now the Great Lakes, McCafferty said they have no plans to move to another area.

"We're happy to be here," she said. "We really like living on the Keweenaw."

* Andrea Puzakulich's Distant Drum Studio is now located in the E.L.Wright Building in Hancock, Studio 101.

** See www.crookedtree.org for information about this exhibit in Petoskey.

Editor's Note: Guest writer Jennifer Drewyor, who contributed to this article, is a graduate of Michigan Tech University in scientific and technical communication.

Michigan Tech's Jeff Allen, Ezequiel Medici win first Bhakta Rath Research Award

By Jennifer Donovan, Michigan Tech Director of Public Relations

HOUGHTON -- For their pioneering work to improve water management in low-temperature fuel cells, Jeffrey Allen and his PhD student, Ezequiel Medici, have been named the first winners of the Bhakta Rath Research Award at Michigan Technological University. Allen is an associate professor of mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics.

Michigan Tech Professor Jeff Allen, right, and PhD student Ezequiel Medici are conducting fuel cell research that won them the first Bhakta Rath Research Award. (Photo courtesy Michigan Technological University)

The award, endowed earlier this year by 1958 Michigan Tech alumnus Rath and his wife, Shushama Rath, recognizes a doctoral student at Michigan Tech and his or her faculty advisor for "exceptional research of particular value that anticipates the future needs of the nation while supporting advances in emerging technology." Allen and Medici will share a $2,000 prize.

"We are delighted to recognize Professor Jeff Allen and his accomplished student, Ezequiel Medici, for their outstanding research contribution in the field of mechanical engineering and engineering mechanics," said Rath, who is associate director of research and head of the Materials Science and Component Technology Directorate at the US Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. "We have no doubt that their seminal contributions will advance the frontiers of our knowledge in the field and contribute to development of new technologies. My wife and I wish to join their family members, friends and colleagues in congratulating the recipients of this award."

When he endowed the award in April, Rath said he hoped it would promote and reward research excellence in the physical and natural sciences and engineering, fields in which Michigan Tech is emerging as a world leader in research and education.

"I am honored and grateful to be one of the inaugural recipients of this prestigious award," Allen said. "However, the credit for the success of this research belongs to Ezequiel."

His graduate student added, "I feel really honored to have our research recognized because of its potential impact on the fuel-cell industry."

Medici and Allen’s research focuses on improving the management of the water produced during the operation of a fuel cell, liquid that leads to performance loss and rapid degradation of the fuel cell, significantly reducing the life of the system. They developed a new technique for optimizing fuel cell electrodes and a simple, reliable computational tool that captures the nature of liquid water movement in fuel cell electrodes. Their work, sponsored by the US Department of Energy and conducted in collaboration with the Rochester Institute of Technology and General Motors, will reduce the research and development time and cost of improving fuel cell performance and durability.

Bill Predebon, Michigan Tech chair of mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics, noted the potential importance of Allen and Medici’s work. "The research being conducted by Ezequiel Medici and his advisor Dr. Jeffrey Allen on the improvement of water management in low temperature fuel cells will have a significant impact in the fuel cell industry in the design of the porous materials used in fuel cells," he said.

Editor's Note: Text and photo courtesy Michigan Technological University.

New video, song, slide show tell story of Eagle Rock

MARQUETTE -- Indian Country Today journalist Greg Peterson just posted a video of Eagle Rock photos with Drew Nelson's song about the occupation of Eagle Rock. Click here to see and hear it on You Tube. See also Keweenaw Now's slide show in the right-hand column.

Read about the Rally in Lansing this Thursday, June 3.

Read Greg Peterson's May 27 article, "Raid at Eagle Rock" on Indian Country Today.

Photo courtesy Stand for the Land.

Eagle Rock leaders' supporters to rally in Ishpeming June 1

Chris Chosa signals from Eagle Rock his commitment to continue the fight against Kennecott. Two days after their May 27 arrest for trespassing, Chris Chosa and Charlotte Loonsfoot, leaders in the month-long occupation of Eagle Rock, were allowed by Kennecott to return to Eagle Rock in order to retrieve some of their belongings, including Eagle feathers and pipes. (Photo courtesy Stand for the Land)

MARQUETTE -- Supporters of Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) members Charlotte Loonsfoot and Chris Chosa, who were arrested for trespassing last week on Eagle Rock, are invited to rally at 12 noon tomorrow, June 1, at the Rio Tinto offices, 504 Spruce Street in Ishpeming.

Charlotte Loonsfoot after retrieving her belongings from Eagle Rock. (Photo courtesy Stand for the Land)

The group will then walk to the 96th District Court for the arraignment of Chris Chosa and Charlotte Loonsfoot at 1:30 p.m. The 96th District Court House is about four blocks away at 308 Cleveland St.

Meet at the McDonald's parking lot at Jaspar Ridge at 11:45 a.m. to go en masse to the Rio Tinto offices.

Directions from Marquette to Rio Tinto offices:
Take US 41/28 from Marquette past Negaunee, Ishpeming and past the McDonald's at Jaspar Ridge to Lakeshore Drive (next stop light). Turn left. Go 1/2 mile and turn left on Euclid St. Continue 2/10 of a mile on Euclid and turn right on Spruce. 2/10 of a mile on the left is Rio Tinto.

Directions from the north (Houghton, Hancock, etc.):
Take US 41 to Lakeshore Drive and turn right on Lakeshore Drive. Then follow the rest of the directions above. Or meet the group at the McDonald's as mentioned above.

Eagle Mine opponents to rally in Lansing, visit Governor, Natural Resources Commission

MARQUETTE -- A contingency of Upper Peninsula residents, Native and non-Native, will travel to Lansing and assemble on Thursday, June 3, in order to hand deliver an Environmental Justice petition to Governor Jennifer Granholm and to talk to the Natural Resources Commission about Rio Tinto-Kennecott's Eagle Mine Project.

"Ore body 150 feet down" is the title of this photo of the Salmon Trout River, which flows above the site of Rio Tinto-Kennecott Minerals' proposed sulfide mine near Marquette. The River contains a rare population of Coaster Brook Trout. (File Photo © 2007 Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve and courtesy www.savethewildup.org. Reprinted with permission.)

The group intends to address the Commission concerning the following:

• The use of state public lands for private gain
• Eagle Rock -- a sacred site of the Anishinaabe
• Treaty Rights
• Rights of communities that have been violated through the lack of engagment from permitting agencies in the permitting of the Eagle Mine on the Yellow Dog Plains in Marquette County.

This photo, taken earlier this month, shows land already being cleared for the Eagle Mine Project despite concerns about the legality of Kennecott's State lease and permits. (Photo © 2010 riverwalker and courtesy Stand for the Land)

All concerned citizens are welcome and needed to join in this effort. The event will include music, speakers, banners, etc. Participants are encouraged to bring signs and the color BLUE for a peaceful rally.

Here is the schedule for Thursday, June 3:

11 a.m. Meet on Capitol Lawn

11:30 a.m. Reading of the Environmental Justice Petition

Reading a Tribal Rights Statement

"Eagle Rock" -- sung by Drew Nelson*

Other Voices Joining In

1 p.m. Deliver the petitions and Tribal Rights Statement to the Governor's office

3 p.m. Walk to Natural Resources Commission Meeting -- 333 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing Center.

Please spread the word to supporters of clean water in the U.P. and Downstate. Please come to honor those who are fighting for our water, our land and our rights to free expression.

For more details visit standfortheland.com or savethewildup.org.

* Click here to listen to "Eagle Rock" by Drew Nelson.

A hot day at Eagle Rock -- before arrests of campers

By Michele Bourdieu

EAGLE ROCK -- On Tuesday, May 25, you could feel the heat at Eagle Rock -- not just the recent unseasonable temperatures in the 80s and 90s, but the heat of friction between the small group of campers protesting a potential sulfide mine and the giant, multinational mining company Rio Tinto-Kennecott, whose record of environmental destruction and human rights abuses has followed it from farflung locations like Papua, New Guinea, to nearer Ladysmith, Wisconsin (where residents are suing the company for polluting their fresh water) to Eagle Rock, an Ojibwa sacred site on the Yellow Dog Plains in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Camp at Eagle Rock on Tuesday, May 25. (Photos by Keweenaw Now unless otherwise indicated.)

On Tuesday and again on Wednesday, May 26, Kennecott representatives asked the campers to leave Eagle Rock. They refused.

"I like the heat," said Charlotte Loonsfoot, a member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC), who was one of three women who decided a month ago to occupy Eagle Rock in protest against the sulfide mine. She was also one of the campers who refused to leave.

"The women are the peacemakers and the protectors of the water," Loonsfoot told Keweenaw Now on Tuesday. "I said no because of our religious act and our treaty rights."*

Campers and visitors at Eagle Rock on Tuesday, May 25, are, from left, Rosa Musket, Jessica Koski, Kalvin Hartwig, Georgenia Earring, Charlotte Loonsfoot, Catherine Parker and Connie.

Loonsfoot said the Kennecott representatives tried to persuade the campers to move "across the street" to another site, which is also public land leased by Kennecott from the State.

"After I said no, I said, 'Can you give us a couple of days to consult with our spiritual advisor?'" Loonsfoot added.

A video clip posted on Stand for the Land shows Kennecott's Matt Johnson, Government and Community Relations manager, telling Loonsfoot that Kennecott is asking them to move to an "alternative campsite" because of federal and state regulations for safety.

"As construction moves forward, we need to comply with those federal and state laws," Johnson said, "and we need this site to be safe for both you and our employees."

Kennecott's fence at Eagle Rock cut off the campers' access to water earlier this week.

Today, Thursday, May 27, Kennecott representatives reportedly arrived with about 20 police vehicles to arrest the peaceful group of campers and clear them from Eagle Rock. An article on Upper Michigan's Source, quotes Michigan State Police Sergeant Robert Pernaski as saying, "Kennecott asked the parties to leave officially at 9 a.m. They were given a half-an-hour to depart the premise. At 9:30, we entered the picture, along with Kennecott again, asked them to leave. They refused to leave, and we then arrested two of the group for trespassing."**

Loonsfoot and Chris Chosa, also of KBIC, were the two who were arrested today and later released on their own recognizance. Loonsfoot was fasting and praying on top of Eagle Rock when she was arrested and handcuffed.***

The charge of "trespassing" seems unexplained, since the group has been allowed to camp at Eagle Rock and hold religious ceremonies for more than a month, ever since Cynthia Pryor, Sulfide Mining Campaign director of the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, was arrested on April 22 for "trespassing." Pryor, whose arrest led to a large rally of peaceful protest in Marquette, pleaded not guilty and faces a jury trial in June for a misdemeanor.****

Both arrests were made on public land Kennecott-Rio Tinto has leased from the State of Michigan for its mining operation for nickel and copper. Mine opponents claim the lease is not legal since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not ruled finally on permits. Native American protest is also based on 1836 and 1842 treaties guaranteeing the Ojibwa people rights to fish, hunt and gather on ceded territory. Eagle Rock, which the Ojibwa consider a sacred site, is a place where traditionally they have gathered medicines and performed religious ceremonies.

Spiritual Advisor questions State lease of public land

On Tuesday, May 25, while still camping on Eagle Rock, Loonsfoot and other campers discussed their situation with a spiritual advisor, who identified himself as Nish-Nung (Two Stars) of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwas in Minnesota.

"They (Kennecott) don't have clear title to the land," he said. "If they had clear title, then they would have been able to remove us, and they haven't." [As of Tuesday, they hadn't.]

In fact, the February 2008 Metallic Mineral Mining Operations Surface Use Lease between the State of Michigan (Lessor) and Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company (Lessee) states this under Title: "Lessee acknowledges that (a) lessor makes no warranty of title with respect to the Premises (parcels included in the lease); (b) Lessee has had the opportunity to make its own assessment to such title; and (c) Lessee waives any claim against Lessor for inadequate or defective title to the Premises."

Nish-Nung had other comments on Kennecott's lease of this public land.

"They're breaking the lease agreement with the State of Michigan by logging," he said. "They're not supposed to be logging up here."

Nish-Nung added concerns about fire safety, noting he believed Kennecott lacked a fire safety marshal or a plan with the local fire department (Big Bay's is the closest).

"What would happen if they started a forest fire with their logging?" he asked.

Like Loonsfoot, Nish-Nung spoke of the need to protect the water, the use of which is guaranteed by Native American treaty rights. However, he said he believed the opposition to Kennecott's mine should not be just a Native issue.

"We have a lien against this territory to collect and gather medicines, to use the waterways," he said. "They will pollute the water here, and it will affect not just the Native communities but the white communities, too."

Nish-Nung hung an upside-down American flag in place of a Native American flag that had hung at the top of Eagle Rock earlier. He said it was upside-down to symbolize distress.

American flag is hung upside-down on top of Eagle Rock as a sign of distress.

"We are in distress," he said. "Our livelihoods, our lives, are being threatened by Kennecott. They're impeding our ability to collect water and medicines by building the fence."

Nish-Nung referred to the State fish advisories that tell people how much fish is safe to eat (mainly because of mercury pollution).

"We're only allowed to eat one fish a week now," he noted. "Five years from now we won't even be able to eat fish from Lake Superior if this mine is allowed -- or any mine on this or the Canadian side of Lake Superior. We're not going to be able to feed our children -- or our communities -- and it takes a whole community to raise a child. Why hasn't society learned from its past mistakes what mining does? Money has become more important than the lives of children."

He raised his own children in the Sault-Ste Marie Band in Michigan, Nish-Nung explained.

Campers, visitors express views

Also camping at Eagle Rock on Tuesday was Georgenia Earring, whose two young sons, Keya, 7 and Tokala, 4, have been camping with their parents at Eagle Rock, although they were not there on Tuesday.

"They love it here," she said. "They know why I'm here. They understand, and they're all for it."

Another visitor from outside Michigan was Cassandra Dixon, who lives north of Madison, Wis.

Cassandra Dixon, right, a visitor from Wisconsin, and Rosa Musket of Marquette sort items for recycling at the Eagle Rock camp on Tuesday, May 25, 2010.

"I was involved in nuclear waste dump issues which overlapped with mining issues," Dixon said. "I just don't want to see that here."

Rosa Musket of Marquette was working on sorting items for recycling with Dixon. She had also visited Eagle Rock on Saturday, May 22, when Lee Sprague of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians came to help the campers with their vegetable garden.

"With Lee's helpful guidance and everyone's participation, we started the beginnings of the garden, which had a couple of small hoop greenhouses," Musket noted.

Lee Sprague, right, of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, helps campers with their garden at Eagle Rock last Saturday, May 22. (Photo courtesy Stand for the Land)

Sprague also brought a Turkey Feather Fan Gift from the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians.

A friend of Loonsfoot's, Connie (who preferred not to give her last name), came from Minnesota because, she said, "Charlotte called and needed help."

Connie noted she came to be part of the effort in a supportive way, with respect for the cause. Loonsfoot had helped her in the past, she added.

"She's a sister," Connie explained.

Helping the campers with chopping wood for the sacred fire, setting up tarps and other camping duties was Richard Sloat of Iron River, Mich., who had arranged with his employer to spend two days a week at Eagle Rock. His purpose in supporting the campers was "to defend the water," he said.

Sloat said he became involved in the issue after hearing a library presentation by Teresa Bertossi, now of Headwaters News, a couple of years ago.

"Teresa Bertossi gave a presentation at our local library. She was so compassionate and caring about the water that her presentation convinced me," Sloat explained. "I always knew clean water was important, but -- to the degree that mining companies are polluting the water -- I just felt I had to do something more than just complain about it."

A comment by Catherine Parker of Marquette recalled the opening pages of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring.

Catherine Parker of Marquette cuts cantaloupe in the Eagle Rock kitchen on May 25.

"I've been out here for the past two nights," Parker noted. "I've never heard so many birds at twilight. If the mine opens we're not going to hear that. You wake up in the morning and it's birds and trucks, birds and trucks. I wonder how much longer they'll keep singing."

* Loonsfoot was referring to the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (1978) and to the Treaty of 1836 which guarantees the rights to hunt, fish and gather on ceded territory.

** See "Two arrested at Kennecott mine site," by Brad Soroka.

*** See "Rio Tinto’s Idea of Community Relations," by Emily Whittaker, executive director, Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve.

**** See our May 13 article, "Opponents of sulfide mine hold peaceful Rally in Marquette."

Editor's Notes: A May 27 article by Greg Peterson in Indian Country Today, describing the arrests at Eagle Rock, says, "Mine officials doused the grandfather fire, uprooted the Eagle Rock Community Garden, removed two flags from atop Eagle Rock and bulldozed the camp." Read more ...

See also video clips and other updates on Stand for the Land.

Lahti fights for funds to re-open campgrounds, protect natural resources

LANSING -- State Representative Mike Lahti (D-Hancock) on Wednesday voted to protect funding for Michigan's Department of Natural Resources and the Environment (DNRE) 2010-2011 budget, a move that will reopen more than a dozen state campgrounds and protect our state's vital natural resources.

"Making these changes in the DNRE budget is important to protecting our land, air and water and the jobs of our workers who depend on them," said Lahti, chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on DNRE, who led the vote in the House. "People come from all over to fish in our streams, camp in our forests and take in the beauty of our natural resources. We must protect the attractions that draw tourists to our state. That's why I fought so hard to reopen the state campgrounds that were closed during last year's budget cuts. Our natural resources define us as a state -- we must do everything we can to ensure they will be around for generations to come."

The budget that passed the House on Wednesday will reopen 12 state campgrounds, which closed due to budget cuts in 2009; require the DNRE director to meet semiannually with timber representatives to discuss strategic issues of the timber industry; establish and expand Citizen Advisory Councils; prohibit the DNRE from charging children under 18 admission fees to enter the State Historical Museum; and fund the Cormorant Population Control and Aquatic Nuisance Control programs.

The DNRE budget now moves to Conference Committee where Lahti will work with fellow legislators to finalize it according to House and Senate recommendations.

Updated: Police on the way to Eagle Rock

EAGLE ROCK -- Update: A recent email message reports that 20 police squad cars arrived at Eagle Rock and arrested everyone today, May 27.

Stand for the Land reported earlier today, May 27, that police were on the way to Eagle Rock. The Web site also posted a video clip showing Kennecott Government and Community Affairs Manager Matt Johnson and Chantae Lessard, Kennecott's Community Relations senior advisor, asking the campers to move to another site because of "federal laws" for safety.

Johnson confirmed the second site is also State of Michigan land leased by Kennecott. He did not, at least in the video, state which federal laws required the campers to move.

Speaking for the campers, Stand for the Land reports, "Kennecott has fenced us off from our water source and broken their promises stated in local media a month ago that they wouldn’t interfere with our stand at Eagle Rock."

Visit Stand for the Land to see the video and watch for updates on the occupation of Eagle Rock, a sacred site for the Ojibwa people.

Reading the Landscape 2010 to offer "Exploring our Diverse Watersheds" field trips

HANCOCK -- "Exploring our Diverse Watersheds" is the subject of the 2010 Reading the Landscape series of art and natural history field trips for adults to be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on four Saturdays -- June 19, July 10, Aug. 7 and Sept. 18.

"Natural Patterns," by Rachel Toczydlowski. Graphite. (Image courtesy Rachel Toczydlowski)

Here is the schedule:

Saturday, June 19: "A Water Year" -- Learn how water and nutrients cycle naturally through the watershed of a small stream near Calumet, with David Toczydlowski, field ecologist for a long-term research study of this site. Create informed "maps" of water systems with Phyllis Fredendall, associate professor at Finlandia University International School of Art and Design. Meet at the Calumet Township Park on Lakeshore Drive.

Saturday, July 10: "Reading a Trout Stream" -- Learn to think like a trout -- or a fisherman -- on this visit to the Pilgrim River with experienced (and retired) Fisheries Biologists Bill Deephouse and Tom Rozich. Avid fly tier Don Kreher will help you discover how fly fishermen tie flies. Meet at the Nara Nature Center chalet on Hwy US-41 near the mouth of the Pilgrim River.

Saturday, Aug. 7: "Stamp Sands Remediation" -- See various stages of ongoing restoration of the Eagle River watershed, which has been adversely impacted for over a century by copper mining. Visit ongoing remediation projects at historic Cliff and Central mine sites with Rob Aho, Project Engineer; Gina Nicholas, Chair of the Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District; and Dick Dana, who will share some of Central’s history through old bottles that have been found there.

Gina Nicholas, Chair of the Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District, speaks about the Eagle River watershed stamp sand remediation during a previous Reading the Landscape session, held at Central in 2008. This year, on Aug. 7, Reading the Landscape participants will have an opportunity to see the progress being made in the Stamp Sand Stabilization project. (Keweenaw Now file photo)

Saturday, Sept. 18: "Dynamic Shorelines" -- Lightfoot Bay is a natural embayment of Huron Bay and the heart of a diverse and ecologically rich Great Lakes coastal wetland complex protected by the Keweenaw Land Trust and conservation partners. Explore the dynamics of the marshes and bogs of this beautiful embayment with Fisheries Ecologist Casey Huckins and see how this system is impacted by the shifting barrier beaches along Huron Bay. Watercolorist and print maker Kayo Miwa will help you appreciate this ever-changing interdunal wetland and the historic structures remaining at this preserve that was once a family retreat.

"Summer Stream," by Kayo Miwa. (Keweenaw Now file photo)

Meet at the Lightfoot Bay Coastal Wetlands Preserve cabins near the Skanee Cemetery. Lunch is provided for this session. Carpooling from Hancock is available for those interested.

Registration and advanced payment of $15 per session are required. Please register early; session size is limited.

The program is for adults age 16 or older.

Sponsors include Keweenaw Land Trust (KLT), Copper Country Audubon, Gratiot Lake Conservancy (GLC), Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District, Keweenaw County Historical Society, Michigan Nature Association, Copper Country Chapter of Trout Unlimited. KLT (906-482-0820) and GLC (906-337-5476) offer some scholarships. Please contact them directly.

For more details on the sessions, what to bring, etc., click here for the brochure.

Isle Royale workshops announce space available

HANCOCK -- Due to cancellations, spaces are available in the Isle Royale Botany Workshop to be held June 14-19 on Isle Royale. Space is also available in the Isle Royale Photography Workshop, scheduled for June 11-16.

The Botany Workshop, taught for the past three years by botanist Janet Marr, is open to adults with beginning or intermediate knowledge of plant identification. Participants will learn the spring flora of Isle Royale National Park as well as family characteristics, keying techniques, etc., during hikes (up to seven miles) through a variety of habitats.

The Photography Workshop, offered for the second time by professional photographer Bob Guiliani, will help beginning or intermediate photographers get the most from their film or digital cameras, while learning nature photography techniques with the treasures of Isle Royale as their subjects.

For details about either workshop, visit the website of the Isle Royale and Keweenaw Parks Association (IRKPA), sponsor of the workshops, at http://irkpa.org/ and click on Upcoming.

The fee for either workshop is $650 ($625 for IRKPA members; see http://irkpa.org/ for info on how to become an IRKPA member). The fee covers transportation to Isle Royale from Houghton, Mich., on the National Park Service Ranger III, camping, meals and instruction. Lodge rooms or housekeeping cabins at your own expense are another option. For more information about the workshops, contact IRKPA at 906-482-7860 or email kbradof@irkpa.org. The registration fee is due May 31, 2010.

Eagle Rock camper counts coup on Kennecott

EAGLE ROCK -- On Sunday, May 23, one of the campers "counted coup" on a Kennecott worker putting up a fence around Eagle Rock. Kennecott informed the Michigan State Police, who are now investigating it.

According to one of the spiritual advisors at Eagle Rock, "Coup is a hundreds-of-years-old tradition of touching your enemy without hurting them. It brings shame to the enemy, Kennecott, by getting that close to them."

According to Gabriel Caplett, a camper at the Eagle Rock settlement, "Kennecott seems to have a habit of blowing things out of proportion. We’ve seen this when they wasted taxpayer resources getting a citizen arrested for sitting on a stump with her dog. While campers at Eagle Rock have had to listen to Kennecott supporters drive by at night yelling racial slurs, swerving at us while we walk on the road, throwing beer cans and, in one incident reported to the State Police, firing shots, Kennecott gets the State Police investigating a camper who tapped a construction worker on the butt with a jackpine twig. This is kind of ironic coming from a company with one of the worst human rights and worker rights records around the world."

The fence would prevent the Eagle Rock community from accessing their water sources, community garden and sacred medicines. The community asked Kennecott staff not to put the fence up for these reasons, but their request has been ignored.

Settlers at Eagle Rock are planning to hold a meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday evening, May 26, to discuss this situation and plans to finish planting their community garden. The public is welcome to attend.

Minnesota couple hikes "Full Circle" around Lake Superior

By Kate Flynn

HOUGHTON -- Kate Crowley and Mike Link, grandparents and naturalists from Willow River, Minn., are taking a five-month hike around Lake Superior, a journey of roughly 1600 miles -- the first shoreline circumnavigation of Superior by foot in recorded history, according to the couple’s Web site.

Mike Link and Kate Crowley are hiking the entire Lake Superior shoreline. (Photo © Full Circle Lake Superior and courtesy Michigan Tech University.)

Crowley and Link, who set out from Duluth on April 29, began their journey by heading eastward on Minnesota Point on a grey, cloudy day. They have since made their way across the shores of Wisconsin and part of Upper Michigan, arriving in Houghton on May 19.

Crowley and Link cite a number of different motivational factors for this trip, including their shared sense of adventure and a desire to stay in shape as they age. Their most important inspiration, however, is their three grandchildren.

"There’s a big emphasis on youth education," Link said in the couple’s May 20th presentation at Michigan Tech.

Link and Crowley will be giving a number of presentations over the course of their journey, and they hope to instill in their listeners a sense of the importance of preserving the lake for future generations. They have also partnered with a number of universities and colleges around the Lake Superior basin, including Michigan Tech, to include a research component in their trip.

Mike Link and Kate Crowley in Michigan Tech's Forestry Atrium, where they gave a presentation on May 20. (Photo © 2010 Kate Flynn)

The couple stopped in Houghton on May 19-20 on their circumnavigation, on foot, of Lake Superior.

"It’s allowed us to speak to the media," Crowley said of the expedition. "There’s been tremendous coverage of our trip. We’re concerned about fresh water. It’s a vehicle by which you can express concern and capture people’s interest."

Although Link and Crowley spend much of their day hiking on foot, generally averaging 17 miles a day, they still take the time to update their Web site and communicate daily via their Facebook page. Their assistant, Amanda Hakala, who drives the RV that Crowley and Link sleep in most nights, is in charge of finding wireless at the couple’s destination for the night while they hike the shores of Lake Superior.

Crowley spoke positively of the role that Facebook has played in keeping them connected on their journey.

"It’s been very helpful," Crowley said. "So many people of all ages are on it. We’ve made connections with people who are going to help us along the way. We have 1,478 friends and we’re getting daily postings. We consider it as part of our educational outreach."

Crowley also admits that keeping in contact every day, on top of their miles and miles of hiking, has been difficult.

"It’s been hard," she said. "Once, in Ontonagon, there were only two places with free wireless -- our RV campground and the public library. The wireless in the campground didn’t work, so we had to sit in the parking lot of the library because it was closed. Cell phone service has also been an issue."

Crowley and Link both have very specific ideas about what they want to take away from this journey.

"A healthier body," Crowley said when asked what she hoped her own personal outcome of the trip would be. "And a wonderful movie in my head of what we’ve seen and experienced."

Sometimes Kate Crowley's shoreline hike actually lands her in the water. (Photo © Full Circle Lake Superior and courtesy Michigan Tech University.)

"We’ll have a catalog of experiences," Link adds. "Our lives are made up of stories. The other part of the story is how much fun I’ve had with Kate. It’s hard to have the same kind of moments in any other situation. It’s another commitment that we’ve made to each other. Whatever comes along, we deal with it in the moment. We look at each other and rely on each other. We have a great partnership."

Crowley and Link expect to return to Minnesota around Sept. 15, 2010. Their sponsors include Lake Superior Magazine and Anytime Fitness, for which they contribute a weekly health blog. A full list of sponsors, as well as a daily update, can be found on their Web site at http://www.fullcirclesuperior.org.

Editor's Note: Guest reporter Kate Flynn is a student at Beloit College. She is doing an internship in journalistic writing for Keweenaw Now and for the L'Anse Sentinel this summer.