DNR to hold Public Meeting, comment period, on Great Exploration metallic mineral lease request in Menominee County

By Michele Bourdieu

The scenic Menominee River, not far from the proposed Back 40 mining project site. (Keweenaw Now file photo)

MENOMINEE COUNTY, Mich. -- Public concerns about a Metallic Minerals Lease Request from Great Lakes Exploration, Inc., of Menominee, Michigan, caused the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to postpone a public meeting on the application that had been scheduled for Sept. 1, 2021, in Stephenson, Michigan. The meeting will now be held as a virtual public informational meeting from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (ET) / Noon to 3 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, October 28, 2021.

Great Lakes Exploration, Inc., has requested direct, metallic mineral leases from the state of Michigan covering DNR metallic mineral rights located within Faithorn Township and Holmes Township, Menominee County, Michigan, containing 1609 acres, more or less.

Great Lakes Exploration is applying for metallic mineral leases on the 40-acre parcels -- each marked with an "M" -- shown on this map. The parcels are in State of Michigan forest land for which the State owns the mineral rights as well. The larger group of 28 parcels on the right (east) totals 1089 acres in Faithorn township (some of the 40s are a little less than 40 acres, hence the smaller total). The smaller group of 13 parcels (west) totals 520 acres in Holmes Township. Click on map for larger version. (Map courtesy Dave Blouin, Mining Committee chair, Sierra Club - WI Chapter)

According to Dave Blouin, Mining Committee chair, Sierra Club - WI Chapter, "The two sets of parcels are due west of Nadeau, MI, in Menominee County and approximately 7 and 10 miles from Nadeau respectively and lie between the Menominee and Little Cedar Rivers. The eastern parcels are just east of DeHaas Creek and the western parcels are on Pemene Creek. DeHaas Creek flows into the Pemene which then flows into the Menominee. In other words, the parcels lie on or are adjacent to tributaries of the Menominee."

According to the DNR Public Notice, the parcels containing these state mineral rights are described as follows:

Leasable Development

W1/2 NE1/4, SW1/4 NW1/4,Section 7, T37N, R27W (115 acres m/l)

Leasable Development with Restrictions

E1/4 NE1/4, N1/2 NW1/4, SE1/4 NW1/4, SE1/4, N1/2 SW1/4, SW1/4 SW1/4, Section 7, T37N, R27W (466 acres m/l)

NE1/4, NW1/4, N1/2 SE1/4, SE1/4 SE1/4, N1/2 SW1/4, Section 18, T37N, R27W (508 acres m/l)

NE1/4, NW1/4, N1/2 SE1/4, N1/2 SW1/4, SE1/4 SW1/4, Section 22, T37N, R28W (520 acres m/l)

If approved by DNR, a lease to Great Lakes Exploration, Inc., would grant the exclusive right to explore for the presence of metallic minerals in described areas. While a lease alone does not grant a lessee a right to mine, it allows the first step in a process where the intended result is a metallic sulfide mine.

Interested parties may join the Oct. 28 virtual public meeting by going to https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2993742981406093839.

Based upon the necessary technology to conduct a virtual meeting and offer two-way communication for public comment, registration is required for those who desire to provide public comment during the meeting. Anyone wishing to participate in the public comment portion of the meeting will be allowed two minutes to speak. Should you not want to provide public comment and desire only to observe the meeting anonymously, or if you do not have internet access, please use this phone option by dialing 1(562)247-8422 and using access code 643-125-236. This meeting will be recorded and the recording will be made available to the public on the DNR website.

According to Ken Babcock, property analyst in the Michigan DNR Lease Management Unit, Minerals Management Section, an additional two weeks for public comments has been allowed. Anyone who would like to submit comments may do so by sending them by November 11, 2021, to DNR, Minerals Management Section, P.O. Box 30452, Lansing, MI 48909 or emailing them to DNR-Minerals@michigan.gov.

Dale Burie, president of the Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River, which has opposed the Back 40 mining project that was proposed to be located not far from these areas, stated the Coalition's opposition to this request, as follows:

"Great Lakes Exploration, owned by Tom Quigley, has submitted an application for exclusive rights to explore '1,609 acres, more or less' for the presence of metallic minerals. If this application is approved, all landowners will again be
subjected to massive drilling of test holes on State land to determine the viability of sulfide mining.

"Let us learn from history: Tom Quigley performed the test drilling on the Aquila properties, which to this day have not been properly abandoned and sealed, creating potential contamination sites for underlying water aquifers.

"When Mr. Quigley brought in Aquila Resources, they proceeded to sell their stock to area residents, promising huge profits, financial gains for businesses and schools, and temporary jobs. They continued to pull millions of dollars out of this region from residents’ pockets, savings and retirement accounts. Most recently, Aquila stock price was $.06 cents a share. 

"If Great Lakes Exploration is granted this Mineral Lease from the State of Michigan, it will be a pre-cursor of more of the same rhetoric, and history will repeat itself.

"We stand opposed to granting this Mineral Lease to Great Lakes Exploration."

The Coalition has encouraged concerned citizens to attend the public meeting or to write to the DNR at the above address or email to express their views.

Al Gedicks, emeritus professor of environmental sociology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and executive secretary of the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council, who has spoken out against the Back 40 mining project at several public meetings, has warned against the danger of the giant tailings pile proposed for the mine.

"Tom Quigley’s application for a mineral lease would extend sulfide mining in Menominee County," Gedicks says. "The dirty secret of the Back Forty proposed mine and any extension of sulfide mining in Menominee County is that 98 percent of the rock ends up as acid-generating waste in the form of waste rock and tailings that will be placed in a gigantic tailings dam over 100 feet high and covering an area over 100 acres (Aquila Resources, Part 315 Dam Safety Permit Application, Back Forty Project, November 2020)."

Informational slide show in Marinette, Wis.

An informational slide show presentation by Natalie Lashmet, a volunteer for the Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River, will be held in Marinette, Wis., for those able to attend in person, at 11 a.m. (CT) on Oct. 28, one hour before the public meeting, at NWTC MARINETTE, 1601 University Drive, Marinette, Room MN SC 101P, right inside front door # 22. The online public meeting will follow at Noon (CT), but persons in attendance at this location will only have a listening session. Those wishing to comment must register online for the virtual meeting (see above).

Guest article: Wolf management in Michigan should set good example

By Jeffrey Towner*

Gray Wolf. (Photo © and courtesy Gary Kramer/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

We are currently in the midst of an acrimonious debate in Michigan concerning management of gray wolves. For me this is an unwelcome déjà vu. Prior to retirement I supervised the endangered species program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in West Virginia and North Dakota. The gray wolf was on the federal list of endangered species in North Dakota during my tenure there. The common attitude of North Dakota landowners toward wolves was that they should be, and often were, shot on sight, even though it was a violation of federal law. During the 12 years I lived in Alaska, official state management included gunning wolves from the air, among other heinous practices.

One of the last acts of the Trump administration was the removal of the gray wolf from the list of endangered species, which returned management authority to the states. Last February a rushed wolf season in Wisconsin, contrary to the recommendations of the Wisconsin DNR, resulted in the harrying and killing of 216 wolves in four days, exceeding the quota set by the state by nearly 100 animals. Michigan is now conducting a public process designed to have the Wolf Management Advisory Council (WMAC) provide nonbinding recommendations to the state on wolf management. Many of the public comments made to the WMAC, and the attitude of many U.P. hunters, without any scientific basis, is that wolves pose a threat to the white-tailed deer herd, and thus the wolf population should be drastically reduced. Although it appears the DNR is attempting to follow a deliberative, science-driven process, they are being subjected to an all-too-familiar pressure campaign.

We too often hear public criticism of the Michigan DNR, and admonitions for them to "get on with it," to "stop kicking the can down the road," and similar criticisms. Such comments do not recognize the vital importance of engaging in a deliberative process, and of gathering all the information needed to make decisions on complex and controversial issues like wolf management.

I have been a hunter for much of my life, and I have passed that tradition on to my son, who is a Michigan hunter. I fully understand that deer hunters want to venture into the field with a reasonable chance of seeing and harvesting a deer. However, although the deer herd is managed for hunting, deer hunters have no special claim either to the deer or to the way wolves are managed. Non-consumptive uses of wolves -- to include simply the knowledge that they exist -- have equal, if not greater, inherent value as consumptive uses. These wildlife resources are part of our birth right as Americans, and they belong to all of us.

I believe we should view the issue of gray wolves in Michigan in a broader context. We are living through the Earth’s sixth mass extinction event of species and the collapse of ecosystems all over the world. Extinctions are occurring at a rate estimated at 100 to 1,000 times greater than natural background rates. The 2019 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, published by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, posits that roughly one million species of plants and animals face extinction within decades as the result of human actions. In this context we should bear in mind that the gray wolf was only removed from the list of endangered species in January this year, and the definition of endangered means that a species is in danger of going extinct.

The gray wolf is a keystone species, which means they have a greater effect on their natural environment relative to their abundance. Eliminating or greatly reducing keystone species can lead to ecosystem degradation or even collapse. Review of the relevant scientific literature points to the fact that wolves and the animals making up their prey base, if left to their own devices, will reach equilibrium.

As a recently restored meta-population of wolves, we must ensure that Michigan wolves will continue to be secure in healthy numbers far into the future. A majority of Michiganders surveyed take great pride in the fact that at least in the UP we have adequate suitable habitat, an adequate prey base, sufficient human tolerance, and years of dedication and hard work by the professionals at the DNR, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), non-governmental organizations, and concerned citizens -- resulting in a population of wolves sufficient to have them considered recovered. And by the way, a significant amount of taxpayers’ dollars have been spent in the recovery of wolves. Every wolf killed is in a sense being subsidized by the taxpayers.

Gray Wolf. (Photo credit: Tracy Brooks/Mission Wolf / USFWS)

Any decision on a wolf season must be based on the best available science. Research conducted over many years by the DNR clearly demonstrates that deer numbers are determined by many other factors other than predation by wolves. Research in the Upper Peninsula as well as in other locations in the country show that reducing the wolf population as a way to boost deer populations is not justified. A season on wolves must not be held as an experiment. Where would we find a control population? How would we control for other variables affecting the deer herd beyond wolf predation, such as disease, body condition, human harvest, weather, habitat and food availability?

Before any decision is reached on holding a wolf season, the DNR should first complete its revision of the Wolf Management Plan on the timeline determined appropriate by the Director -- and after conducting a thorough survey of all interested Michiganders, not just Yoopers. Killing wolves seems to be a winning issue among the science-denying crowd, and unfortunately a number of politicians are grandstanding and interfering with the process deemed appropriate by the wildlife professionals charged with managing this resource.

The current assault on wolves is calling into question the ability of states to responsibly manage this species. In Montana the hunting and trapping season in 2019 killed nearly 300 wolves. In Wyoming it is legal in most of the state to shoot wolves on sight as vermin or to chase a wolf on a snowmobile until it collapses and run over it until dead. (A bill outlawing this practice was resoundingly defeated in the legislature.) In Idaho it is legal to trap wolf pups outside a den and beat them to death. Contrary to expert opinion of the Idaho Fish and Game Department, a recent bill was passed to have 90 percent of the population (from ~1,500 to 150) killed by contractors, with no limit on private hunters, no closed season in most of the state, and allowing the use of motorized vehicles and night vision equipment. In Alaska the Trump administration allowed the destruction of wolf adults and pups in their den in national preserves. None of this is justified on a scientific or moral basis. This state mismanagement has resulted in calls for the Fish and Wildlife Service to place the gray wolf back on the endangered species list.

Gray Wolf pups. (Photo credit: Voyageurs Wolf Project Recipient of 2020 National Wolfwatcher Wolf Education Mini- Grant)

For those wolf hunt advocates who claim to be sportsmen and sportswomen who believe in fair chase, where is the outrage over such practices? In my view the only legitimate scientific reason for taking wolves is for those individual animals that have been documented as killing livestock or pets be removed by the DNR. There is certainly no compelling reason to hold a wolf trapping and hunting season based on the demands of a vocal minority. Above all, let’s make sure that in Michigan we manage our wolves scientifically and humanely and ensure that we never have to witness an uncontrolled slaughter like the one that occurred last winter in Wisconsin.**

Editor's Notes:

* Guest author Jeffrey Towner is a Certified Wildlife Biologist and member of the board of directors of the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition (UPEC). 

** See these New York Times articles: "Wisconsin More Than Doubles Wolf-Hunting Quota, Angering  Conservationists." (Aug. 11, 2021) and "Wisconsin Hunters Kill Over 200 Wolves in Less Than 3 Days." (March 3, 2021)

UPDATE: Some good recent news from Wisconsin: See "'Catastrophic and Irreparable Harm' to Wolves Averted as Wisconsin Judge Cancels Hunt."

Guest article: People of the Heart Water Walk offers hope for area lake

By Theresa Pitts*

Theresa Pitts, KBIC (Keweenaw Bay Indian Community) member, stands at Astor Shipwreck Park, Copper Harbor, on the first morning of the 2021 People of the Heart Water Walk. (Photo © and courtesy J. Pitts)

As an Anishinaabe born in the Keweenaw, I cut my teeth along its many miles of shoreline. I gleaned a healthy respect for the power of the "Big Lake" and crab crawled carefree in the shallows of the Portage. I shared in the bounty of a Rice Lake catch and paused at the pebbled edge of Fannie Hooe, curious about her namesake. Lakes were elemental to my childhood here in the Copper Country -- they were my relatives. Yet there was one body of water which held me at arm’s length, one which seemed orphaned from the rest. I woke to it each day. Watched its changing moods. Marked its shifting colors. That was the lake that piqued my interest. And it lay in my own backyard: Torch Lake.

To a child’s eye, Torch Lake looked not unlike other lakes in the area -- a magnificent field of blue, a playground waiting to be discovered. Ripples blew like whistles across her surface, and the Keweenaw sun glinted like fallen stars upon her quiver. Overhead, seagulls squawked and squabbled. Their elongated wings swooped to and fro, surfing wind currents, weaving a soiled, ivory fabric overhead. It was mesmerizing.

The late autumn sun lights Torch Lake in Hubbell. (Photo © and courtesy J. Pitts)

But there was more to Torch Lake than met the eye. Though her surface appeared fresh and inviting, a dark history lay below. Once a deep, clear, fish-rich glacial bowl, Torch had fallen victim to the mounds of gray sand which now filled her belly and marked her boundaries -- stamp sand dumped there by copper giants Quincy, C and H, and Ahmeek, among others. The sand damaged the lake’s ecosystem, smothered vegetation, starved the fish. And that wasn’t all. There were toxins, too. Heavy metals in the tailings wreaked havoc. And with the dumping of sand came the disposition of mining chemicals as well: arsenic, mercury, PCBs, and PAHs. The lake was churning with enough toxins to endanger entire towns, much less its delicate populations of Northern Pike, Sturgeon, or Smallmouth Bass.

And so the lake became off limits.

The Quincy Dredge lists along the Torch Lake shoreline. (Photo © and courtesy Theresa Pitts)

The fishing ceased. The swimming ceased. The wading met its end. Torch Lake grew silent in her pain. But still we heard it. We, her neighbors perched upon the edge of this ecological disaster -- the residents of Lake Linden, Hubbell, Tamarack City, and Mason. Our lake views now served as constant reminders of what had happened to the waters, to the fish, to the vegetation. Undoing the damage seemed insurmountable. Even the Environmental Protection Agency struggled to right the wrongs committed upon Torch Lake.

But there are other ways to heal the water. Other methods. Other beliefs. And last week was one example. 

On October 9-11, the third annual People of the Heart Water Walk took place in the Keweenaw. It was a departure from science and industry; a chance to offer spiritual comfort to the waters of our peninsula, to sing and pray for its healing. It was a time to peacefully call attention to the plight of what we as Anishinaabe call Nibi, our word for water. Some two dozen individuals from the U.P. to lower Michigan to Wisconsin joined together with one common goal: to walk on water’s behalf.

A group of Water Walkers make their way along M-26 in Keweenaw County on the first morning of the walk. (Photo © Terri Denomie and courtesy Theresa Pitts)

An Anishinaabe ceremony which welcomes all to participate, the three-day Water Walk began in the early morning hours along Gitchigami’s shoreline in Copper Harbor. A headlamp glowed as the women prepared traditional medicines for the walk. The sun was slow to rise that morning, like a bear heavy with the approach of winter’s slumber. The Superior breeze was present but kind. And our ears and hearts were filled with the melody of our purpose: the sound of rushing water from Fannie Hooe Falls to our west.

The group walked over thirty miles that day. Grandmothers and mothers, fathers and children. They skirted M-26 through Eagle Harbor and Eagle River, then turned south toward Mohawk where they rested for the night. Though I had been with them that morning to see them off, I didn’t join the walk myself until the second day. The clouds were low overhead. There was mist in the air and the wind had picked up. We walked through Calumet and Laurium, then down into the valley. I could see the tip of Torch Lake below, could feel my calling. Yes, I was walking for all water, but it was Torch Lake which I would focus on that day. It was this lake that needed my attention the most. And so, as we passed through the streets of Lake Linden, I contacted our support crew. "I’ll meet you near Hubbell," I told them. "I’d like to walk from there to Mason."

Theresa Pitts carries Nibi near Calumet. Mike Rodriquez walks beside her with the Eagle Staff. (Photo © Terri Denomie and courtesy Theresa Pitts)

I left the group and was driven ahead, where I stood waiting in the shadow of the old C and H Mineral Building at Hubbell’s edge. It stands as proof of the industrial surge. Its property line is fenced, and signs posted warn of the dangers that lie beyond -- primarily roofing asbestos, an airborne health hazard. Mining affected more than our waters.

When the group approached, the copper vessel in which a small amount of Nibi is carried was relayed to me as I headed off through town. To my left I had a protector, a local pastor who carried the Eagle Staff. Behind me a group of young adults, students from Michigan Tech, all walked with us, their spirits high, their company welcomed. We traveled through Hubbell, my childhood home, then continued onto Tamarack City. We passed the sandstone ridge beyond, gazed at the old Quincy Mill, paid homage to the lopsided dredge. Then suddenly, my goal came into sight: the first hints of Mason, a former Quincy Mining Company town. As a child I had spent much of my life in Mason. My gramma lived there. Other family members kept homes in Mason, too. Back then, we children sometimes walked along the base of the sandbank, the gray sands of the town’s Stamp Mill and Reclamation Plant seeping into our sneakers. It was in Mason where I learned of the dangers of Torch Lake. It was there I came to understand at an early age that her water was sick.

Theresa Pitts and other Water Walkers reach Mason in Osceola Township. Rev. Bucky Beach of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church walks beside her with the Eagle Staff. (Photo © Charli Mills and courtesy Theresa Pitts)**

As I walked along, I sang to Nibi. I sang to Torch Lake. I sent good thoughts in all directions. I prayed that the lake would heal. That her water would recover. That the fish would one day find new sources of food. That their deformities I’d heard talk of would end. I told my walking companions of my story, of having grown up along that stretch. I wanted them to make a personal connection to that wounded space. I hoped to foster empathy. I prayed the lake would feel our compassion.

We were nearing the Mason sign when the pastor spotted something overhead. "There’s an eagle," he said. I kept my eyes ahead, my heart full, as the others watched it weave in and out of the treetops. To the Anishinaabe, Migizi, the Bald Eagle, is a comfort. Not only is it indoodem, my clan, but it is the spirit that carries our prayers to the Creator.

I hope that was exactly what Migizi had in mind . . . 

Editor's Notes:

* Guest author Theresa Pitts, KBIC member and Keweenaw resident, writes both fiction and creative nonfiction. She is a student of Anishinaabe culture and language and is active in the protection and preservation of wolves in the state of Michigan.

** Watch for another article on the 2021 People of the Heart Water Walk, with more photos, coming soon.

People vs Fossil Fuels brings evidence of Enbridge destruction by Line 3 to protest in Washington DC

By Barbara With*
Videos by Honor the Earth
Posted Oct. 13, 2021, on Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative
Reprinted with permission

From October 11 through 15, 2021, thousands of people are taking action at the White House to participate in civil disobedience and demand that President Biden choose a side: People vs. Fossil Fuels. (Photo: Keri Pickett)**

On October 12, hundreds of water protectors gathered in front of the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) headquarters in Washington DC to deliver 2,000,000 petitions from 14 different organizations, signed by people across the country demanding the ACOE stop Enbridge Line 3 across northern Minnesota and conduct an environmental impact statement.

Water protectors deliver petitions against Enbridge's Line 3 to the Army Corps of Engineers in Washington DC. (Video by Honor the Earth)

Ron Turney, from the White Earth Nation, has been documenting Enbridge’s environmental violations and along with Jaime Pinkham, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, has witnessed numerous infractions first hand.

On Oct. 12, 2021, Ron Turney of the White Earth Nation speaks at People vs. Fossil Fuels Indigenous People's Day regarding Enbridge's damage to the Minnesota watershed due to the construction of Line 3 through 1855 Treaty Territory. (Video by Honor the Earth)

Enbridge claims to be pumping oil through the lines, but Turney reports the MNDNR deny any oil is flowing.

Contact Jaime Pinkham and add your voice of support: jaime.a.pinkham.civ@mail.mil
(703) 697-4672.

Editor's Notes:

* Guest author Barbara With is a journalist for the Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative.

** See our Keweenaw Now right column for links to the People vs. Fossil Fuels events in DC.

GUEST EDITORIAL: We are all connected, and we are all being threatened by Enbridge and the politicians who support them

By Barbara With*
Posted Oct. 2, 2021, on Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative
Reprinted with permission

On July 19, 2021, Mary Klein, Winona LaDuke, Barbara With, Trish Weber, Cheryl Barnds, Kelly Maracle, and Flo Razowsky were arrested on an Enbridge easement running illegally through 1855 Treaty Territory at the Shell River near Park Rapids, MN. (Photo: Citizen X)

Dear friends and neighbors,

As many of you might know, I spent this past summer at Shell City Water Protector Camp in northern Minnesota, taking a stand to protect the water there from Enbridge Line 3 tar sands pipeline. The destruction this project has caused is a nightmare.

While I appreciate being thanked for my service, I would much prefer to see an engaged community who are aware of these dangers and also willing to take a stand to protect our beloved Lake Superior from the destruction this multinational corporation is bringing our way in Northern Wisconsin via Line 5.

Two months after my arrest, Enbridge is proving they are indeed a threat to us all as they destroy the waters even before they turn on their tar sands to flow through those damaged and damaging Line 3 pipes.

September 26, 2021: Near the headwaters of the Mississippi--rising drilling fluids in the wetlands caused by Enbridge Line 3. According to Minnesota licensed geologist Jeffrey Brosberg, recent rainfall may have added to the groundwater pressure causing the drilling fluids to rise weeks after their horizontal directional drilling was completed. Five drilling fluid releases were documented at this location, but only two were reported to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, who are in charge of Enbridge’s 401 Clean Water Permit. (Photo: Ron Turney)

September 28, 2021: Massive waste containment failure at Enbridge’s Line 3 Clearwater River crossing. Water Protectors monitoring the situation reveal what appears to be another aquifer breach with drill mud and groundwater rising from the drill pad. The waste holding tanks that have been constructed fill up fast and the excess is discharged onto the grass. A holding tank can be seen leaking and was drained into the nearby woods thru straw bales. A blueish oily residue can be seen in the grass. What is in those chemicals? (Photo: Ron Turney)

Line 3 was re-routed out of Canada and into the water-rich lands of 1855 Treaty Territory in northern Minnesota without consulting the Tribes and after Enbridge achieved what is known as "regulatory capture." Minnesota regulatory agencies have abandoned the public trust and are being dominated by the very interests they are charged with regulating. In this case, the foreign multinational corporation convinced politicians on all sides of the aisle and every level of government to protect them over protecting the water, land, wild rice, and people of the State of Minnesota.

Because of this, on August 4, 2021, the White Earth Band of Ojibwe sued the Minnesota DNR. Plaintiffs assert that the diversion of 5 billion gallons of water for an oil pipeline will interfere with both the rights of manoomin (wild rice), as well as the rights of tribal members to use Treaty lands to hunt, fish, and gather wild rice.

As of August 2021, Enbridge-funded Northern Lights Task Force has paid over $1.7 million for Minnesota county law enforcement to protect the multinational foreign corporation and to make over 900 arrests of water protectors. Task Force members were recently documented using pain compliance and rubber bullets on non-violent water protectors. Minnesota is now an oil company with a police force.

This insanity is now in Wisconsin, as Enbridge prepares to do the same over here with their proposed new Line 5 through the Penokee Hills. It’s a looming nightmare that must be stopped before it starts.

Enbridge’s proposed new Line 5 through the Penokees crosses every major river in the watershed. Plans include mile-long horizontal directional drilling -- the same that produced the many breeches in the Minnesota aquifers as they drilled under 207 waterways over there -- and blasting through the million-year-old granite, rich with asbestos, in order to install their new line. (Map: Carl Lemke Sack)

Enbridge is proposing the new Line 5 through the Bad River watershed in the Penokee Hills because their permit to operate the original Line 5 through the Bad River reservation expired in 2013. The Tribe is suing them to decommission the line and remove it from the ground. Enbridge is now operating Line 5 illegally.

Enbridge Line 5 exposure in the Denomie Creek subwatershed. Sandbags were temporarily installed under the free-standing pipeline. (Photo: MNRD)

From Bad River, Line 5 continues on into Michigan, where it is also operating illegally, as Gov. Whitmer ordered Enbridge to shut down the now 68-year-old line that is damaged and dangerously positioned under the Straits of Mackinac. They refused, forcing Whitmer to start more extreme actions to protect the Straits.

After that, Line 5 heads back to Canada via Sarnia, where it is shipped off to Canadian and foreign markets.

I live in Lake Superior, on Mooningwaanekaaning Minis (Madeline Island), the sacred center of the Anishinaabe universe. I understand that we have a paradise here, but we non-Indigenous people are the privileged who get to live here when so few Indigenous folks can afford to visit their sacred homeland, much less own property here. Because of that, we never see the economic and social struggles of the Tribes because they are systemically excluded from coming and living here. We are privileged because so many of us will never have to deal with, for example, the racist conditions of the Ashland County jail, like those our Indigenous friends and neighbors are subjected to. It’s time to recognize how our privilege to just ignore these problems stemming from centuries of genocidal US Government policies are preventing us from effectively dealing with them, and continuing to harm the Indigenous people whose homelands we inhabit.

Imagine oil washing up at Joni’s Beach, or on your own beach. Imagine your drinking water being made undrinkable because Enbridge uses PFAS -- forever chemical -- just to install the pipelines. Imagine watching the Penokee Hills get blasted apart in order to put that pipeline through.

Today [October 2] we will be celebrating the 167th Anniversary of the 1854 Treaty, signed here on the Island. It is our responsibility to learn what it means to be Treaty People. Water Protectors from Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin will be here all day to educate, inspire, and ask you to TAKE ACTION to stop this monstrous situation from destroying what we all hold so dear. We will be at the Harry Nelson Ballpark all day. Come learn how to help.**

THIS IS NOT ONLY A REPUBLICAN EFFORT. Our Democratic Senator Janet Bewley crafted the Felony Protest Bill, originally drafted by the American Petroleum Institute, of which Enbridge is a member. Despite huge objections from her constituents, and despite the Chequamegon Dems writing a resolution begging her, Rep. Beth Meyers and Gov. Tony Evers, all Democrats, not to support that horrible bill, they did -- they passed it. All without consulting the Tribes. Now it’s a felony to even be caught standing on an Enbridge easement. This is how regulatory capture happens.

Now Indigenous community members, whose spiritual obligations have always included protecting the water and providing for their community, are facing felony charges if they fulfill these spiritual responsibilities.

(Cartoon: William J. Krupinski)

Please familiarize yourself with Man Camps, temporary Enbridge housing for construction workers that threaten all Indigenous women. One out of every three Indigenous women will go missing or murdered. ONE OUT OF THREE. These Man Camps harbor those who prey on Indigenous women. Right now, the AmericInn in Ashland is housing the influx of Enbridge workers who have come to start building this devastating project, even before Enbridge has received permits, and before the Wisconsin DNR finalizes their Environmental Impact Statement.

This is a potential disaster we can and must prevent. Stopping the construction of Line 5 and the social, environmental, cultural and spiritual devastation it will bring is not just about our beautiful, beloved and sacred part of the world. It’s about the survival of the entire planet. We are all connected, and we are all being threatened by Enbridge and the politicians who support them.

In the end, you simply cannot drink oil.

Editor's Notes:

* Guest author Barbara With is a journalist for the Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative.

** Although it is too late to attend this event you can learn more and help by supporting/following the Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative, a volunteer organization.

Indigenous Peoples' Day 2021 events to include Water Walk, Nationwide Code Red for Earth, Waterside Trail and Read Along

Indigenous Peoples' Day events poster. (Poster courtesy People of the Heart Water Walk and Indigenous Peoples' Day Campaign)

HOUGHTON -- Join the celebrations, discussions and ceremonies to share and uplift practices that honor Indigenous knowledge and cultures in several events co-hosted by People of the Heart Water Walkers; Michigan Tech faculty, staff and students from the Great Lakes Research Center; and local community members.

3rd Annual People of the Heart Water Walk -- Oct. 9-11
A journey of unity and awareness, the People of the Heart Water Walkers will walk nearly 90 miles through the Keweenaw Peninsula along Gichigami. The route this year will be reversed from the previous year, beginning at the Copper Harbor Lighthouse at Astor Shipwreck Park in Copper Harbor and concluding at Sand Point Lighthouse in Baraga.

People of the Heart Water Walkers gather at the Sand Point Lighthouse at the end of their first 90-mile walk from Copper Harbor to Baraga in October 2019. They will follow a similar route this year, concluding at this same Lighthouse. (Keweenaw Now file photo)

Again this year, because of COVID-19 concerns, distance participation is encouraged. A core group of walkers will undertake the main route. Others interested in doing this work for water may share their personal Water Walk experiences virtually through the group’s Facebook page or Google site.

The Water Walk is conducted through Anishinaabe ceremonial protocol with traditional understandings of the natural environment. Anishinaabekweg from the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community will assist in the walk. In this work, women lead the ceremony carrying a copper vessel filled with nibi, the Anishinaabe word for water. The water continually moves through the 1842 ceded territory throughout the day, beginning at sunrise and into the late afternoon. An eagle staff is carried beside them as protector.

Lisa Denomie of KBIC carries Nibi along Keweenaw Bay on US-41 near Arnheim, Michigan, on Oct. 10, 2020, the first day of the 2nd Annual People of the Heart Water Walk. Protector Mike Rodriguez carries the Eagle Staff. (File photo courtesy Gichigamikwe Terri Denomie)

The conclusion of the three-day event coincides with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This annual day of celebration, which falls on Oct. 11, honors the peoples, histories and cultures of Indigenous populations across the Americas.

Sponsors of the walk include the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Campaign of Upper Michigan, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region and the Michigan Tech Writing Center.

People of the Heart Water Walkers joins those of all colors, faiths and philosophies to work together for life’s most precious resource: Nibi.

Nationwide Code Red -- Wednesday, Oct. 6
Join the virtual, nationwide "Code Red" at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 6. Listen to Anishinaabekweg Doreen Blaker, Katy Bresette and Kathy Smith share stories and experiences about climate change, especially related to Nibi (water). Worldwide, Indigenous peoples are drawing attention to the Sixth Assessment Report on Climate Change -- thanks to which, the United Nations is calling this moment a "code red" for our Earth, and are emphasizing Indigenous peoples’ rights and participation in climate policy. Join the Code Red via Zoom.

Waterside Trail and Read Along -- Now to Oct. 18
Starting at the Portage Lake District Library, follow the waterside trail to East Houghton Park, and read We Are Water Protectors page by page along the way. Written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade, the book is about a young girl who learns from her Nokomis (grandmother) about protecting water and Earth. 

Local supporters of women's reproductive rights, legal abortion, hold Oct. 2 Women's March on Lift Bridge in solidarity with Women's March in DC

By Michele Bourdieu

Nearly 100 local supporters of women's reproductive rights marched across the Portage Lift Bridge from Houghton to Hancock on October 2, 2021, displaying signs in solidarity with the Women's March in Washington, DC, the same day. Click on photos for larger versions. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

HOUGHTON -- Supporters of women's reproductive rights, including the right to choose and the right to abortion as guaranteed in the United States by Roe vs. Wade, walked from Houghton to Hancock and back across the Portage Lift Bridge on a very warm Saturday afternoon, October 2. Many remained on the bridge displaying signs to oncoming traffic and receiving supportive honks from people in passing vehicles.

The local Women's March was one of more than 600 "sister marches" across the US this week, partly in reaction to the recent Texas 6-week abortion ban.

Casper Padilla, Andrea Kingzette and Lauren Mancewicz, pictured r. to l. in the photo above, were among those who told Keweenaw Now why they joined the March.

Displaying a sign that said, "No Freedom Without Access," Padilla, a member of Michigan Tech's Students for Sustainability, said he believes in this movement for women's reproductive rights.

"I think that as a man I should support women, not bring them down," he said.

Accompanying Padilla was Andrea Kingzette of Pontiac, Mich., who recently moved to Houghton. Her sign, "Abortion Is Health Care," expressed a basic view of those who support legal abortion.

Lauren Mancewicz, a Michigan Tech graduate student in environmental engineering, carried a sign saying, "OUR bodies are NOT your POLITICAL PLAYGROUND."

"I think it's really important to stand up for what you believe in, especially in today's political climate," Mancewicz said.

A group of Baraga County Democrats also displayed signs facing traffic on the Houghton side of the bridge.  

Members of the Baraga County Democrats displaying their signs on the bridge, from left, are Nancy Herck (hidden behind sign at left), Al Punser, Becky Schultz and Karen Dekleyn. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

Al Punser of the Baraga County Dems said their members often travel to Houghton to participate in marches for liberal causes.

One of several local groups promoting this march was Keweenaw Youth for Climate Action.

Members of Keweenaw Youth for Climate Action stop for a photo on their way to the bridge. Pictured, from left, with their signs, are Sasha Chesler with Juno the dog, Kasey Lanese and her brother, Evan Lanese. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

Susan Burack of Hancock, who called herself the "instigator" (but not the leader) of this March, said the event was a collaboration of several groups, including the League of Women Voters® of Copper Country, local Democrats, Keweenaw Youth for Climate Action and others. She added it was important to have a local event and it was good to march in nice weather (Previous women's marches here were in January).

"Lots of traffic on the Bridge so we were VISIBLE," Burack commented. "Nice to have so many young people. One woman visiting from California. Another from downstate for Parents Week-end and glad to have a march here. Two co-eds from NMU (Northern Michigan University in Marquette) who drove over to march. Great signs."

Marchers return from Hancock to Houghton. Many remain on the Bridge and display signs for oncoming traffic. People in vehicles passing by honk their horns in support. Watch video on YouTube for larger screen. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

Members of the Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (KUUF) gathered near the Bridge after marching.

KUUF members pictured here, from left, are Miriam Pickens, Jim and Linda Belote, Laura Repp, Horst Schmidt and Julie Badel. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

Valorie Troesch, an active member of the Houghton County Democratic Party, told Keweenaw Now the Houghton County Dems didn't march as a group but did announce and promote the event. Several of their members, who participated in the March, gathered afterwards for a photo.

Members of the Houghton County Democratic Party who participated in Saturday's Women's March gather with signs for a photo near the Bridge. (Photo © William Keith and courtesy Valorie Troesch)

"This gathering of men and women in support of women's rights -- and most importantly right now, the urgent need to protect the rights established by Roe vs. Wade and keep abortion safe and legal -- was gratifying," Troesch said. "There was so much community support as well from the cars that drove by and honked. That was not surprising given that the vast majority of Americans want abortion to remain safe and legal."

Troesch also referred to testimonies in Congress this past week from women who spoke about their experiences with abortion -- testimonies demonstrating that no woman takes the decision to have an abortion lightly.

"The right of choice has been under attack ever since 1973 when Roe vs. Wade was decided, but it has never been more endangered than now," Troesch added. "At risk is the right to an abortion under almost any circumstances and, for all practical purposes, complete denial of the right to poor women who cannot afford to travel any distance or pay to obtain a legal and safe abortion. And we must act in Michigan. If Roe vs. Wade is overturned, the law in effect prior to that decision may likely go back into effect -- it has never been repealed. We must let out representatives and Governor Whitmer know where we stand."* (See UPDATE in Editor's Notes below.)

Barry Fink, president of the League of Women Voters® of Copper Country, also promoted the March with email ). She spoke to Keweenaw Now after the March on why voting is important for the protection of women's reproductive rights, including abortion.

Following the March, Barry Fink, president of the League of Women Voters® of Copper Country, explains how her sign is related to the March for women's reproductive rights. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

Fink began by saying she was pleased with the turnout for the event.

"I was especially pleased that we had students from Michigan Tech," Fink noted. "They had a sign-making session last night and they were here today."

Concerning her "Vote! It counts" sign, Fink referred to the importance of keeping abortion legal.

"The question of the legality of abortion and reproductive rights is legislative," Fink said, "and that requires that we have legislators who respect the will of the people. We know the majority of Americans want abortion to remain legal and safe."**

UPDATED: Editor's Notes: 

* See "'An alarming time for women in our country': Hundreds rally in Lansing for reproductive rights," in Michigan Advance, Oct. 2, 2021.

** See CBS News report on the Women's March in DC Oct. 2: "Thousands gather for the 2021 Women's March to stand up for abortion rights."

Mine operator plans to buy Aquila and its Back Forty mining project

By Mark Doremus*
Posted Sept. 20, 2021, on Back Forty Film
Reprinted here with permission

Menominee River. The proposed Back Forty mine would be located on a pristine section of the Menominee River, which forms a border between Michigan and Wisconsin. (Photo © and courtesy Mark Doremus)

Gold Resource Corp. (GORO) announced on Sept. 7 that it plans to take ownership of Aquila Resources, Inc., and its proposed Back Forty mine near the Menominee River.**

The deal, however, is not final. As of now, GORO and Aquila have agreed to negotiate a purchase of Aquila, but the transaction is not yet complete.

GORO proposes to acquire all outstanding shares of Aquila for C$30.9 million worth of GORO stock. Current Aquila shareholders will own 14.9 percent of GORO if the deal goes through, according to a letter agreement between the companies dated Sept. 7.  

Why Does GORO Want Aquila? 

GORO is at a disadvantage in the stock market because it has only one operating mine, in Mexico, which is considered to be a somewhat difficult jurisdiction for mining investors due to corruption, security concerns and other risks. GORO’s stock value would increase, according to the Sept. 7 letter agreement, if it is re-rated "from a one-mine company to a two-mine company with jurisdictional diversification." It would also be in a better position to borrow money to set up the Back Forty mine and possibly expand its operations elsewhere.

Of course, Aquila is an asset only if GORO can get the proposed Back Forty mine up and running, despite widespread public opposition to the project.

Opponents of the Back 40 mining project protest outside the Ogden Club in Menominee, Mich., on July 16, 2021. Ogden Club owners Tom and Robin Quigley started Aquila Resources and have supported its Back 40 project, while environmental, community and Native groups have resisted the project for years. (Photo © and courtesy Mark Doremus)

GORO confident it will get permits needed for Back Forty mine

"There exists a perception of permitting risk around the [Back Forty] project," said Allen Palmiere, GORO president and chief executive officer, during a Sept. 8 on-line discussion with investment analysts. "[However,] our due diligence gives us comfort that Michigan is a good jurisdiction for mining and that the permitting issues are all eminently resolvable."

Aquila Resources has spent 17 years and over $100 million trying to develop the Back Forty mine.  It received a mining permit from Michigan regulators in late 2016 and a wetlands permit in 2018 but abandoned both permits earlier this year in the face of persistent legal opposition from the Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. The proposed Back Forty mine would be located on the Menominee River west of Stephenson, Michigan, where the Menominee Tribe lived for thousands of years before they were removed to a reservation in Wisconsin.***

An eagle surveys the Menominee River near the proposed site of the Back Forty mine. (Photo © Anthony Corey and courtesy Mark Doremus)

Palmiere downplayed public opposition to the mine, and Aquila’s past permitting difficulties, in his Sept. 8 conference call with investment analysts. He called the denial of Aquila’s wetlands permit "a very administrative matter."

"The issue that arose was … the way the wetlands permit was worded, and it was viewed as being a conditional permit rather than an unconditional permit," he said.

In truth, the permit was overturned by an administrative law judge primarily because Aquila failed to submit the minimum information needed for its permit application to be evaluated by the public, and by the permitting agency, the Michigan Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).

A Michigan court sent Aquila’s amended mining permit back to that same administrative law judge for further review, based on new evidence that emerged after the judge originally upheld the revised permit.

In the end, Aquila gave up both permits on May 11, 2021, and went back to the drawing board to design a new project with a reduced environmental impact and, presumably, a greater chance of permitting success.

Glossing over local opposition to the Back Forty mine, Palmiere told analysts that Michigan is a favorable jurisdiction for mining projects.

"The Upper Peninsula [where the Back Forty mine would be located] is very supportive of mining," he said. "It is an area that is looking for economic development, and resources development is pretty low-hanging fruit for them."

Mine opponents, however, say they will continue to fight the Back Forty project.

Back 40 opponents protest on Sept. 24, 2021, across from the Ogden Club in Menominee, Mich. Mary Hansen (center, front row) has been organizing these Friday protests for several years. (Photo courtesy Mary Hansen)

"Although Aquila Resources has decided to take this opportunity to offer themselves to Gold Resources, this does not change the complexion of the threat to the Menominee River," said Dale Burie of the Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River. "Be assured that this battle has gone on for 20 years and will continue to go on until these speculative mining organizations give up on ever getting close to the Menominee River." 

The Menominee River is a world-class sport fishery that attracts anglers from around the world. (Drone photo © Robert Thompson and courtesy Mark Doremus)

GORO’s exclusive right to acquire Aquila Resources expires on Oct. 22, unless the parties reach a final agreement, or terminate negotiations, before that date.

Al Gedicks: GORO has NOT conducted "due diligence" regarding Aquila’s false, misleading claims about Back 40

By Al Gedicks

[Al Gedicks, Executive Secretary of the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council, posted this opinion article on Facebook Sept. 23, 2021. Thanks to Mark Doremus for calling our attention to this article.]

Inset photo: Al Gedicks speaking about Aquila's Dam Safety permit in 2019. (Keweenaw Now screenshot photo)

During a September 8 conference call about GORO’s acquisition of Aquila Resources, Inc., Mr. Allen Palmiere, the President and CEO of GORO stated: "The key takeaway on this particular project [referring to the Back Forty Project] is that it has, in fact, been fully permitted before. The issue that arose was a very technical -- it’s really a very administrative matter, but it was the way with which the wetlands permit was worded and it was viewed as being a conditional permit rather than an unconditional permit. And that was really the way -- the reason that that particular permit was pulled."

Mr. Palmiere’s statement reveals GORO’s failure to perform "due diligence" regarding Aquila’s false and misleading claims about the Back Forty Project. In its March 31, 2020, quarterly financial report Aquila falsely claimed that it had received the four key permits required to begin construction and operation at the Back Forty Project. In fact, Aquila never received a Dam Safety Permit. According to Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), "Aquila is not authorized to begin construction of the mine and will not be able to proceed until all permits, including the Dam Safety Permit, have been approved by EGLE." (EGLE Media Office, December 12, 2019).

At the time Aquila claimed to have received the four key permits for the Back Forty Project, only one of five required permits had been both "issued" and deemed "effective," and that was the NPDES Permit (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit, involving water discharge to the Menominee River). An "issued" permit is not considered "effective" until all pre-mine construction conditions have been met. Furthermore, no permit exists until the entire process, including any contested cases, have been decided. Even then, an Environmental Review Panel can review any contested case decision.

Mr. Palmiere promotes a false narrative of the Wetland Permit denial when he describes [Administrative Law Judge Daniel] Pulter’s ruling as "a very technical…very administrative matter" that was simply "the way with which the wetlands permit was worded."

However, the evidence presented by scientists from the Water Resources Division (WRD) of EGLE make it perfectly clear that Aquila Resources failed to provide critical information requested by the agency regarding pit dewatering and its effect on wetlands. This is not simply an issue of how the wetlands permit was worded. The surface and subsurface drainage of wetlands is regulated under Part 303 [Wetlands Protection], and this activity is prohibited without a permit from EGLE.

During her testimony in the contested wetland permit case, Ms. Kristina Wilson, an environmental quality specialist for the WRD, testified that the pit dewatering to keep the pit dry for mining excavation would drain groundwater from the wetlands but was not disclosed in the permit application as a potential impact. "Draining surface waters from a wetland under Part [303] is a direct impact, but those impacts are not addressed in this application." (Final Decision and Order, January 4, 2021, p. 18).

Mr. Eric Chatterson, a geology specialist with the WRD, testified that Aquila not only withheld wetland impact data but also manipulated the computer model to minimize significant negative impacts to wetlands. He testified that the model "wasn’t really built to answer as far as I could tell any questions about the wetland." He further testified that Aquila "predetermined what was going to happen and it just manipulated the mathematics to make that happen." (p. 28 of Final Decision).

"Based on the evidence in this case," said Judge Pulter, "I find as a Matter of Fact, that Aquila’s computer groundwater model does not provide a reliable identification of wetland impacts, particularly those related to groundwater drawdown due to pit dewatering…Therefore, based on the evidence in this case, I find, as a Matter of Fact, that the revised application for a permit filed by Aquila in the contested case is not administratively complete…Because it was not administratively complete, the Application must be denied, and this contested case must be dismissed." (p. 32, Final Decision and Order).

Contrary to Mr. Palmiere’s false narrative, Aquila’s Wetland Permit cannot be dismissed as "an administrative matter" or "the wording of the permit." Judge Pulter made a decision based on the facts and determined that Aquila failed to demonstrate the ability to protect the area and not harm the resources in and around the Menominee and Shakey River watersheds.****

Editor's Notes:

* Guest writer Mark Doremus is a Wisconsin filmmaker who posts articles, photos and videos on the Facebook page Back 40 Film. Gold Resource Corp. did not immediately respond to his request for comment on this article and Al Gedicks’ response.

** See the Sept. 7, 2021 press release from GORO here. The proposed Back 40 mining project is intended to produce gold, zinc and other metals.

*** See Keweenaw Now's May 14, 2021, article, "Opponents of Back 40 mining project welcome Aquila's withdrawal from two contested permits but remain vigilant as company announces new plans."

**** See also Keweenaw Now's Jan. 11, 2021, article, "Water protectors celebrate judge's denial of Back 40 sulfide mine Wetlands Permit."

Call for investigation follows Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority disclosures

From: Oil and Water Don't Mix
Posted Sept. 20, 2021, on their Web site*
Reprinted here with permission

The board members of the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority (MSCA) are pictured here during their September 20, 2021, meeting: from left, Anthony England (D), Ypsilanti (term expires Dec. 12, 2024); Michael Nystrom (R), East Lansing, Chair (term expires Dec. 12, 2021); and Paul Novak (D), Detroit (term expires Dec. 12, 2024). (Photo courtesy Oil and Water Don't Mix)

Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority (MSCA) members were asked on Monday, September 20, to investigate actions by its chair amid questions raised surrounding possible conflicts of interest and Chair Michael Nystrom’s newly disclosed attempt to have Enbridge take over funding of consultants hired to help oversee Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 tunnel project.

The Oil and Water Don’t Mix coalition made this request at Monday's MSCA meeting where a key document related to tunnel construction is on the agenda for discussion but has been blocked from public disclosure by Enbridge and Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) staff. In addition to Nystrom, Anthony England, and Paul Novak are also on the three-member MSCA created by the state Legislature in 2018.**

"Given there are so many questions and so much secrecy and power concentrated in the authority’s chair, the two other corridor authority members have a responsibility to ensure there is transparency and accountability," said Sean McBrearty, Oil and Water Don’t Mix coordinator. "Dr. England and Mr. Novak as fully appointed authority members need to know the commitments, plans, and conversations Chair Nystrom has had on their behalf, and on behalf of the people of Michigan."**

In documents obtained by Oil and Water Don’t Mix under Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Nystrom is revealed last year to have repeatedly pushed for Enbridge to take over funding of the authority’s expert consultants. The consultants were hired to assist the authority in providing oversight of Enbridge’s proposed tunnel project. Nearly $500,000 in authority consulting contracts came under scrutiny after being signed by Nystrom during an 11-month period where there were no public meetings held by the three-member authority. 

Authority members have also be asked to investigate possible conflicts of interest involving Nystrom, who is executive vice president of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA). MITA represents union and non-union contractors, including Jay Dee Contractors, whom Enbridge has hired for the tunnel project. Jay Dee's top executive is a member of the MITA board of directors, according to MITA’s website. As part of its oversight responsibilities, the corridor authority reviews and approves Enbridge’s construction design and implementation plans.

The draft request for construction proposals (RFP) is currently under review by the authority, which is a public body. But in response to a FOIA request from Oil and Water Don’t Mix’s communications coordinator, David Holtz, MDOT refused to provide a copy of the draft construction proposal, claiming that only Enbridge can grant access to it via a private online portal. Among other details, the construction RFP will likely set parameters and qualifications for bidders on an estimated $1-2 billion project. Nystrom’s infrastructure association represents more than 500 construction contractors, and Nystrom is in a position to influence and eventually approve any draft RFP from Enbridge.

While Enbridge and the authority move ahead with plans to replace the existing Line 5 pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac with a pipeline in a tunnel, the project’s future and its timeline are uncertain. If Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s action to revoke Enbridge’s easement for Line 5 in the Straits is upheld by the courts, Enbridge would no longer be able to operate the existing Line 5 and an oil tunnel project would likely be moot. Meanwhile, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to conduct an environmental review of the tunnel proposal, any tunnel authorization will be several years away or may never happen.***

Editor's Notes: (UPDATED)

* Oil and Water Don't Mix is a coalition of citizens, businesses, organizations, governments, tribes and faith communities opposed to Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac and Enbridge's proposed tunnel to contain the pipeline as long as 99 years into the future. Click here for news from Oil and Water Don't Mix -- articles related to the coalition's campaign to shut down Line 5 and stop the tunnel project. 

** Click here for a video of Sean McBrearty stating the request from Oil and Water Don't Mix during the Sept. 20, 2021, Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority (MSCA) meeting. You may also view his comments on YouTube.

*** Keweenaw Now attempted to watch the Sept. 20 MSCA meeting, but the sound difficulties and audio interruptions made it impossible to report accurately on the presentations at the meeting, which consisted mostly of Enbridge representatives describing technical aspects of the proposed tunnel.

UPDATE: A video recording of the Sept. 20 MSCA meeting is now available here.

"Spirit of the Hunt" exhibit kicks off with Human-Wolf discussion

By Nicholas Wilson*

"Wolf," by Joyce Koskenmaki, 2021. Click on photos for larger versions. (Photos © and courtesy Nicholas Wilson)

HOUGHTON -- On Friday, September 3, community members and Michigan Tech students gathered in Forestry's Noblet atrium to view artistic representations of carnivore species and to engage in a conversation about the complicated relationship shared by wolves and humans.

The exhibit, titled "The Spirit of the Hunt," is a collaboration between the Michigan Tech College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES), the Department of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA), and Project Coyote. Its goal is to highlight the beauty of native carnivore species and call attention to the plight of the Michigan wolf population. The exhibit continues until October 15, 2021. 

"Rebuilding the Great Lakes Wolf," Driftwood, by Catherine Plank, 2021.

This event follows the January 2021 removal of wolves from the federal endangered species list and coincides with a number of lawsuits and state legislative actions concerning the management of wolf populations. Recent proposals in Michigan’s legislature, including Senate Bill 486 and House Bills 5078 and 5079, have the potential to impact wolf management decisions.**

The exhibit features multimedia artworks including photos, paintings, and poetry displayed throughout the atrium of the Noblet Building. The art pieces on display were created by both national and local artists including UP-based artists Joyce Koskenmaki and Ladislav Hanka. The exhibit was guest-curated by Catherine Plank, a graduate student in Ecosystems Science and Management at the University of Michigan.

"Gifts of Rock and Cedar," by Ladislav Hanka, 1994.

The art pieces in the exhibit are for sale and proceeds will benefit Project Coyote, a nonprofit organization working to educate the public and enhance conservation of predator species in the United States.

The Friday afternoon event served as the opening for the exhibit and featured two speakers: Tanya Aldred of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLFWC) and Dr. John Vucetich, Michigan Tech professor and wolf expert.

In Michigan Tech's Forestry building, Tanya Aldred of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLFWC) opens the Sept. 3 discussion on the relationship between wolves and humans.

Tanya Aldred: "Ma’iingan (wolf): An Ojibwe Perspective"

Tanya Aldred, a member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) and a GLFWC biologist, began the event with a presentation titled "Ma’iingan (wolf): An Ojibwe Perspective."

She explained the significance of wolves to the Ojibwe people, providing an abridged account of the Anishinaabe creation story. In this story, Original Man was assigned the task of naming all species by the Great Spirit. When Original Man became lonely and asked the Creator for a partner, the wolf became his companion.

When the task was complete, the Creator told Original man that it was time for him and the wolf to part ways: "But from this time forward you will always be brothers," Aldred recounted. "What happens to one will happen to the other."

Aldred explained this proclamation had proven true. She noted similarities between the histories and treatment of both Native Americans and wolves in the United States. Aldred described how the mistreatment and abuse of native peoples in the United States coincided with the near extermination of wolf populations and how the movement among tribes to fight for treaty and civil rights was concurrent with wolf population recovery.

Tanya Aldred, a KBIC tribal member and GLIFWC biologist, offers an Ojibwe perspective on the wolf.

With their deep respect for and connection with wolves, Native American tribes have been strong opponents of recent wolf hunts such as Wisconsin’s February 2021 hunt during which 216 wolves -- about 20 percent of the state’s population -- were killed in just 3 days.

"The tribes were very upset about the hunt -- what they call slaughter," said Aldred. "I was devastated."

She described performing necropsies on wolves killed during the hunt and discovering that, in the case of some females, as many as 14 pups were found inside a single pregnant wolf.

"This is a bad time to be taking wolves and it's never happened this late in the season," she said.

Aldred also described her own background as a tribal member, a lifelong wildlife enthusiast, and a biologist working with fishers, otters, bobcats, and pine martins.

"I’ve always been interested in wolves, but that was someone else’s job," she said. "And then, in January during the recent delisting, it hit me."

As a member of the Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota wolf committees, Aldred called for a "bottom up" approach to wildlife and natural resources management.

"I’m here to be a voice for those who can’t defend themselves -- the plants and animals and air and water," she explained. "Because we depend upon all of them. It’s our responsibility to take care of them."

Aldred concluded on an optimistic note: "I don’t feel alone in the battle. People need to be educated about this and understand that it’s not a lost cause," she said. "There will be battles, there will be turmoil and politics that we can’t control; but participating in events like this, talking to people and having good healthy conversations -- I think that’s what brings us all together."

John Vucetich: "On the relationship between humans and wolves"

In the second presentation, Dr. John Vucetich wrestled with the legislation, government structures, lawsuits, and cultural factors that compose the complicated relationship shared by humans and wolves.

Throughout his presentation, Vucetich emphasized that recent developments in wolf management have changed the way that he thinks about, and tells the story of, the human-wolf relationship: "The idiosyncratic nature of the comments that I have really does speak to the fact that I don’t know how to tell the story anymore."
 
He began by noting that six US states -- Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming -- have sizeable wolf populations and that some of these states, especially Wisconsin and Idaho, are pursuing aggressive wolf hunting, while Michigan is currently evaluating how to manage and hunt wolves.

Vucetich then set out to help answer the questions "Why is this happening?" and "How did it happen?" 

 "America has a really rich hunting tradition," he noted. "But never in our American history have we decided to hunt something because we hate it. If what I’m proposing is true, then this is the first time in our history that we have decided that we want to hunt something because we hate it." 

John Vucetich, Michigan Tech wildlife ecologist and leader of the Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale project, speaks on wolf hunting and wildlife management.

He added, "That is a stain on the American hunting tradition that will not easily be washed away. That’s going to be with us for a long time."

Vucetich then discussed the legal and political factors that shape wildlife management decision making in the US and stressed the importance of states.

"Wildlife is managed at the state level with few exceptions," he said. "How do you work in the states' politics environment to make things better for the natural environment?"

Vucetich explained that most state agencies that manage wildlife receive a large portion of their revenues from hunting, especially through the sale of hunting licenses.

"The people who work in these agencies have a strong tendency to see hunters as their primary constituency, not the residents of their state," he said. "This relationship will be difficult to change unless you can change the funding structure of state agencies."

He also noted while many hunters do not support the extremely aggressive wolf hunting measures, a small group of very vocal hunters do. 

Vucetich then considered the American public’s perception of wolves and the larger public relationship with the natural world. He noted concern over climate change seems to be becoming increasingly prevalent among citizens and politicians alike, but pointed out that the global climate has a direct effect on human wellbeing.

"We exterminated wolves from most of the US and for the most part human wellbeing has gotten better and better," he said. "Our human wellbeing does not fundamentally depend upon whether wolves are around. So, if we’re going to keep them around it’s an act of charity, generosity and compassion. We haven’t reached that stage with our relationship with nature."

He also explored the cultural forces shaping wolf management, posing the question "Are wolves part of a culture war?"

When an audience member asked a question about wolves killing livestock, Vucetich ruminated on the position of wolves in American culture.

"Wolves do kill livestock, but if you look at [that] from an industry perspective, the killing that wolves do is absolutely trivial," he responded. "However, if you are the livestock owner whose sheep or cattle got killed, it’s a big deal."

Vucetich then noted while problems in rural communities are things like "crappy internet connection, poor schools, poor health care," people sometimes use something else as a symbol of their problems.

"I think sometimes wolves are that," he said. "This isn’t really about wolves; it’s about much more than wolves, I think."

At the conclusion of the presentations, curator Catherine Plank encouraged audience members to continue learning about wolves and wolf management and to consider donating to wolf protection organizations like Project Coyote.

"The Spirit of the Hunt" ecological art exhibit can be viewed in the Noblet atrium Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. until October 15. 

Editor's Notes:

* Keweenaw Now guest writer Nicholas Wilson is a Keweenaw resident and free-lance journalist. See also his March 18, 2021, article, "An Uncertain Future for Michigan Wolves."

** Michigan Senate Bill 486 and Michigan House Bill 5079 concern membership on the Wolf Management Advisory Council. Michigan House Bill 5078 concerns membership on the Michigan Wildlife Council.