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April 2006 Happenings

Stupak to participate in Online Town Hall Meeting Apr. 27

Posted 04/26/2006 

WASHINGTON -- Congressman Bart Stupak (D- Menominee) will participate in a regional "online" town hall meeting at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT) on Thursday, Apr. 27. The event will allow constituents to type questions to Representative Stupak and allow him to communicate back in real time on issues ranging from gas prices to the Medicare "Part D" prescription drug plan to Social Security. "The Internet allows me to communicate more effectively with constituents, hear their concerns and take into account their feedback," Stupak said. Stupak will be participating in a regional meeting covering Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Questions from Stupak's area, northern Michigan, will be directed to him. The town hall meeting can be accessed at: http://demcaucus.townhall.house.gov/.

MTU Search and Rescue group to clean up Hungarian Falls Apr. 30

Posted 04/25/2006 

HOUGHTON -- Michigan Tech University's Volunteer Search and Rescue organization will conduct a clean-up of Hungarian Falls at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Apr. 30. Volunteers are needed. Garbage bags and gloves will be provided. Whether or not you have celebrated Earth Day, this is an opportunity to help keep one of our gorgeous area trails/falls as pristine as possible. Hungarian Falls is located near Tamarack City, just past Dollar Bay. Follow M-26, turn left and head uphill on 6th St. in Tamarack City. Bear left where the road splits into a Y and meet at the parking area on the gravel road at 10 a.m. The clean-up will proceed from the lower area of the falls. 
Photo: Hungarian Falls by Eric Munch. (Photo © 1985 Photography by Eric Munch, http://www.ericmunch.net. Reprinted with permission. Click here or on photo for larger version.)

Hancock City Council to hold public hearings Apr. 19

Posted 04/18/2006 

HANCOCK -- The Hancock City Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. for a work session and at 7:30 p.m. for their regular meeting on Wednesday, Apr. 19, in the Hancock City Hall. Two public hearings will be held, beginning at 7:30 p.m.: 1) Public comment on an MEDC grant for Finlandia University; 2) Public comment on the Five-Year Recreation Plan. This plan includes several proposed projects, with estimated costs, including a new Maintenance Garage ($60,000); Hancock Beach improvements -- removing old dock ($20,000), constructing new dock ($120,000) and second pavilion ($60,000), adding new playground equipment ($20,000) and paving parking lot ($50,000); campground expansion ($100,000) and improvements (totaling $240,000); Maasto Hiihto Cross Country Trails -- new snowmobiles and grooming equipment (totaling $23,000) and expanding Tomasi parking area ($6,000). The plan also includes baseball field lights ($50,000) and scoreboard ($30,000), a new soccer field ($100,000) and adding equipment and improvements to several parks.

"Wild Women of the North" to present music, readings Apr. 21

Posted 04/17/2006 

HOUGHTON -- "Wild Women of the North" -- a night of music and readings to celebrate womanhood and raise money for the Baraga Women's Shelter -- will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, Apr. 21, in Walker 210 on Michigan Tech's campus. The event will feature music from local artists Melissa Davis, Erin Smith, Jon Soper and Jen Wilke, as well as readings of the winning entries from the Wild Women of the North writing contest. $5 cover at the door.

Finlandia's Nordic Film Series to present Hayflower and Quiltshoe Apr. 20

Posted 04/17/2006 

HANCOCK -- The Finlandia University Finnish American Heritage Center’s Nordic Film Series will present Hayflower and Quiltshoe (Heinahattu Ja Vilttitossu, 2002) at 6 p.m. on Thursday,  Apr. 20 (Rescheduled from April 13), at the  Finnish American Heritage Center, 435 Quincy St., Hancock. A Finnish family film, Hayflower and Quiltshoe is a charming tale of two siblings and a quirky family. Based on a series of popular children's books, the film won the 2003 Finnish Jussi Award for Best Costume Design and was nominated for Best Film. No charge, donations accepted. For additional information, please contact Heritage Center Director James Kurtti at 906-487-7302.

DEQ to hold Kennecott Mining Permit Public Hearings in Marquette Apr. 18

Posted 04/17/2006 

MARQUETTE -- The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will be holding two Public Hearings on the Kennecott "Eagle Project" Mining Permit application on Tuesday, Apr. 18, 2006, at Northern Michigan University Center in Marquette. The first hearing will be from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. an informational meeting allows citizens to see the plans and talk to DEQ officials. The Public Comment session will be held from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The second hearing will be from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The informational meeting is between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., and the Public Comment session is from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. To submit formal comments on the Eagle Project, write to P.O. Box 30256, Lansing, MI 48909-7756 or email stevewilson@michigan.gov. See the March 2006 Friends of the Land of Keweenaw (FOLK) newsletter on their Web site for an update on the sulfide mining issue and a report on the December public hearings in Lansing. Also visit the sites of Northwoods Wilderness Recovery, Save the Wild U.P., the Eagle Alliance and the Yellow Dog Watershed for information on the sulfide mining project. Kennecott's application is available on the DEQ Web site at http://www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-ogs-land-mining-metallicmining-EagleAppWeb.pdf.
Photo: View of the Yellow Dog River, a wild trout stream in northern Marquette County. Several groups, including the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, are concerned that potential sulfide mining in this area could harm the Yellow Dog Watershed. (Photo © 2004 and courtesy Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve and Eagle Alliance. Reprinted with permission.)

Green Exchange, Earth Day events to begin Apr. 14

Posted 04/12/2006 

HOUGHTON -- USA Earth Day* events will begin on the Michigan Tech campus with the Drop-N-Shop Green Exchange on Friday, Apr. 14, during MTU's Spring Fling. MTU's Students for Environmental Sustainability (SfES), a student group affiliated with MTU's Environmental Sustainability Committee (ESC), is organizing the Drop-N-Shop event, which allows students and community members to to drop off any unwanted items and shop for new treasures. Their goal is to reduce the amount of waste generated at MTU and in Houghton by extending the useful life of items no longer needed by the current owner. Other opportunities to celebrate Earth Day locally include a Lunch-N-Learn on Friday, Apr. 21, sponsored by ESC, and an electronic items collection on Saturday, Apr. 22, at Trinity Episcopal Church. more

MTU's Northern Lights Film Festival to be held Apr. 7-8

Posted 04/06/2006 

HOUGHTON -- The second annual Northern Lights Film Festival will be held on Friday and Saturday, Apr. 7-8, in the McArdle Theatre, second floor of the Walker Arts and Humanities Center on the Michigan Tech campus. The two-day event, free and open to the public, will feature screenings of independent films and documentaries, as well as workshops on how to develop documentary and narrative film projects. On Friday, the documentaries Señorita Extraviada, The Gender Chip Project, No Day Promised and Desire will be shown. On Saturday evening, the festival will screen Trap, an artful independent horror film directed by James Bonner and produced by Michigan independent filmmaker Diane Cheklich, who will be on hand to share her expertise. Students films will also be shown. For the schedule and more information about the festival, visit their Web site or contact Erin Smith at 487-3263. 

Community Arts Center to exhibit "Coppertown," photo documentary of Calumet by Eric Munch 

Posted 04/03/2006 

HANCOCK -- "Coppertown," a photo documentary of Calumet by Eric Munch, will be on exhibit from Apr. 4 through Apr. 29 in the Kerredge Gallery of the Community Arts Center, 126 Quincy Street in Hancock  Eric’s photos of Calumet, spanning 30 years, are playful and poignant as well as haunting. The public is invited to an opening reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday,  Apr. 6. This exhibit is supported by a grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and members of the Copper Country Community Arts Council. For more information call (906) 482-2333.
Photo: "St. Mary's Osceola Mine Church Number 13" by Eric Munch. This photo was taken from a vantage point to make the church and the mine appear to be one building. Click here or on photo for larger version. (Photo © 1984 Eric Munch. All Rights Reserved.)

Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District to hold 2006 Tree Sale; new District Forester named 

Posted 03/09/2006 

HOUGHTON -- The Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District (HKCD) Annual Tree Sale, the District's annual fund raiser, is underway. Tree Sale brochures and order forms are available at the Conservation Office located on the second floor of the UPPCO Building at 600 East Lakeshore Drive, Houghton (482-0214) or on the HKCD Web site: www.hkconserve.com. This year's sale includes conifers for reforestation; trees and shrubs for wildlife; blackberry, blueberry, raspberry and strawberry bushes; apple, cherry (sweet and tart), peach, pear and plum fruit trees; native wildflowers in 3” pots; wildflower seeds and conservation merchandise. Order early. Orders are due by April 1. Pick up time will be on May 5 and 6 at the Houghton County Arena, Hancock. HKCD also announces their new Forester, Mark Salo, is available for free site visits, public presentations on forest management topics and answering questions on forestry topics. Phone him at (906) 482-0214. more

March 2006 Happenings -- May 2006 Happenings