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News from the Keweenaw Peninsula Aug. 30, 2005   Text and photos © 2005 Northwoods Wilderness Recovery. Reprinted with permission.

Trekkers for clean water scheduled to reach Lake Michigan Aug. 30

MARQUETTE -- Trekkers for Connecting Water - Connecting People will soon reach their destination after traveling from Lake Superior to Lake Michigan in order to highlight the threats metallic sulfide mining poses on Great Lakes Waters.

On August 30th, Rob Cadmus and Jackie Camelet -- who have kayaked, canoed and hiked nearly 300 miles -- are expected to arrive on the shores of Lake Michigan near Menominee.*

"We are so lucky to have such amazing wild areas and clean water in Michigan." said Cadmus, "We take this place for granted and need to recognize what its true worth is. I now know that it's worth more than the ore that could be dug up in the short life span of these proposed mines."

Rob Cadmus explains to fellow trekkers the headwaters region within the McCormick Wilderness track. (Photo © 2005 Northwoods Wilderness Recovery. Reprinted with permission.)

The trekkers will be hosting a closing ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. on Aug. 30 in Menominee at the Marina Bandshell. The public is welcome to come and talk to locals and experts about metallic sulfide mining, to have some food and to listen to music. 

Starting from Marquette, Mich., the trekkers have shown how the waters of Michigan are connected. They traveled up the Yellow Dog and Salmon Trout rivers to the headwaters region of McCormick Wilderness Track in the Ottawa National Forest where the headwaters of the Menominee River flow south into Lake Michigan. All of these rivers are threatened by proposed metallic sulfide mining operations: Kennecott Minerals' Eagle Project on the Yellow Dog Plains and the Mineral Processing Corps' Back 40 Project near the Menominee River.

The Connecting Waters - Connecting People trek has three main goals:
1) Highlight the threats of metallic sulfide mining to the Yellow Dog Plains, Menominee River and Great Lakes waters. 
2) Promote the natural beauty and recreational value of land and waters of the North Woods.
3) Demonstrate the importance of the connection between watersheds and people of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

"The trek has been a huge success!" said Traci Raymond, a key organizer of the event. "Not only have we gotten people out into the woods to see how beautiful this area is, but we have hosted eight community picnics along the way to talk about these threats to the water of the Great Lakes."

After hiking the McCormick Wilderness track, Cadmus and Camelet took to canoe on Tuesday, August 16, on the Peshekee River. Joined by members of the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition (UPEC) they made their way to the towns of Michigamme and then Republic, where they joined in community picnics to discuss the local impacts that metallic sulfide mining projects could have on the two communities.

Canoeing along the shores of Lake Michigamme, members of the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition (UPEC) join Northwoods Wilderness Recovery members on their way into Michigamme on Aug. 17. (Photo © 2005 Northwoods Wilderness Recovery. Reprinted with permission.)

UPEC is among several organizations, businesses and concerned individuals supporting Connecting Water, Connecting People. The trek is sponsored by Northwoods Wilderness Recovery (NWR), an environmental group based in Marquette.

"This is all about clean water," said Doug Cornett, NWR executive director. "The townships of Michigamme and Republic perfectly illustrate our region's economic dependence on clean water. These places are attractive for community development, not to mention tourism. They also understand boom and bust economics all too well."

The "Boom and Bust" argument strikes a chord with many, including Rhonda Boshears, resident of Michigamme.

"Rather than promote development that will leave us worse off in the long run, why not develop industries that will provide jobs longterm?" Boshears asked. "We live in an area where we can lead the way in the production of clean energy. We've got some of the best educated engineers in the region and an abundance of clean water. Why not look into alternatives that will provide just as many jobs, but jobs that will last for a lifetime rather than only 7 years?"

Editor's notes: This information is courtesy Northwoods Wilderness Recovery. Visit their Web site to learn more about the sulfide mining issue. More photos of the trek will be posted there soon. * Click here for a map showing the route and progress of Rob and Jackie Camelet's trek. See also the Aug. 17, 2005, article, "Trekkers connect Michigan waters to highlight sulfide mining threats." Act No. 449 of the Public Acts of 2004, Creating Part 632, Nonferrous Metallic Mineral Mining, of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, as amended, is new legislation introduced to regulate sulfide mining in Michigan. Read the DEQ description of the law. For Kennecott Minerals' Description of the Eagle Project, visit their Web site.

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