ACTION ALERT: Ashland County Zoning meeting seeks public to testify on sulfide mining

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On Friday, March 8, 2019 at 9 AM the Ashland County Zoning committee will be meeting to move a new set of sulfide mining ordinances out of committee and on to the full board. Zoning Committee Chair Joe Rose Sr. is asking for the public to step up and testify in favor of the new ordinances. The meeting is being held in the Ashland County Board Room.

Tyler Forks, Penokee Hills, Wisconsin

Background: After Gogebic Taconite (GTac) was driven out of the state in 2015, the Wisconsin legislature, dominated by Republicans, overturned the decades-old “prove it first” Wisconsin sulfide mining law. The old law prevented companies that had a proven record of pollution from doing business in Wisconsin. After that law was overturned, the entire state became vulnerable to possible devastating environmental damages that would be caused by such a mine.

Sulfide mining focuses on copper, gold, silver and other precious metals. According to Save the Boundary Waters:

The sulfide-ore copper mining industry has a disastrous track record. A peer-reviewed report prepared by Earthworks studied fourteen sulfide-ore copper mines representing 89% of current U.S. copper production. Of those fourteen mines, all had experienced some sort of pipeline spill or other accidental release. Thirteen of the fourteen (92%) had experienced water collection and treatment failures that resulted in significant impacts to water quality. The tailings dam failure at the Mount Polley Mine in British Columbia in August 2014 shows the catastrophic potential for such failures (Earthworks 2012).

Read about the possible devastation of sulfide mining here. 

Please come to the Ashland County Board Room and speak up in defense of the water.

Yellow mine waste water from the Gold King Mine is seen in San Juan County, Colorado

Benjamin Armstrong: Early Life Among the Indians

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On Sale Now $14.99

First published in 1892, Early Life Among the Indians is the biography of Benjamin Armstrong, who in 1840 took up his residence in northern Wisconsin. Having learned the Ojibwe language, he became a well-known interpreter. He was known for respecting and documenting the traditional life and culture of the Anishinaabe and became the adopted son of Ke-Che-Waish-Ke, Chief Buffalo, the most respected leader of the Lake Superior bands. In 1852 Armstrong accompanied Great Buffalo and other Ojibwe leaders to Washington, D.C., to plead against the proposed forced relocation of the Ojibwe west of the Mississippi. A meeting between the chiefs and President Millard Fillmore was a success and brought a reversal of the removal order of 1849.

Armstrong did more to humanize Native Americans than nearly any white person of his day. In the end, he writes: “… the unbiased judgment of the future will be that the Indians were found good and were made bad by white people, and that the condition of things has not been one whit improved by white associates, but, on the contrary, has been degraded … [the Indians] saw that the example of the white people was far from the teachings of the missionaries, far from the truth and the pretensions of the traders, and far from justice and right.”

Through his respect and love for the tribes and his connections with Chief Buffalo’s family, Armstrong was granted access to leaders of all the Ojibwe bands. Early Life Among the Indians contains his recollections of battles with Sioux adversaries, memoirs of the Sandy Lake tragedy, accounts of the crucial treaty councils that defined modern Ojibwe life, the arrival of miners and loggers in the Ojibwe homelands, and much more about northern Wisconsin in the 19th century.

This edition also contains a special message from the 7th generation of Chief Buffalo, his great-granddaughter Sandy Gokee, Anishinaabe kwe, mother, a daughter, a student, a teacher, and water protector living on the shores of Lake Superior.

Made possible by a generous grant from the La Pointe Center.

Proceeds from the sale of this book will be used to support the Madeline Island Jingle Dress Dancer Project.


$14.99

ACTION ALERT: Ashland County Public Hearing June 12 on new CAFO ordinances

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The Ashland County Land and Conservation Committee will be holding a public hearing from 5 PM – 7 PM Tuesday, June 12 at the Land and Water Conservation Department office at 315 Sanborn Ave, # 100, Ashland, WI 54806.

The purpose of the public hearing is to distribute information and to hear comments regarding the two agricultural ordinances proposed for Ashland County. The ordinances have been developed by the Land Conservation Committee with the assistance of the Ashland County Agricultural Ordinance Advisory Group.

Once they pass out of committee they will be sent to the full Board to vote on.

Please come and speak up in support of these new ordinances. Show Ashland County we are standing united in defense of the water.

For more information, County District 12 Ashland County Supervisor Joe Rose, Sr. at 715.292.7225

Bad River Band Denies Renewal of Enbridge Line 5 Grant of Easement

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January 5, 2017

Tribe calls for decommissioning and removal at Bad River, WI

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

P.O. Box 39 Odanah, Wisconsin 54861

CONTACT: Dylan Jennings
Bad River Tribal Council DylanJennings@badriver-nsn.gov (715) 348-6594

Odanah, WI, January 5, 2017- The Bad River Tribal Council passed a formal resolution Wednesday evening, January 4th that established the Tribes decision not to renew its interests in the grant of easement for rights-of-way of Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 crude oil pipeline through the Bad River Reservation. Furthermore, it calls for the decommissioning, and removal of the pipeline from all Bad River lands and watershed.

Bad River Watershed, including the Kakagon Sloughs

Bad River Watershed, including the Kakagon Sloughs

Formerly known as Lakehead Pipeline Company, Enbridge sought renewal of rights of way with the Band for the existing line that is now 64 years old. 15 Individual grant of easement rights of way for Line 5 expired in 2013, however, Bad River had reacquired interests in 11 of the 15 parcels of land within the grant of easement rights of way. “As many other communities have experienced, even a minor spill could prove to be disastrous for our people. We depend upon everything that the creator put here before us to live mino-bimaadiziwin, a good and healthy life.” said Bad River Tribal Chairman Robert Blanchard. He remarks in the Tribal Council’s decision, “We will work with our native and non-native communities to make sure that Line 5 does not threaten rights of people living in our region, and we will reach out to federal, state and local officials to evaluate how to remove Line 5, and we will work with the same communities and officials to continue developing a sustainable economy that doesn’t marginalize indigenous people”

The Band has directed Tribal staff to begin planning for the Line 5 removal project development and the environmental issues/hazards that exist with removal of old pipelines including hazards response and health study, pipeline contents recycling and disposal, and surface restoration. “These environmental threats not only threaten our health, but they threaten our very way of life as Anishinaabe. We all need to be thinking of our future generations and what we leave behind for them.” Says Tribal Council Member Dylan Jennings.

With over 7,000 members, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians is located on an over 124,000-acre reservation in an area within Ashland and Iron Counties on the south shore of Lake Superior (known by the tribe as Gichi Gami). The Ojibwe people have a long and rich heritage throughout the Great Lakes region and at Odanah on Lake Superior prior to European traders, missionaries and settlers and continuing to today. Treaties signed by eleven Ojibwe Tribes ceded territory in the region, including what is currently the upper one third of the State of Wisconsin. Learn more about the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians on their website, badriver-nsn.gov.

Enbridge whistleblower John Bolenbaugh brings his message to Lake Superior

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John Bolenbaugh is coming to the Chequamegon Bay area for a two-day intensive to share his experiences as a former clean-up worker for S.E.T Environmental and to tell the story of how he became a whistleblower for the largest tar sands oil spill in North American history.

The former sub-contractor for Enbridge will discuss the catastrophic Kalamazoo River tar sands pipeline spill in 2010 in Michigan, and his successful efforts to expose the company’s attempts to cover-up their incomplete and shoddy clean up work.

Kalamazoo oil spill. Photo: EPA

Bolenbaugh’s truth telling forced Enbridge to re-clean several dozen areas that had been approved as 100% clean by Enbridge, the EPA and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. His exposure forced the EPA to demand that Enbridge re-clean the covered up areas and re-dredge the river at an estimated cost of $600,000,000.

John comes to the Lake Superior region to take part in a series of Community Conversations with local citizens to educate and inspire participation in a grass roots effort to take action to protect our water from experiencing a disaster resulting from a pipeline spill.

Monday, January 9, 2017

Bad River Lodge & Casino, Event Center, 73370 U.S. Highway 2 Odanah
12 PM – 3 PM: Bad River luncheon welcoming John followed by presentation
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM: Pot Luck & Bad River families Community Conversations continue
6:30 PM: Video presentation

John Bolenbaugh. Photo: helppa.org

Black Cat Coffeehouse, 211 Chapple Ave, Ashland
4 PM – 5 PM:  Ashland Community Conversation

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Blue Wave Inn, 2521 Lake Shore Dr W, Ashland
11 AM – 12:30 PM: Brunch with John on beautiful Chequamegon Bay

Big Water Coffee Roasters, 117 Rittenhouse Ave, Bayfield
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Bayfield Community Conversations

Good Thyme Catering, Events & Lodging, 77180 State Highway 13, Washburn
3:00– 5:30 PM: AshWaBay Community Conversations, dinner & movie presentation

Ashland City Council Meeting, City Hall, 601 Main Street West, Ashland, Council Chambers
6:15 PM: John addresses Ashland City Council

Legendary Waters Lodge, 37600 Red Cliff Campground Rd, Bayfield, Main Floor Premiere Suite
7 PM – 9 PM: Red Cliff welcomes John followed by presentation, movie & refreshments

Click HERE to RSVP to events

These events are being sponsors by:
Bad River Tribal Council
Bad River Natural Resources
AERC
Legendary Waters Lodge
Good Thyme Catering, Events and Lodging
Flame and Stone Studio
Blue Wave on the Bay
Bayfield IGA
Families & friends of Bad River Anishnabe
Anishnabe Ogichidaa
Anishnabe Ogichidaakwe
Black Cat Coffeehouse
Individuals and businesses of the Greater Chequamegon Bay