Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News

The Newsletter of the Great Lakes
Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund

The Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News is the newsletter of the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund, published five times per year. The News is intended to provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas among citizens and organizations working to protect aquatic habitats in the Great Lakes Basin.

Volume 15, Number 4 • Winter 2007

Action Alert Update

Kennecott Metallic Sulfide Mine Update

Now that the DEQ comment period is closed, what’s next?

THANK YOU for speaking out and sending in comments during the public comment period, which ended on October 17th. A decision from the DEQ is not expected until early 2008. What can we do until then you might ask? Now we need to contact our elected officials.Why? Because they need to hear that this problem belongs to all of Michigan. Ultimately, this is a political issue and the politicians can make a diffence. Let them know there has never been a metallic sulfide mine that has not polluted its watershed across the United States. And don't forget to send letters to the editor of your newspaper! Check out Save The Wild UP’s website where you can learn more about Kennecott’s proposal tomine in the headwaters of the Salmon Trout River, a pristine tributary of Lake Superior and home to the endangered coaster brook trout: www.savethewildup.org. Then contact your legislators and Governor Granholm.

You can also support the effort by donating and downloading a new song written by Daisy May Erlewine on Save theWild UP’s website. It is a touching tribute and a reminder of why we all work so hard to protect the spectacular waters that make this region so special. One stanza is below.

A Letter from Downstream
by Daisy May Erlewine

Me and my babies,we’re gonna
live downstream
From that sulfide mine in the UP
And all that poison will run
through our veins
Like it will run through the river
on the Yellow Dog Plains

Disclaimer: The interpretations and conclusions presented in this newsletter represent the opinions of the individual authors. They in no way represent the views of the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, the C.S. Mott Foundation, subscribers, donors, or any organization mentioned in this publication.

The Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund builds effective community-based citizen action to protect and restore the water quality of the Great Lakes basin. We work toward this goal by providing financial assistance, communications and networking assistance and technical assistance to citizens and grassroots watershed groups throughout the Great Lakes basin. Through these efforts we work with over 1,800 grassroots watershed groups and citizens to protect and restore the rivers, lakes and wetlands in their communities. The Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund, Inc. is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization.

For more information, please contact:

info@glhabitat.org
P.O. Box 2479, Petoskey, MI 49770
PH (231) 347-1181;
FX (231) 347-5928