Climate Change & Environment
THE PHOTO OF ONE HUNDRED SHARES
Sometimes all it takes is someone sharing a photo that draws attention. “They’re planning a mine here—not a joke.” This photo above is worth a thousand words and received one hundred shares on Facebook in very short amount of time. This photo woke sleeping giants that walk among us for the good. This mining project is slated for this year.
Anyone who has spent time in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan has seen the bountiful beauty, the waterfalls, Lake Superior, and the endless forests. The Porcupine Mountains State Park, especially the Presque Isle scenic ...
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Ground Clutter
How we crave that clear, blue sky after what sometimes seems like an eternity of clouds here in the dead of the Wisconsin winter. Moods brighten as, finally, the awaited sun brushes our winter pines a radiant green, sumac tops flame up and the alfalfa stubble in the field down the road turns from dull tan to flashing gold above the snow. Most of us are creatures of the day, content and absorbed in life under our heavenly canopy. But lately I've begun to sense a seductive, day-sky deception afoot here that obscures our fragile reality and in so doing may lead to our ...
A History of Mining Failures in Northern Wisconsin
Tom Tiffany’s mining fantasies have not been working out. He authored what may go down as one of the worst laws ever written, designed to create a low cost iron mine by removing the top of the Penokee Hills and filling in the headwaters of the Bad River, a major river feeding Lake Superior, with the mine wastes. It did not end well for Mr. Tiffany.
Then Senator Tiffany’s dream came true when he was able overturn the so-called “Mining Moratorium Law”, despite overwhelming opposition to his scheme. The law was never a moratorium on metallic mining in our ...
Honor the Earth
Pick a country road, just about any one of them will do. The one we live on serves the purpose. I've written about it before, a nice little road, perhaps a little plain, certainly less dramatic than many, and yet real treasures line its sides, both in the ditches and the woods through which it passes. The jewels that sparkle along the way are many. Marsh marigolds in spring, emerald green and radiant yellow; summer's marsh milkweed, richly magenta, and bottle gentian dappling our fall colors with brush strokes of indigo. These are just some of the gems in our ...
Gold Resource Mine Permits Must Not Be Combined
An FYI from the Coalition to Save the Menominee River. By now you all should know something about the infamous Back Forty Mine. Many think because we defeated Aquila in court, the threat of this mine is over. It is not.
Aquila sold out their investors and transferred their remaining assets to Gold Resource Corp., G.O.R.O. on the N.Y.S.E. They are determined to start the mine. They will need five permits before a shovel can be put in the ground. Each permit has numerous conditions that must be met before they can be issued. G.O.R.0, has submitted their first application. ...
Knock it Off With the Greenwashing
I must commend the many people who are stepping up to the plate in Marathon County with concerns about their drinking water. Recently Green Light Metals has again tried to put themselves in the forefront saying they are here for the green economy. Marathon County residents are too smart to be “green-washed.”
The Inflation Reduction Act itself is not a cure-all for bad mining practices of the past. I only hope the IRA monies will go for education and technology. Let’s try to learn better and less invasive techniques for mining, not hand out subsidies to mining ...
The Costs of Convenience
Climate change is caused by all of us. We all make choices that contribute to the problem. As individuals and as a nation we are not willing to sacrifice even smallest of conveniences to help mitigate the problems.
In her song “Is It for Freedom” singer-songwriter Sara Thomsen asks, “Who pays the cost for the convenience we demand?” Her song is about war, but the question can apply to environmental issues. The answer is all humanity and the biosphere are paying the cost.
Climate change is just one manifestation of our selfishness. Our wastefulness is another ...
Leave Rib Mountain Alone
In 2018, 5,000 signatures were collected to oppose the proposed Granite Peak ski hill expansion on Rib Mountain State Park. Did someone not hear the voice of the people?
Fast-forward to now, 2022, the DNR released the Rib Mountain State Park Master Plan Revision, allowing an additional 100 acres for the ski hill expansion.
Rib Mountain, without a doubt, is one of Wisconsin’s most precious resources. It is a gem – a wonder – and it is right in our backyard. Rather than preserving and protecting the very fragile natural environment that exists on this ...
The Joys of Conscious Consumption
It probably started with gardening, this evolution from mindless consumption to making shopping choices with an eye towards who and what we are supporting when we open our wallet at the cash register. Admittedly, I'm not very good at it yet, but I have discovered a few things about conscious consumption worth passing along.
This spring's Sierra Club Magazine highlighted the crash and burn impact of large-scale farming. The focus was on Iowa in general, and the enormous challenge of providing safe water to families in Des Moines in particular. Between nitrates in ...