Urgent: Protect the Porcupine Mountains
Make your voices heard, save the Old Growth Forests and Lake Superior
Urgent message from Protect the Porkies!
The Eleventh Hour is Upon Us!
Last week, the Michigan House Appropriations Committee approved the $50M taxpayer-funded handout to the proposed Copperwood Mine. Now it reaches the last stop: the Senate Appropriations Committee. It's crucial we pick up the pressure!
This is a picture of Presque Isle River in the Porcupine Mountain State Park. This is where they are purposing mining underneath to get copper.
Why this is so important to me
As my readers may know, I have been writing and informing people about what is happening in the beautiful Porcupine Mountains here in The Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A Canadian company is proposing putting in a mine right next to the Porcupine Mountain State Park and Lake Superior. There are many reasons why this is a bad idea and one of them is the destruction of this pristine wilderness, old growth forest, the natural water ways and unique remote beauty of this area.
In August, I met Tom, who created and runs the Protect the Porkies website that has sparked a movement that keeps growing of people who are opposed to the proposed mine. Tom has put together a well researched website that includes all the reasons that this mine would be a disaster for the Porcupine Mountains and potentially Lake Superior. Please go to the website and learn more about this issue and why it is so important to Protect the Porkies.
I have been going to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan my whole life. It is my favorite place to be. The untamed wilderness, the incredible quietness in the forest, the clean air and the breathtakingly beauty is why it is my favorite place. If you want to get away from the fast paced, noisy, bobbared with radio frequency waves city, the U.P. is the place you want to go. People go to the U.P. to have peace and quiet. And to also be in the dark to see the stars at night and the amazing Northern Lights. You really do not know what the night sky looks like until you see it from a truly dark place. I have been to the Porcupine Mountains State Park many times. I have hiked, camped, played in the water, enjoyed Lake Superior and seen the amazing dark skies there at the park. This is such a unique place, the potential to destroy it with a mine is heart breaking.
The following is from Tom of Protect the Porkies - Please take action!
Last Wednesday the House voted 17 votes to 10 to approve the grant. Although we believe there is considerable opposition to the Copperwood grant on both sides of the aisle, the item was bundled with multiple other funding proposals, and so the House was unable to consider it individually. The motion was raised to unbundle the proposals, but it was rejected, thus forcing lawmakers to proceed under an "all or nothing" mentality: to reject the grant would've been also to reject the funding for other projects throughout Michigan.
To quote Jane Fitkin of Citizens for a Safe and Clean Lake Superior, "This was a low point for democracy." The House overrode the concerns of tens of thousands of constituents — dozens of whom were present in person — in order to enrich a foreign company to literally undermine one of the most beloved and ecologically important areas in Michigan. You can find the voting record here, should you wish to hold our officials accountable next time you visit the ballot box. Thank you to everyone who delivered public comments. Many more would've spoken, but the meeting started thirty minutes late and so time was limited — perhaps an intentional move? You can watch the full video here.
But hope is not lost! In fact, we are cautiously optimistic about a different outcome in the Senate.
You will recall that the House passed the grant by an even larger margin back in May, only for it to be blocked by the Senate a couple weeks later. Now the grant must pass through the Senate Appropriations Committee once more, and we have no reason to expect a different outcome. We already know of several Democratic Senators who are confirmed to be voting "No" — an important point, since the Democrats were far and away the weak side in the House. We have received multiple reports that the Senate is feeling unprecedented pressure to reject the grant. And although they technically have until November of 2025 to vote, realistically the grant must be approved before the end of this year, since the next term will see an influx of new Republicans into the Committee, and Michigan Republicans have been vocal in their opposition to SOAR funding in general. In other words: it's now or never.
This is the week we go full force!
If the Senate doesn't vote before the holiday break, they very likely won't be voting at all. So please find some time on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week to call and write to the Senators again — or even make an in-person visit if you're in the area. You'll find all their contact information here. When possible, we encourage phone calls over emails. Out-of-state residents, please stress the importance of tourist dollars and Michigan's reputation abroad, as well as the collective value of Lake Superior, the Porcupine Mountains, and the North Country Trail transcending map lines.
We'll never know what might've happened unless we give it all we've got!
Even if you've made your calls already, please consider doing so again on behalf of those who are denied a voice in this process: all the incredible lifeforms being steamrolled over in the name of agendas crafted hundreds and thousands of miles away.
In solidarity,
Picture of Lake of the Clouds, the most photographed place in Michigan in the Porcupine Mountains State Park.
Tom was just interviewed: This is a great overview of what is happening.
“We sat down for the MIRS Monday podcast, popular amongst "insiders" in Lansing. Hoping it has a positive impact when the Senate Appropriations Committee meets this Wednesday.”
Please listen:
https://mirsnews.podbean.com/e/mirs-monday-december-16-2024/
For more information and to see pictures of what has already been done to the area they are proposing putting the mine, my blog from August.
Information from the website: Protect the Porkies
Because Copperwood's ore grade is only 1.5%, nearly all of what comes out of the ground will be stored as on-site waste, forever, in a Tailings Disposal Facility measuring 244 football fields in area and 171 feet in height — 20 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. Highland Copper admits that this massive structure will even be visible from the Lake of the Clouds Overlook.
Once, there was an Anishinaabe village at the mouth of the River, and it was on these very beaches where the French came to trade with the natives. Now we come to the banks of the Presque Isle to fish, to forage, and to enjoy its spectacular waterfalls — Nawadaha, Manido, and Manabezho, named for Anishinaabe manitous. Where the River waters meet the Lake, the swimming is pleasantly warm. In "the most beautiful State Park in the country," the Presque Isle Scenic Area is the crowning jewel.
But company maps suggest Highland Copper is considering drilling under the Presque Isle River to extract copper from directly beneath old growth forest on Park property.
Copperwood is located firmly in 1842 Treaty Territory; both its development and operation will pose a real and significant threat to multiple treaty resources, most crucially, Lake Superior, which connects Anishinaabe communities in multiple states and countries.
More about the Anishinaabe here:
https://protecttheporkies.com/indigenous-sovereign
Thank you for caring about the Porcupine Mountains and spreading the word about what is happening and taking action if you feel inclined to.
Love of the Upper Peninsula 2025 Calendar
Great Christmas present!
Every year I create a calendar with pictures I have taken while in the U.P. and I write a 4-line poem about each place. This year I was blessed to visit places such as: Tahquamenon Falls, White Fish Point, Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Porcupine Mountains, Menominee County, Copper Harbor, and more.
Get your calendar here: https://www.macroval.com/calendar.htm
Give the gift of health for Christmas - Macro Val Gift Certificates
https://www.macroval.com/giftcertificates.htm
Join me LIVE on Facebook and YouTube
Chef Val LIVE! Christmas Cooking - Lemon Peel Candy
Wed. Dec. 18 - 6:30 PM (ET). Update on Protect the Porkies.
Join me as I get ready for Christmas. I can answer your cooking questions and give suggestions on easy ways to make healthy dishes or desserts. I will show you how to make Lemon Peel Candy, all organic, sugar free, dairy free and festive. Plus an update on what is happening with the $50 million grant that is going to be voted on this week for the proposed mine right next to The Porcupine Mountain State Park. We need everyone to spread the word!
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