CLICK BELOW TO HEAR JACK HALL’S INTERVIEW WITH ORGANIZER TOM GROTEWOHL
On Saturday, September 14th, members from multiple Tribal Nations (Bad River, Red Cliff, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Lac du Flambeau, Lac Vieux Desert, and the Traverse Bay Band) along with non-native allies will hold the Gichigaming Water Walk in response to the proposed Copperwood Mine, which if allowed to advance would be the closest metallic sulfide mine to Lake Superior in history and require the storage of 30+ million tons of mine waste containing mercury and arsenic on topography sloping towards the Lake.
Metallic sulfide mine waste storage facilities — or “tailings disposal facilities” — are not invincible, with multiple high-profile ruptures in recent years. A model released in July by the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission shows that, if Copperwood’s dam were to rupture, mine waste meters in depth could reach Lake Superior in just over 20 minutes and could potentially flood Porcupine Mountains State Park and the Presque Isle River, along with its three scenic waterfalls, Nawadaha, Manido, and Manabezho. But even assuming the dam holds, all metallic sulfide mines contaminate water through other means.
The Water Walk will gather water at the Montreal River along the Wisconsin-Michigan border and carry it 31 miles, passing through the towns of Ironwood, Bessemer, and Wakefield, before continuing past the North Country Trail, the Copperwood Mine site, and finally concluding at the shores of Lake Superior in Porcupine Mountains State Park. The starting point at the state line was chosen to symbolize the free-flowing nature of water —specifically Lake Superior, whose pristine waters are shared by multiple states, Tribal Nations, and countries.
The end point was chosen as Lake Superior — the inevitable destination of any contamination following the flow of gravity — and the Porcupine Mountains, because the mine site would share a border on two sides with the Park and the company would even seek to mine underneath Park property.
The Water Walk is being hosted by members of Tribal Nations in collaboration with the Protect The Porkies campaign, a decentralized movement opposing Copperwood’s development based on the view that Lake Superior, the Porcupine Mountains, and the North Country Trail are entities of tremendous collective value, and thus the right to jeopardize them should not belong to a single profit-driven enterprise.
The Copperwood Mine is being developed by Highland Copper, a Canadian company. The mine would run for 10.7 years and would ship the copper out of country. The project is supported by some local business leaders and city council members based on the sole argument that it would result in “jobs,” despite a wealth of research showing the metallic sulfide mines lead to a net loss in jobs and incomes, especially in areas dependent on outdoor recreation (1, 2, 3). There is currently a petition of over 44,000 signatures calling for the halting of the mine’s development.
The Gichigaming Water Walk will be followed by speakers and potluck feast in the picnic area of the Presque Isle Scenic Area in Porcupine Mountains State Park.
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