NON BIRD: Make your Voice Heard March 12 in Lansing

[theowlranch@aol.com]

Howdy All,
 
I’m glad to see that this issue is getting some attention downstate. 
However, as of 5 PM this afternoon, all hearings have been cancelled. It appears the DEQ overlooked a few reports on the structurally integrity of the proposed mine. In turn, all hearings, both in the UP & Lansing have been cancelled until the DEQ have time to read the missing reports.  
One of the big issues on why there were hearings was because the Kennecott permit application to mine to the DEQ was found to have 91(!) “inadequacies”. This set off a series of meetings, hearings and ultimately court ruling stating the permit had to be tossed out and a new permit process would have to begin. From there, a second court case over-ruled the previous decision. This was one of the driving reasons to have more public hearings as many people were dissatisfied with the way the permit application was being accepted. Below is a link to Save The Wild UP’s press release about the cancellation of the hearings. Their report includes a link to the DEQ press release from this afternoon. I might add Save the Wild UP is an excellent organization that works incredibly hard to make sure any potential for commercial or industrial development is not at the cost of the environment, and that any development is of a sustainable nature. 
 
http://www.savethewildup.org/blog/deq-reverses-kennecott-preliminary-decision/
 
The Yellow Dog Plains is a very special place with a diverse array of fascinating plants and animals. I have done survey work on the plains collecting information on what species of birds use the plains for both breeding & migration. In addition to finding 94 species of birds that use the plains for potential nesting (including 12 endangered, threatened or special concern species), I found that the river corridors of the Yellow Dog and the Salmon Trout were simply phenomenal conduits of migrating passerines. I have had many days within a quarter-mile of the proposed mine site where I had hundreds of warblers, sparrows, thrushes and finches streaming past me. 
Last summer a Kirtland’s Warbler was present in June singing on territory, and there is ample habitat for additional Kirtland’s on the YDP. The Yellow Dog Plains were the last location for Kirtland’s in the UP (before the recolonization around Gwinn in 1996); back in the 70’s when a few pairs were found singing. Some other notable species that use the Plains for breeding include Merlin, Bald Eagle, Black-backed Woodpecker, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee, Connecticut Warbler, & Crossbills. 
Spruce Grouse also nest on the Plains; this is where Dr. Bill Robinson conducted research for his book Fool Hen. 30 years ago Spruce Grouse was an abundant species on the YDP, now due to logging pressures they have radically declined in numbers. I spent a lot of time on the Plains and see Spruce Grouse only a couple times a year. There has been a lot of logging up there in the last year in anticipation of the mine going in and I am worried that with the added pressures of a mine, Spruce Grouse may be pushed out. Some neat birds seen in migration the last couple of years include both White-fronted & Snow Geese, Great Gray Owl, Varied Thrush, Townsend’s Solitaire and Harris’s Sparrow. 
 
One of the particulars of the proposed mine that I am concerned about is the effect it will have on the wildlife on the Yellow Dog Plains. There has already been some exploratory drilling on the Plains, and I can tell you from first-hand experience, it is LOUD! I cannot hear singing birds during surveys at any distance when Kennecott is working. And this is just the exploratory drilling. A fully operational mine will be highly preventive in birds such as Kirtland’s Warblers from finding potential mates. 
This is an area that has a strong outdoor recreational history, and the surrounding communities benefit more from the long-term sustainability of tourism to the area (including eco-tourism, anyone who came and enjoyed the Vermilion Flycatcher this fall should know that any money the spent in Big Bay is part of the same community that this mine is going to be effected). It has already been established that less the hundred jobs will be created by this mine, and the project will not last for more then 10 years.
Something else to consider, is that this potential mine is only the tip of the iceberg. The amount of land that Kennecott and other mining companies own the mineral rights to in Marquette and Baraga Counties is amazing! Virtually all of the land that makes up the Michigamme Highlands could be potentially mined. The type of mining that is done in these areas and the amount of protection the environment will receive in future applications to mine will depend on the precedents set in this project (The Eagle Mine Project). 
The Michigamme Highlands include Big Bay, the Huron Mountains, Yellow Dog Plains, McCormick Wilderness Area, the Peshekee Grade and Van Riper & Craig Lake State Parks. I know many birders have benefited and appreciated the wild beauty of this area.
Without going into the particulars, I strongly urge you to look at the information gathered by www.Savethewildup.org to learn more on how the proposed mine could contaminate the ground water in this area of extensive wetlands. 
 
Thanks to anyone who was considering going to the hearings, stand by, the public could be called upon again to help preserve this very wild area!
 
~Skye Haas
 
 

 
________________________________________________________________________
AOL now offers free email to everyone.  Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/mich-chat/attachments/20070301/3c1e0243/attachment.html