Over the weekend native and nonnative residents in the Upper Peninsula participated in the Gichigaming Water Walk in Gogebic County. The event carried water 31 miles from Ironwood to Lake Superior within the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in protest of the proposed Copperwood Mine under development near the park. Close to 60 people joined at the Montreal River along the state border to symbolize water and contamination knows no border.
The group included members from the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Lac Vieux Desert, Bad River, Red Cliff, Menominee, Lac du Flambeau, Lac Courte Oreilles, and Little Traverse Bay band nations, and students and faculty from the Native American studies program at Northern Michigan University. As well as included residents from Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The water walk was organized by tribal nations in the Upper Great Lakes and Protect the Porkies.
The grassroots group, which has collected 45,000 petition signatures, opposes the development of a metallic sulfide copper mine approximately 1.5 miles from Lake Superior. The Copperwood mine has been under development for several years with the Highland Copper Company based in Quebec, Canada. The company estimates the project will generate around 380 jobs, and invest 425 million dollars into the western Upper Peninsula. Those interested in learning more about the Gichigaming Water Walk and the Copperwood mine development can find more information here.
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