Duluth, Minnesota has been my home for more than twenty

years. It’s a great place to live—a green city with abundant parks, trails, and streams overlooking Lake Superior at its western ter-minus. Duluth made national headlines earlier this summer

when 10 inches of rain fell on northern Minnesota in two days. Images of flooded parking lots, strand-ed cars, collapsing streets, and washed out bridges appeared on media outlets from Facebook to the Weather Channel. When the water receded, esti-mates of the damage to Duluth and surrounding communities in north-eastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin were in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Located on a hill, Du-luth is not a community where flooding is expect-ed, but the combination of heavy downpours and soils saturated from sev-eral weeks of wet weather produced flash flood conditions in the many streams that flow through northeast Minnesota (more than 40 streams and two rivers run through the city alone). In surrounding rural communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin, extensive flooding along the St. Louis and other rivers inundated homes and entire communities.

Severe storms are just one of the ways the impacts of climate change are being felt in the Great Lakes region. Others include less lake ice cover in winter,

warmer water temperatures in lakes and streams, changes in lake levels, warmer air temperatures, and more pests and diseases. The type of extreme storm event that the Duluth-Superior area experi-enced is becoming more common and widespread, and also more expensive. Damage to public infra-structure—roads, bridges, and sewer systems—alone from the June storm is estimated at nearly $120 million. Sadly, many homeowners learned that flood damage they experienced will not be covered by insurance.

Our region will be a long time recovering from the damage. An army of citizen volunteers turned out over the summer to help clean up beaches, parks,

and private homes and begin repairs to trails. Repairs to roads, bridges, and buildings are also underway. The im-pact of the large volume of run-off on water quality in Lake Superior is still being assessed, but a large plume of sediment was visible on aerial photo-graphs of the western end of the lake for weeks after.

printed on recycled paper

2012 Series, Issue Three

In thIs Issue: UpdateonAttemptstoReduceCitizenInput

VolunteerLedFront40WorksHard,SeesProgress

JudgeRulesFlambeauMiningCompanyViolatedCleanWaterAct

FreshwaterFutureBuildsaStrongerPresenceinCanada

MothersFightFrackingintheirCommunity

Freshwater FutureP.O. Box 2479

Petoskey, MI 49770Phone: (231) 348-8200

www.freshwaterfuture.org

S tA F F V I e W S — ClimateChangeImpactsHitClosetoHome By Julie O’Leary, Associate Director

FollowFreshwaterFutureonFacebook&twitter!

Continued on page 2

STeven HuySer-HOnIg ~ TaHquaMenOn rIver SunrISe

DerrIck BurBul ~ Fall FOlIage, WIScOnSIn POInT

N e e d M o N e y ?doaWalk,Paddle&Roll!

Fall is the perfect time to raise money through our Walk, Paddle & Roll pro-gram. Get those much-needed extra

resources while having fun outside. It’s a great opportunity to introduce your orga-nization and Freshwater Future to a new group of people, and you’ll be surprised just how much money you can raise to support your work. Call or email today to get started 231-348-8200, info@freshwa-terfuture.org.

ensuringtheHealthyFutureofourWaters

Julie O’Leary

Keep Up the pressure and Stop Asian Carp

Social media is an important tool to influence decision-makers and Congress. It’s a fast and easy way to reach your elected officials. Congressional staff monitor men-

tions from constituents and your comments through social media can spread quickly and have an important impact. We created an easy way for you to get the message out if you have a Facebook or Twitter account. By going to our new action site, www.freshwaterfutureaction.org, you can join our movement and influence your Members of Congress on this important Great Lakes issue. Your posts can help get the job done!

Thanks for clicking!JOan WeyanDT

Left: Stormwater damage on Haines Road. Below: Washed away portion of Barkers Road.

JODI SlIck

Freshwater Voices is published quarterly and distributed by Freshwater Future, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. Fund-ing for the publication is provided by our members.

stAffAnn BAuGHMAn Associate Director for Development ann@freshwaterfuture.orgCATHY BRADY

Office Manager cathy@freshwaterfuture.org

WenDY COOpeR program Innovator, Canada wendy@freshwaterfuture.orgCHeRYL kALLIO Associate Director for policy cheryl@freshwaterfuture.orgJuLIe O’LeARY Associate Director for policy julie@freshwaterfuture.orgJILL RYAn executive Director jill@freshwaterfuture.orgBeCCA TuRneR program Associate becca@freshwaterfuture.orgMeLAnIe nApOLeOn WeLCH Associate Director of program melanie@freshwaterfuture.org

peTOSkeY OFFICe: (231) 348-8200SpRInG LAke OFFICe: (231) 571-5001DuLuTH OFFICe: (231) 838-9934CHICAGO OFFICe: (773) 540-7755TOROnTO OFFICe: (416) 627-8343

BoArd of direCtorsGARY BeLAn American RiversDeBORAH DORSeY

West Grand Boulevard Collaborative

THeReSA MCCLenAGHAn Canadian environmental Law

AssociationkRISTY MeYeR The Ohio environmental CouncilAMY JO SMITH economic Development Council of erie CountyGARY STReeT Great Lakes CitizenTeRRY SWIeR Michigan Citizens for

Water ConservationSARAH WInTeRTOn environmental Defence

DISCLAIMeR: Freshwater Voices is in-tended to provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas among citizens and organizations working to protect aquatic habitats in the Great Lakes Basin. The in-terpretations and conclusions presented in this newsletter represent the opinions of the individual authors. They in no way represent the views of Freshwater Future, funders, members, donors, or any orga-nization mentioned in this publication.

CoRPoRAtedoNAtIoNSLake is GoodFoUNdAtIoNSANdGRANtSerb Family FoundationFrey FoundationJ.A. Woollam Foundationnorcross Wildlife FoundationFoUNdeR’SCIRCLe($1000andabove)Ted and Brenda FreySUStAINeR’SCIRCLe($1000orgreaterthroughmonthlygiving)Bonnie DanniMoNtHLyGIVINGAnn BaughmanCathy BradyCheryl kallioJill RyanSPoNSoR($499-250)Terry SwierSUPPoRteR($100-249)eleanor BookwalterAmanda and paul BrinkSandra Broganpaul BurroughsDeborah and Lawrence DorseyJames and evangeline Fabianonan HuntAlbert J. koegelMarjorie MayMarilynn Smith

MeMBeRS($50-99)Anonymous (1)Johanna Balzerperpetua and Steven CrawfordTimothy CrooksLinda HardieLeland HolmesTerry and elizabeth McCloskeyDr. kirby M. MiltonThomas V. pottsJoan Schumakernancy and Gig Stewarted and Diane StrzelinskiBetty YonkersCoNtRIBUtoRS($49-$1)Diadra DeckerDonald GeigerWilliam LavigneSusan MatzLouis Mule’Robert Stegmierkenneth and kay WalcottJan and Brad Wilkins

WALk,PAddLeANdRoLLdoNAtIoNSCoNCeRNedCItIzeNSoFBIGBAyAnonymous (2)James Asselinpenny BarneyAnn e. BaughmanGene Champagne

Margaret ComfortJo DeRocheeileen Huttonpaul Marineeva MillerWilliam L. philipsonSuzanna RakerAnna RonkJune SwansonBabette Welchemily Whittakerkathy Wright

FReSHWAteRFUtUReStAFFANdFRIeNdSteAMAnonymous (1)Timothy W. BartleyRachel L. BergrenCynthia ByrskiChris CatulloJudith DavidsonJeremy GoldblattTracey Howe kochDebra kerrMelinda koslowpatrick Jean la RiviereJulie A. napoleonLisa palancaCarlo SantoriLarry SantoriBeth SantoriBenjamin J. Toppnancy TurnerMichael Welch

ReNeWedoRNeWMeMBeRoRGANIzAtIoNSeast Algoma Stewardshi Councilelk-Skegemog Lakes AssociationFaith in placeLake erie WaterkeeperLake Michigan League of

Women VotersOnondaga Creek

Conservation Councilprotect JkpRiver Raisin InstituteYellow Dog Watershed preserve

ASIANCARPCAMPAIGNAnonymous (4)Leslie edikauskaskay FitzgeraldRobert Gallelizabeth HeidRaymond Hoag, JrBill HoffmannJackie and Carol kangaselizabeth and philip LinscottMark OberschmidtOrville petersonWilliam StraubLarry WallsJoyce Withey

tHANkyoUtoRydeMARINefor the use of kayaks

autumn 2012 F r e S H WaT e r F u T u r e M e M B e r n e W S 7

Thank You to All of Our Donors from June through August 2012

2 F r e S H WaT e r F u T u r e S e r v I c e S Freshwater Future

d I R e C t o R ’ S N o t e SConsequencesJill Ryan, Executive Director

I have a 13 year old son. That’s probably enough to let you know that I am acutely aware of conse-

quences in my personal life. Daily I witness my son learning that there are consequences to his actions—both positive and on occassion negative. This issue of the newsletter also makes me acutely aware of the consequences

of our collective actions—what happens when we build our communities over time, when we use new techniques to extract the resources we rely on, or when we take resources from pristine areas we previously thought were protected.

The great thing about this collection of articles is that we also have the opportunity to use our personal and group actions to influence those long-term consequences. Where Front 40 sees the potential harmful consequences of a sulfide mine near the Menominee River, they take action to protect their way of life, including their water. Where mothers see the potential negative consequences of gas wells in their neighborhoods, they take action to ensure the safety of their families. When local citizens see their towns impacted by the consequences of larger storm events, they take action to help their communities adapt to the new reality. And the list could go on and on.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your ef-forts to ensure that we take existing and potential negative consequences of our living on the land into consideration and look for ways to find positive solutions.

Jerry MercIer

Jeanie and Murray Kilgour have been supporting Freshwater Future for at least the last three

years. It’s because of the support from our members and donors, like Jeanie and Murray, that allow us to support grassroots work and make

a difference for the waters in our Great Lakes region. Thank you to the Kilgours and to all our donors who help us make a real difference every day!

What do you like most about Freshwater Future and our work?Kilgours: Three things: 1) your “localness,” Freshwa-ter Future is addressing the Great Lakes area, 2) your collaborative nature, you work through really local groups and 3) your hands-on nature, a large portion of the projects funded are direct action projects.

Why is the Great Lakes region special to you?Murray: Because I have lived in the Great Lakes area my whole life and Jeanie has lived or summered in the Great Lakes area most of her life.

What’s your favorite spot in our region and why?Murray: It is hard to pick one—North channel (Lake Huron), Thousand Islands (Lake Ontario), St Lawrence River near Cornwall Ontario.

Jeanie: When there is really no traffic on the lake or sailing up to the North Channel which we have done many times.

What’s your favorite Great Lakes fish or regional critter?Murray: I am partial to the Walleye (Pickerel).

Jeanie: One of my favorites is the Loon. I cannot hear the cry without thinking of swimming in Lake Charlevoix in the spring. I hit the water as soon as the ice leaves!

Any other fun trivia about yourself? Murray: We spend 5 to 6 weeks a year diving in warm water, specifically the Pacific Islands, which is phenomenal, but live in the Great Lakes Region.

Jeanie: We took a trip from Toronto to Lake Char-levoix on our sailboat, Sassy Lassie, with our Samo-yed when we moved back to the U.S. What a fun time sailing through 4 of the 5 Great Lakes.

donorProfile

ClimateChangeImpactsHitClosetoHomecontinued from page 1

There are actions we can take to make our communities more resilient in the face of storms like the one northern Minnesota experienced, as well as the other impacts of climate change. These include the use of “green infrastructure”—grassy swales, permeable pavement, and rain gardens—to increase infiltration of rainwater and decrease run-off, limiting the amount and location of paved surfaces, making sure stormwater infrastructure is appropriately sized, protecting wetlands, and providing shade corridors to keep urban streams cool.

Freshwater Future is working with our members in communities around the Great Lakes to promote and support climate adaptation. Our Great Lakes Community Climate Program provides tools, training, support, and fund-ing to help community and watershed groups learn how to include climate adaptation in their work and the decisions their communities make. Fresh-water Future partners with EcoAdapt, a national leader in helping commu-nities to adapt to climate change, to offer climate symposia twice yearly. Symposia attendees are eligible to apply for climate adaptation grants to support their on-the ground projects.

For more information about the Great Lakes Climate Program, our next Climate Symposia in October, and climate grants, check out our website at www.freshwaterfuture.org, or contact me at (231) 838-9934. Great Lakes communities can’t afford not to include climate adaptation in our planning and decision-making!

Amountainiscomposedoftinygrainsofearth.theoceanismadeupoftinydropsofwater.evenso,lifeisbutanendlessseriesoflittledetails,actions,speeches,andthoughts.Andtheconsequenceswhethergoodorbadofeventheleastofthemarefar-reaching.

Sivananda The St. Louis River flows into Lake Superior carrying a heavy load of sediment after days of rain in June.

BOB

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The Black River rages over Little Manitou Falls after up to ten inches of rain fell in a 24 hour period. pattison State park, WI.

autumn 2012 g r e aT l a k e S P O l I c y u P D aT e S 3

JOHn DykSTra ~ MIner BeacH FallSPaul WeIMer ~ lake SuPerIOr

Wendy Cooper, Program In-novator for Canada Pro-grams, joined the Fresh-

water Future team in July. Wendy is helping to develop our programs in Canada using the learnings from the recent Ontario Great Lakes Needs Assessment so we can tailor our ser-vices so they are meeting the needs of current and future Canadian

members. As part of that effort, she will be setting up Freshwater Future’s first Canadian office to increase our physical presence on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes basin.

Wendy has been an active member of the environmental community for over twelve years, focused on conserva-tion but with a keen and growing interest in exploring the intersections between the environment, arts, and com-munity and social development. She has an Honours BSc from Trent University in Environmental Science and Biol-ogy that led to initial work experiences with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Nature Conservancy of Canada. Wendy led the Georgian Bay Land Trust for eight years from 2003-2011 as their first Executive Director, helping the organization grow from a small, all-volunteer organi-zation to a staffed organization with successful core pro-grams supported by solid organizational management and strategic partnerships. She has also been an active vol-unteer, contributing in a variety of capacities for a num-ber of organizations supporting environmental causes, including Freshwater Future. Wendy lives in Toronto but frequently escapes to explore nature throughout Ontario, Canada and internationally. Welcome Wendy!

To contact the Canadian office:Freshwater Future@ Centre for Social Innovation - Annex720 Bathurst St.Toronto, ON M5S 2R4Phone: (416) 627-8343

AWarmWelcometoourNewestStaffMember

MothersFightFrackingintheirCommunity

Mothers Against Drilling In Our Neighborhoods, or MADION, is a group formed by Ohio moth-

ers whose sole mission is to preserve the health and safety of their children from the harmful effects of drilling for gas and oil in their neighborhoods. They’ve come togeth-er because they choose to do something to stop the unsafe drilling for gas and oil in the neighborhoods. “I have already been evacuated from my house because gas was leaking from a well drilled 600 feet from my home,” states Michelle Aini, co-founder of MADION.”My six-year old son and I left our home for two weeks during the drilling and fracking phases.” Mi-chelle also notes that their schools do not disclose to parents upon registration that there are gas and oil wells on the premises. After re-searching the school her son was to attend for kindergarten, Michelle found out a gas and oil well was just 300 feet from the school. Also, the elementary school her son was suppose to attend this year has a gas and oil well located 600 feet from the school. There is a documented

accident at this school for which oil and fumes were leaking out while kids were on the playground. “Some parents didn’t even know the well was there.”

What has members of MADION befuddled is how all this drilling is allowed so close to their homes and schools—90 wells in a 13.1 square mile city. Their local unit of government didn’t want these wells out-side of their designated industrial areas. However, Governor Taft signed Ohio House Bill 278 that has stripped each local unit of government of their authority to govern oil

and gas drilling. What doesn’t add up for members of MADION is that Home Rule is a Charter right and the Charter is guaran-teed by the Ohio Constitution. So, how can the State abolish the ability of her commu-nity to exercise their constitutional right to Home Rule? “Our basic civil rights of clean air, water and a safe environment have been stripped from us by the State of Ohio,” stat-ed Michelle. “We voted where we wanted residential, business, and industrial areas to be located and the state government is taking that away from us.”

Moving forward, members of MADI-ON are determined to exercise their First Amendment right to free speech and continuing efforts to keep their children and community safe. MADI-ON’s newest initiative is to pass a Bill of Rights in their community in an at-tempt to gain back some of their rights.

From all of us at Freshwater Future we want to say “thank you” to the mem-bers of MADION and groups around the region who are fighting for their rights!

UpcomingFallGrantdeadlinesProject Grant Fall Cycle: September 30, 2012Project grants are prefect for grassroots organizations looking for funding to engage in advocacy activities to protect local lakes, rivers and wetlands.

Climate Grant Fall Cycle:November 15, 2012Climate grants provide funding for projects that encourage local communi-ties to actively engage in activities that take climate change related impacts into account.

Rolling Deadline:

NEW! Healing Our Waters GrantsAlthough Healing Our Waters (HOW) grants are not new to Freshwater Future, their rolling deadline is. HOW grants financially support projects that will aid in the development and implementation of the Great Lakes Restoration Imitative and other Federal projects. Priority is given to HOW’s 8 target areas.

Special Opportunity GrantsWe still have funds available for Special Opportunity Grants! These grants provide funds that support river, lake, wetland, and groundwater protection efforts that are not are not on our spring and fall cycles. We recognize not all grassroots organizations work on our schedule, and still want to provide opportunities for those organizations.

Insight GrantsInsight Grants provide consulting services for your organization at a rate of 75% funding, with a 25% match. Let Freshwater Future help build your ca-pacity through personalized trainings on board development, membership expansion, communications, fundraising, and strategic planning.

Visit http://www.freshwaterfuture.org/grant-programs/ for application pro-cedures and further information.

Wendy Cooper

6 g r a S S r O OT S I n ac T I O n Freshwater Future

UpdateonAttemptstoReduceCitizenInput

In our last newsletter, we brought your attention to H.R. 4402, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Produc-

tion Act of 2012. We encouraged you to participate in our social media campaign to contact your legislators, asking them to op-pose H.R. 4402.

In spite of our efforts and those of many other organizations, H.R. 4402 passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 256-160. You can see how your representative voted by visiting http://www.govtrack.us/

congress/votes/112-2012/h468. There has been no action to date on the bill in the Senate, where its fate is uncertain.

The White House, in a “statement of admin-istration policy” released before the vote voiced strong opposition, stating that H.R. 4402 “would undermine and remove the environmental safeguards, for, at a mini-mum, almost all types of hardrock mines on federal lands.”

We will keep you updated on new develop-

ments and any Senate action on this bill. The fastest way to stay informed on this and oth-er issues, is to sign up for our email list, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

With elections approaching, we encourage you to talk with candidates for public of-fice about your concerns and ask their views on protecting our air and water, requiring industries to comply with laws that protect our health, and safeguarding the process for public participation in permitting decisions.

FallClimateSymposiumDon’t miss the fall Climate Symposium, coming up October 12-13 in Duluth, MN. For more information and to register, go to http://www.freshwaterfuture.org/re-sources/climate-symposium.html.

A fenced well adjacent to a playground.

Front 40 is a grassroots organization that was formed in 2003 in

response to the threat of a metallic sulfide mine on the banks of the Menominee River in Lake Township of Menominee County, Michi-

gan. Our mission is to ensure that metallic sulfide mining operations are not allowed to adversely impact our rivers, lakes, groundwa-ter and lands. We do this by creating public awareness of mining exploration, informing citizens and elected officials of the reality of community economic issues typically in-volved with mining operations and utilizing our collective grassroots voice to have environ-mentally responsible legisla-tion implemented.

The potential mine site we have been monitoring is lo-cated west of Stephenson, Michigan. By the time area citizens were aware of what had been transpiring, the mining interests had already claimed access to over 50,000 acres of mineral rights to both private and state-owned property in Menominee County, Michigan and about that same amount across the Menominee River in Marinette County,

Wisconsin. The mining effort is known as the Back Forty Project and consists of an explora-tion company, Aquila Resources, and Hudbay Minerals, the company that would do the ac-tual mining, both are Canadian firms.

Many promises have been made to the citi-zens in the area by the companies, including assurance that there would be no pollution, though the mine site is located right along the banks of the river near the Shakey Lakes Savanna and a few miles north of a chain of lakes on which is situated a popular coun-ty park. Indian burial grounds and garden plots are also located in the area along with year-round homes, cottages and outdoor recreation property.

Suddenly, on July 3, 2012, Hudbay an-nounced that it was pulling out as the min-ing company and severing agreements with Aquila Resources. Where the project stands at this point is unclear. Aquila Resources has announced that it is exploring the possibil-

ity of developing this type of mine in Mara-thon County, Wisconsin.

Front 40 has no paid staff—all our people are volunteers. What we have accomplished has been done entirely by volunteers with the help of donations and grants from organizations such as Freshwater Future to whom we are very grateful. Without help from such groups, the general public and concerned citizens, we would not be able to continue this effort.

Do we consider the exit of Hudbay a success for our group? Temporarily, yes, but time will tell as Aquila will likely seek some other min-ing interest to pick up where Hudbay left off. We view our main success as informing the public, which was largely unaware of what

was transpiring when we be-gan nearly 10 years ago. In the meantime, we continue to monitor the mine, visit public officials, attend pub-lic meetings and conduct programs which inform and

educate our community on the issue of pollu-tion from mining operations. We are also cur-rently reaching out to our neighbors on the Wisconsin side of the Menominee River to engage other communities in the watershed.

Marla Tuinstra

4 g r a S S r O OT S I n ac T I O n Freshwater Future autumn 2012 g r a S S r O OT S I n ac T I O n 5

Paul WeIMer ~ lake SuPerIOr

S U C C e S S S t o R y —JudgeRulesFlambeauMiningCompanyViolatedCleanWaterAct

S U C C e S S S t o R y — VolunteerLedFront40WorksHard,SeesProgress By Marla Tuinstra

A federal court ruled on July 25, 2012 that the Flambeau

Mining Company violat-ed the Clean Water Act on multiple occasions by al-lowing pollution from its Flambeau Mine site, near

Ladysmith, WI, to enter the Flambeau River and a nearby tributary.

The lawsuit resulting in the ruling was filed early last year by the Wisconsin Resources Pro-tection Council, the Center for Biological Di-versity and Laura Gauger against the Flambeau Mining Company, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto and formerly of Kennecott Minerals Compa-ny. The complaint charged that the mine site, which closed in 1997, discharges stormwater runoff containing toxic levels of metals from a detention basin known as the biofilter.

Monitoring data from the mining company and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources show that copper levels in the dis-charge exceeded Wisconsin’s acute toxicity criterion of 8 micrograms per liter—set to protect fish and other aquatic species—some-times by several times.

The Flambeau is a popular river for fishing and canoeing and provides habitat for a wide variety of aquatic and wildlife species, includ-ing bald eagles and osprey. The Flambeau Mine operated near the river from 1993 to 1997. Since the close of mining operations, Flambeau Mining Company has faced persis-tent groundwater and surface water quality problems at the site, most notably at a 32-acre industrial park that remains operational.

The mining industry often cites the Flambeau Mine as a model mine that has fully com-plied with environmental laws. The court’s ruling, however, confirms years of concerns from local citizens that for even this small, short-term mine, the mining company has been unable to stop heavy metals from reach-ing and polluting the nearby Flambeau River.

Wisconsin’s Mining Moratorium Law prohibits the mining of a sulfide ore body unless mine proponents can point to a mine that has been closed for at least 10 years without polluting the environment. The pollution caused by the relatively small Flambeau Mine takes on add-ed significance in light of new proposals for copper, nickel, zinc and iron mines through-out the Great Lakes region and beyond.

“It’s been a long road, and I very much appreci-ate the solid support given to us by Freshwater Future,” said Laura Gauger. “The grant monies and words of encouragement from staff came at just the right time to help us keep moving forward with the lawsuit, and for that I am most grateful. Indeed, this project has been a grand coming together of citizens, tribal mem-bers and organizations who saw the precedent-setting nature of the case and were bound and determined to see it through to the end. To all of these individuals I say, ‘Thank you.’”

Specimens are collected from several creeks which run into the Menominee River, the “bugs” are sorted, classified and entered into computer programs. The university of Wisconsin-Marinette has been a great help with this program.

PHOTOS: nOrMan TuInSTra

FreshwaterFutureBuildsaStrongerPresenceinCanada

Freshwater Future is proud to an-nounce that we are now incorpo-rated in Canada and have applied

for charitable status. While we have been working bi-nationally since we started in 1996, we made the decision to become a registered charity in Canada to establish a physical presence on the Canadian side of the basin. This will help us to do an even better job of supporting the basin-wide and local efforts on both sides of the border to protect the land and water resources of the Great Lakes.

To help inform the growth of our pres-ence in Canada, we were fortunate to be a co-sponsor of the recent Ontario Great Lakes Needs Assessment with the Cana-dian Freshwater Alliance. The results of this study, published in a report that you can find on our website, are serving as a great source of information on the needs of groups working to protect water in the Ontario portion of the basin. We look for-ward to reaching out to others working in this region to get their feedback on the as-sessment and determine how Freshwater Future can work with them to move this work forward.

To help us get started, Wendy Cooper has joined our team and over the next couple of months will be reaching out to groups to get their feedback on the results of the needs assessment, establish our first of-fice in Canada, and develop short-term goals to guide our increased presence in Canada as part of our overall strategic plan. We look forward to keeping you up to date on our efforts in Canada through this newsletter, our website, Facebook and Twitter. To learn more, contact Wen-dy at wendy@freshwaterfuture.org.

Laura Gauger

“It’sbeenalongroad,andIverymuchappreciatethesolidsupportgiventousbyFreshwaterFuture.thegrantmoniesandwordsofencouragementfromstaffcameatjusttherighttime...”Laura Gauger

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“WhatwehaveaccomplishedhasbeendoneentirelybyvolunteerswiththehelpofdonationsandgrantsfromorganizationssuchasFreshwaterFuturetowhomweareverygrateful.”

Front 40 is a grassroots organization that was formed in 2003 in

response to the threat of a metallic sulfide mine on the banks of the Menominee River in Lake Township of Menominee County, Michi-

gan. Our mission is to ensure that metallic sulfide mining operations are not allowed to adversely impact our rivers, lakes, groundwa-ter and lands. We do this by creating public awareness of mining exploration, informing citizens and elected officials of the reality of community economic issues typically in-volved with mining operations and utilizing our collective grassroots voice to have environ-mentally responsible legisla-tion implemented.

The potential mine site we have been monitoring is lo-cated west of Stephenson, Michigan. By the time area citizens were aware of what had been transpiring, the mining interests had already claimed access to over 50,000 acres of mineral rights to both private and state-owned property in Menominee County, Michigan and about that same amount across the Menominee River in Marinette County,

Wisconsin. The mining effort is known as the Back Forty Project and consists of an explora-tion company, Aquila Resources, and Hudbay Minerals, the company that would do the ac-tual mining, both are Canadian firms.

Many promises have been made to the citi-zens in the area by the companies, including assurance that there would be no pollution, though the mine site is located right along the banks of the river near the Shakey Lakes Savanna and a few miles north of a chain of lakes on which is situated a popular coun-ty park. Indian burial grounds and garden plots are also located in the area along with year-round homes, cottages and outdoor recreation property.

Suddenly, on July 3, 2012, Hudbay an-nounced that it was pulling out as the min-ing company and severing agreements with Aquila Resources. Where the project stands at this point is unclear. Aquila Resources has announced that it is exploring the possibil-

ity of developing this type of mine in Mara-thon County, Wisconsin.

Front 40 has no paid staff—all our people are volunteers. What we have accomplished has been done entirely by volunteers with the help of donations and grants from organizations such as Freshwater Future to whom we are very grateful. Without help from such groups, the general public and concerned citizens, we would not be able to continue this effort.

Do we consider the exit of Hudbay a success for our group? Temporarily, yes, but time will tell as Aquila will likely seek some other min-ing interest to pick up where Hudbay left off. We view our main success as informing the public, which was largely unaware of what

was transpiring when we be-gan nearly 10 years ago. In the meantime, we continue to monitor the mine, visit public officials, attend pub-lic meetings and conduct programs which inform and

educate our community on the issue of pollu-tion from mining operations. We are also cur-rently reaching out to our neighbors on the Wisconsin side of the Menominee River to engage other communities in the watershed.

Marla Tuinstra

4 g r a S S r O OT S I n ac T I O n Freshwater Future autumn 2012 g r a S S r O OT S I n ac T I O n 5

Paul WeIMer ~ lake SuPerIOr

S U C C e S S S t o R y —JudgeRulesFlambeauMiningCompanyViolatedCleanWaterAct

S U C C e S S S t o R y — VolunteerLedFront40WorksHard,SeesProgress By Marla Tuinstra

A federal court ruled on July 25, 2012 that the Flambeau

Mining Company violat-ed the Clean Water Act on multiple occasions by al-lowing pollution from its Flambeau Mine site, near

Ladysmith, WI, to enter the Flambeau River and a nearby tributary.

The lawsuit resulting in the ruling was filed early last year by the Wisconsin Resources Pro-tection Council, the Center for Biological Di-versity and Laura Gauger against the Flambeau Mining Company, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto and formerly of Kennecott Minerals Compa-ny. The complaint charged that the mine site, which closed in 1997, discharges stormwater runoff containing toxic levels of metals from a detention basin known as the biofilter.

Monitoring data from the mining company and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources show that copper levels in the dis-charge exceeded Wisconsin’s acute toxicity criterion of 8 micrograms per liter—set to protect fish and other aquatic species—some-times by several times.

The Flambeau is a popular river for fishing and canoeing and provides habitat for a wide variety of aquatic and wildlife species, includ-ing bald eagles and osprey. The Flambeau Mine operated near the river from 1993 to 1997. Since the close of mining operations, Flambeau Mining Company has faced persis-tent groundwater and surface water quality problems at the site, most notably at a 32-acre industrial park that remains operational.

The mining industry often cites the Flambeau Mine as a model mine that has fully com-plied with environmental laws. The court’s ruling, however, confirms years of concerns from local citizens that for even this small, short-term mine, the mining company has been unable to stop heavy metals from reach-ing and polluting the nearby Flambeau River.

Wisconsin’s Mining Moratorium Law prohibits the mining of a sulfide ore body unless mine proponents can point to a mine that has been closed for at least 10 years without polluting the environment. The pollution caused by the relatively small Flambeau Mine takes on add-ed significance in light of new proposals for copper, nickel, zinc and iron mines through-out the Great Lakes region and beyond.

“It’s been a long road, and I very much appreci-ate the solid support given to us by Freshwater Future,” said Laura Gauger. “The grant monies and words of encouragement from staff came at just the right time to help us keep moving forward with the lawsuit, and for that I am most grateful. Indeed, this project has been a grand coming together of citizens, tribal mem-bers and organizations who saw the precedent-setting nature of the case and were bound and determined to see it through to the end. To all of these individuals I say, ‘Thank you.’”

Specimens are collected from several creeks which run into the Menominee River, the “bugs” are sorted, classified and entered into computer programs. The university of Wisconsin-Marinette has been a great help with this program.

PHOTOS: nOrMan TuInSTra

FreshwaterFutureBuildsaStrongerPresenceinCanada

Freshwater Future is proud to an-nounce that we are now incorpo-rated in Canada and have applied

for charitable status. While we have been working bi-nationally since we started in 1996, we made the decision to become a registered charity in Canada to establish a physical presence on the Canadian side of the basin. This will help us to do an even better job of supporting the basin-wide and local efforts on both sides of the border to protect the land and water resources of the Great Lakes.

To help inform the growth of our pres-ence in Canada, we were fortunate to be a co-sponsor of the recent Ontario Great Lakes Needs Assessment with the Cana-dian Freshwater Alliance. The results of this study, published in a report that you can find on our website, are serving as a great source of information on the needs of groups working to protect water in the Ontario portion of the basin. We look for-ward to reaching out to others working in this region to get their feedback on the as-sessment and determine how Freshwater Future can work with them to move this work forward.

To help us get started, Wendy Cooper has joined our team and over the next couple of months will be reaching out to groups to get their feedback on the results of the needs assessment, establish our first of-fice in Canada, and develop short-term goals to guide our increased presence in Canada as part of our overall strategic plan. We look forward to keeping you up to date on our efforts in Canada through this newsletter, our website, Facebook and Twitter. To learn more, contact Wen-dy at wendy@freshwaterfuture.org.

Laura Gauger

“It’sbeenalongroad,andIverymuchappreciatethesolidsupportgiventousbyFreshwaterFuture.thegrantmoniesandwordsofencouragementfromstaffcameatjusttherighttime...”Laura Gauger

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“WhatwehaveaccomplishedhasbeendoneentirelybyvolunteerswiththehelpofdonationsandgrantsfromorganizationssuchasFreshwaterFuturetowhomweareverygrateful.”

autumn 2012 g r e aT l a k e S P O l I c y u P D aT e S 3

JOHn DykSTra ~ MIner BeacH FallSPaul WeIMer ~ lake SuPerIOr

Wendy Cooper, Program In-novator for Canada Pro-grams, joined the Fresh-

water Future team in July. Wendy is helping to develop our programs in Canada using the learnings from the recent Ontario Great Lakes Needs Assessment so we can tailor our ser-vices so they are meeting the needs of current and future Canadian

members. As part of that effort, she will be setting up Freshwater Future’s first Canadian office to increase our physical presence on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes basin.

Wendy has been an active member of the environmental community for over twelve years, focused on conserva-tion but with a keen and growing interest in exploring the intersections between the environment, arts, and com-munity and social development. She has an Honours BSc from Trent University in Environmental Science and Biol-ogy that led to initial work experiences with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Nature Conservancy of Canada. Wendy led the Georgian Bay Land Trust for eight years from 2003-2011 as their first Executive Director, helping the organization grow from a small, all-volunteer organi-zation to a staffed organization with successful core pro-grams supported by solid organizational management and strategic partnerships. She has also been an active vol-unteer, contributing in a variety of capacities for a num-ber of organizations supporting environmental causes, including Freshwater Future. Wendy lives in Toronto but frequently escapes to explore nature throughout Ontario, Canada and internationally. Welcome Wendy!

To contact the Canadian office:Freshwater Future@ Centre for Social Innovation - Annex720 Bathurst St.Toronto, ON M5S 2R4Phone: (416) 627-8343

AWarmWelcometoourNewestStaffMember

MothersFightFrackingintheirCommunity

Mothers Against Drilling In Our Neighborhoods, or MADION, is a group formed by Ohio moth-

ers whose sole mission is to preserve the health and safety of their children from the harmful effects of drilling for gas and oil in their neighborhoods. They’ve come togeth-er because they choose to do something to stop the unsafe drilling for gas and oil in the neighborhoods. “I have already been evacuated from my house because gas was leaking from a well drilled 600 feet from my home,” states Michelle Aini, co-founder of MADION.”My six-year old son and I left our home for two weeks during the drilling and fracking phases.” Mi-chelle also notes that their schools do not disclose to parents upon registration that there are gas and oil wells on the premises. After re-searching the school her son was to attend for kindergarten, Michelle found out a gas and oil well was just 300 feet from the school. Also, the elementary school her son was suppose to attend this year has a gas and oil well located 600 feet from the school. There is a documented

accident at this school for which oil and fumes were leaking out while kids were on the playground. “Some parents didn’t even know the well was there.”

What has members of MADION befuddled is how all this drilling is allowed so close to their homes and schools—90 wells in a 13.1 square mile city. Their local unit of government didn’t want these wells out-side of their designated industrial areas. However, Governor Taft signed Ohio House Bill 278 that has stripped each local unit of government of their authority to govern oil

and gas drilling. What doesn’t add up for members of MADION is that Home Rule is a Charter right and the Charter is guaran-teed by the Ohio Constitution. So, how can the State abolish the ability of her commu-nity to exercise their constitutional right to Home Rule? “Our basic civil rights of clean air, water and a safe environment have been stripped from us by the State of Ohio,” stat-ed Michelle. “We voted where we wanted residential, business, and industrial areas to be located and the state government is taking that away from us.”

Moving forward, members of MADI-ON are determined to exercise their First Amendment right to free speech and continuing efforts to keep their children and community safe. MADI-ON’s newest initiative is to pass a Bill of Rights in their community in an at-tempt to gain back some of their rights.

From all of us at Freshwater Future we want to say “thank you” to the mem-bers of MADION and groups around the region who are fighting for their rights!

UpcomingFallGrantdeadlinesProject Grant Fall Cycle: September 30, 2012Project grants are prefect for grassroots organizations looking for funding to engage in advocacy activities to protect local lakes, rivers and wetlands.

Climate Grant Fall Cycle:November 15, 2012Climate grants provide funding for projects that encourage local communi-ties to actively engage in activities that take climate change related impacts into account.

Rolling Deadline:

NEW! Healing Our Waters GrantsAlthough Healing Our Waters (HOW) grants are not new to Freshwater Future, their rolling deadline is. HOW grants financially support projects that will aid in the development and implementation of the Great Lakes Restoration Imitative and other Federal projects. Priority is given to HOW’s 8 target areas.

Special Opportunity GrantsWe still have funds available for Special Opportunity Grants! These grants provide funds that support river, lake, wetland, and groundwater protection efforts that are not are not on our spring and fall cycles. We recognize not all grassroots organizations work on our schedule, and still want to provide opportunities for those organizations.

Insight GrantsInsight Grants provide consulting services for your organization at a rate of 75% funding, with a 25% match. Let Freshwater Future help build your ca-pacity through personalized trainings on board development, membership expansion, communications, fundraising, and strategic planning.

Visit http://www.freshwaterfuture.org/grant-programs/ for application pro-cedures and further information.

Wendy Cooper

6 g r a S S r O OT S I n ac T I O n Freshwater Future

UpdateonAttemptstoReduceCitizenInput

In our last newsletter, we brought your attention to H.R. 4402, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Produc-

tion Act of 2012. We encouraged you to participate in our social media campaign to contact your legislators, asking them to op-pose H.R. 4402.

In spite of our efforts and those of many other organizations, H.R. 4402 passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 256-160. You can see how your representative voted by visiting http://www.govtrack.us/

congress/votes/112-2012/h468. There has been no action to date on the bill in the Senate, where its fate is uncertain.

The White House, in a “statement of admin-istration policy” released before the vote voiced strong opposition, stating that H.R. 4402 “would undermine and remove the environmental safeguards, for, at a mini-mum, almost all types of hardrock mines on federal lands.”

We will keep you updated on new develop-

ments and any Senate action on this bill. The fastest way to stay informed on this and oth-er issues, is to sign up for our email list, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

With elections approaching, we encourage you to talk with candidates for public of-fice about your concerns and ask their views on protecting our air and water, requiring industries to comply with laws that protect our health, and safeguarding the process for public participation in permitting decisions.

FallClimateSymposiumDon’t miss the fall Climate Symposium, coming up October 12-13 in Duluth, MN. For more information and to register, go to http://www.freshwaterfuture.org/re-sources/climate-symposium.html.

A fenced well adjacent to a playground.

Freshwater Voices is published quarterly and distributed by Freshwater Future, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. Fund-ing for the publication is provided by our members.

stAffAnn BAuGHMAn Associate Director for Development ann@freshwaterfuture.orgCATHY BRADY

Office Manager cathy@freshwaterfuture.org

WenDY COOpeR program Innovator, Canada wendy@freshwaterfuture.orgCHeRYL kALLIO Associate Director for policy cheryl@freshwaterfuture.orgJuLIe O’LeARY Associate Director for policy julie@freshwaterfuture.orgJILL RYAn executive Director jill@freshwaterfuture.orgBeCCA TuRneR program Associate becca@freshwaterfuture.orgMeLAnIe nApOLeOn WeLCH Associate Director of program melanie@freshwaterfuture.org

peTOSkeY OFFICe: (231) 348-8200SpRInG LAke OFFICe: (231) 571-5001DuLuTH OFFICe: (231) 838-9934CHICAGO OFFICe: (773) 540-7755TOROnTO OFFICe: (416) 627-8343

BoArd of direCtorsGARY BeLAn American RiversDeBORAH DORSeY

West Grand Boulevard Collaborative

THeReSA MCCLenAGHAn Canadian environmental Law

AssociationkRISTY MeYeR The Ohio environmental CouncilAMY JO SMITH economic Development Council of erie CountyGARY STReeT Great Lakes CitizenTeRRY SWIeR Michigan Citizens for

Water ConservationSARAH WInTeRTOn environmental Defence

DISCLAIMeR: Freshwater Voices is in-tended to provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas among citizens and organizations working to protect aquatic habitats in the Great Lakes Basin. The in-terpretations and conclusions presented in this newsletter represent the opinions of the individual authors. They in no way represent the views of Freshwater Future, funders, members, donors, or any orga-nization mentioned in this publication.

CoRPoRAtedoNAtIoNSLake is GoodFoUNdAtIoNSANdGRANtSerb Family FoundationFrey FoundationJ.A. Woollam Foundationnorcross Wildlife FoundationFoUNdeR’SCIRCLe($1000andabove)Ted and Brenda FreySUStAINeR’SCIRCLe($1000orgreaterthroughmonthlygiving)Bonnie DanniMoNtHLyGIVINGAnn BaughmanCathy BradyCheryl kallioJill RyanSPoNSoR($499-250)Terry SwierSUPPoRteR($100-249)eleanor BookwalterAmanda and paul BrinkSandra Broganpaul BurroughsDeborah and Lawrence DorseyJames and evangeline Fabianonan HuntAlbert J. koegelMarjorie MayMarilynn Smith

MeMBeRS($50-99)Anonymous (1)Johanna Balzerperpetua and Steven CrawfordTimothy CrooksLinda HardieLeland HolmesTerry and elizabeth McCloskeyDr. kirby M. MiltonThomas V. pottsJoan Schumakernancy and Gig Stewarted and Diane StrzelinskiBetty YonkersCoNtRIBUtoRS($49-$1)Diadra DeckerDonald GeigerWilliam LavigneSusan MatzLouis Mule’Robert Stegmierkenneth and kay WalcottJan and Brad Wilkins

WALk,PAddLeANdRoLLdoNAtIoNSCoNCeRNedCItIzeNSoFBIGBAyAnonymous (2)James Asselinpenny BarneyAnn e. BaughmanGene Champagne

Margaret ComfortJo DeRocheeileen Huttonpaul Marineeva MillerWilliam L. philipsonSuzanna RakerAnna RonkJune SwansonBabette Welchemily Whittakerkathy Wright

FReSHWAteRFUtUReStAFFANdFRIeNdSteAMAnonymous (1)Timothy W. BartleyRachel L. BergrenCynthia ByrskiChris CatulloJudith DavidsonJeremy GoldblattTracey Howe kochDebra kerrMelinda koslowpatrick Jean la RiviereJulie A. napoleonLisa palancaCarlo SantoriLarry SantoriBeth SantoriBenjamin J. Toppnancy TurnerMichael Welch

ReNeWedoRNeWMeMBeRoRGANIzAtIoNSeast Algoma Stewardshi Councilelk-Skegemog Lakes AssociationFaith in placeLake erie WaterkeeperLake Michigan League of

Women VotersOnondaga Creek

Conservation Councilprotect JkpRiver Raisin InstituteYellow Dog Watershed preserve

ASIANCARPCAMPAIGNAnonymous (4)Leslie edikauskaskay FitzgeraldRobert Gallelizabeth HeidRaymond Hoag, JrBill HoffmannJackie and Carol kangaselizabeth and philip LinscottMark OberschmidtOrville petersonWilliam StraubLarry WallsJoyce Withey

tHANkyoUtoRydeMARINefor the use of kayaks

autumn 2012 F r e S H WaT e r F u T u r e M e M B e r n e W S 7

Thank You to All of Our Donors from June through August 2012

2 F r e S H WaT e r F u T u r e S e r v I c e S Freshwater Future

d I R e C t o R ’ S N o t e SConsequencesJill Ryan, Executive Director

I have a 13 year old son. That’s probably enough to let you know that I am acutely aware of conse-

quences in my personal life. Daily I witness my son learning that there are consequences to his actions—both positive and on occassion negative. This issue of the newsletter also makes me acutely aware of the consequences

of our collective actions—what happens when we build our communities over time, when we use new techniques to extract the resources we rely on, or when we take resources from pristine areas we previously thought were protected.

The great thing about this collection of articles is that we also have the opportunity to use our personal and group actions to influence those long-term consequences. Where Front 40 sees the potential harmful consequences of a sulfide mine near the Menominee River, they take action to protect their way of life, including their water. Where mothers see the potential negative consequences of gas wells in their neighborhoods, they take action to ensure the safety of their families. When local citizens see their towns impacted by the consequences of larger storm events, they take action to help their communities adapt to the new reality. And the list could go on and on.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your ef-forts to ensure that we take existing and potential negative consequences of our living on the land into consideration and look for ways to find positive solutions.

Jerry MercIer

Jeanie and Murray Kilgour have been supporting Freshwater Future for at least the last three

years. It’s because of the support from our members and donors, like Jeanie and Murray, that allow us to support grassroots work and make

a difference for the waters in our Great Lakes region. Thank you to the Kilgours and to all our donors who help us make a real difference every day!

What do you like most about Freshwater Future and our work?Kilgours: Three things: 1) your “localness,” Freshwa-ter Future is addressing the Great Lakes area, 2) your collaborative nature, you work through really local groups and 3) your hands-on nature, a large portion of the projects funded are direct action projects.

Why is the Great Lakes region special to you?Murray: Because I have lived in the Great Lakes area my whole life and Jeanie has lived or summered in the Great Lakes area most of her life.

What’s your favorite spot in our region and why?Murray: It is hard to pick one—North channel (Lake Huron), Thousand Islands (Lake Ontario), St Lawrence River near Cornwall Ontario.

Jeanie: When there is really no traffic on the lake or sailing up to the North Channel which we have done many times.

What’s your favorite Great Lakes fish or regional critter?Murray: I am partial to the Walleye (Pickerel).

Jeanie: One of my favorites is the Loon. I cannot hear the cry without thinking of swimming in Lake Charlevoix in the spring. I hit the water as soon as the ice leaves!

Any other fun trivia about yourself? Murray: We spend 5 to 6 weeks a year diving in warm water, specifically the Pacific Islands, which is phenomenal, but live in the Great Lakes Region.

Jeanie: We took a trip from Toronto to Lake Char-levoix on our sailboat, Sassy Lassie, with our Samo-yed when we moved back to the U.S. What a fun time sailing through 4 of the 5 Great Lakes.

donorProfile

ClimateChangeImpactsHitClosetoHomecontinued from page 1

There are actions we can take to make our communities more resilient in the face of storms like the one northern Minnesota experienced, as well as the other impacts of climate change. These include the use of “green infrastructure”—grassy swales, permeable pavement, and rain gardens—to increase infiltration of rainwater and decrease run-off, limiting the amount and location of paved surfaces, making sure stormwater infrastructure is appropriately sized, protecting wetlands, and providing shade corridors to keep urban streams cool.

Freshwater Future is working with our members in communities around the Great Lakes to promote and support climate adaptation. Our Great Lakes Community Climate Program provides tools, training, support, and fund-ing to help community and watershed groups learn how to include climate adaptation in their work and the decisions their communities make. Fresh-water Future partners with EcoAdapt, a national leader in helping commu-nities to adapt to climate change, to offer climate symposia twice yearly. Symposia attendees are eligible to apply for climate adaptation grants to support their on-the ground projects.

For more information about the Great Lakes Climate Program, our next Climate Symposia in October, and climate grants, check out our website at www.freshwaterfuture.org, or contact me at (231) 838-9934. Great Lakes communities can’t afford not to include climate adaptation in our planning and decision-making!

Amountainiscomposedoftinygrainsofearth.theoceanismadeupoftinydropsofwater.evenso,lifeisbutanendlessseriesoflittledetails,actions,speeches,andthoughts.Andtheconsequenceswhethergoodorbadofeventheleastofthemarefar-reaching.

Sivananda The St. Louis River flows into Lake Superior carrying a heavy load of sediment after days of rain in June.

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The Black River rages over Little Manitou Falls after up to ten inches of rain fell in a 24 hour period. pattison State park, WI.

Duluth, Minnesota has been my home for more than twenty

years. It’s a great place to live—a green city with abundant parks, trails, and streams overlooking Lake Superior at its western ter-minus. Duluth made national headlines earlier this summer

when 10 inches of rain fell on northern Minnesota in two days. Images of flooded parking lots, strand-ed cars, collapsing streets, and washed out bridges appeared on media outlets from Facebook to the Weather Channel. When the water receded, esti-mates of the damage to Duluth and surrounding communities in north-eastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin were in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Located on a hill, Du-luth is not a community where flooding is expect-ed, but the combination of heavy downpours and soils saturated from sev-eral weeks of wet weather produced flash flood conditions in the many streams that flow through northeast Minnesota (more than 40 streams and two rivers run through the city alone). In surrounding rural communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin, extensive flooding along the St. Louis and other rivers inundated homes and entire communities.

Severe storms are just one of the ways the impacts of climate change are being felt in the Great Lakes region. Others include less lake ice cover in winter,

warmer water temperatures in lakes and streams, changes in lake levels, warmer air temperatures, and more pests and diseases. The type of extreme storm event that the Duluth-Superior area experi-enced is becoming more common and widespread, and also more expensive. Damage to public infra-structure—roads, bridges, and sewer systems—alone from the June storm is estimated at nearly $120 million. Sadly, many homeowners learned that flood damage they experienced will not be covered by insurance.

Our region will be a long time recovering from the damage. An army of citizen volunteers turned out over the summer to help clean up beaches, parks,

and private homes and begin repairs to trails. Repairs to roads, bridges, and buildings are also underway. The im-pact of the large volume of run-off on water quality in Lake Superior is still being assessed, but a large plume of sediment was visible on aerial photo-graphs of the western end of the lake for weeks after.

printed on recycled paper

2012 Series, Issue Three

In thIs Issue: UpdateonAttemptstoReduceCitizenInput

VolunteerLedFront40WorksHard,SeesProgress

JudgeRulesFlambeauMiningCompanyViolatedCleanWaterAct

FreshwaterFutureBuildsaStrongerPresenceinCanada

MothersFightFrackingintheirCommunity

Freshwater FutureP.O. Box 2479

Petoskey, MI 49770Phone: (231) 348-8200

www.freshwaterfuture.org

S tA F F V I e W S — ClimateChangeImpactsHitClosetoHome By Julie O’Leary, Associate Director

FollowFreshwaterFutureonFacebook&twitter!

Continued on page 2

STeven HuySer-HOnIg ~ TaHquaMenOn rIver SunrISe

DerrIck BurBul ~ Fall FOlIage, WIScOnSIn POInT

N e e d M o N e y ?doaWalk,Paddle&Roll!

Fall is the perfect time to raise money through our Walk, Paddle & Roll pro-gram. Get those much-needed extra

resources while having fun outside. It’s a great opportunity to introduce your orga-nization and Freshwater Future to a new group of people, and you’ll be surprised just how much money you can raise to support your work. Call or email today to get started 231-348-8200, info@freshwa-terfuture.org.

ensuringtheHealthyFutureofourWaters

Julie O’Leary

Keep Up the pressure and Stop Asian Carp

Social media is an important tool to influence decision-makers and Congress. It’s a fast and easy way to reach your elected officials. Congressional staff monitor men-

tions from constituents and your comments through social media can spread quickly and have an important impact. We created an easy way for you to get the message out if you have a Facebook or Twitter account. By going to our new action site, www.freshwaterfutureaction.org, you can join our movement and influence your Members of Congress on this important Great Lakes issue. Your posts can help get the job done!

Thanks for clicking!JOan WeyanDT

Left: Stormwater damage on Haines Road. Below: Washed away portion of Barkers Road.

JODI SlIck