special sxection/proge

2011ALSOINSIDE

Adaptive skiingSAIL begins skiing program

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Wind studySuperior WatershedPartnership receives grant

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Green shoesprojectNegaunee students contribute

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Invasive plantGarlic mustard

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Green clothing redesignerLanni Lantto

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Green aviationcoalition Wins award

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Hoop houseTeaching students farming

PAGE 5E

Pictured Rocks Looks at Alger Countyenergy use

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Mine boardwalkLions Club project

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Green drinksNetworking with others

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Miners ParkUpdates

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GREEN LIVING & RECREATION — SECTION EMONDAY, MARCH 28

PROGRESSA SPECIAL SECTION OF THE MINING JOURNAL

By JOHANNA BOYLEJournal Ishpeming Bureau

MARQUETTE — Passage of the requestfor .2 mills in seven municipalities aroundthe county in August 2010 for the continua-tion of the Iron Ore Heritage Recreation Au-thority and further construction of the 48-mile multi-use trail has authority officialspleased and motivated to get the rest of thetrail on the ground.

“We knew this was a great project, we did-n’t know if the timing was right to ask formoney,” said IOHRA administrator CarolFulsher. “We are grateful the voters support-ed it. This will be great motivation for therecreation authority.”

The millage will provide local fundingmatches for grants to continue the construc-tion of the trail and its maintenance.

“We can really make a big push and getmany miles of trail down at once,” Fulshersaid.

In summer 2010, the portion of the trailthrough Ishpeming was completed, allowingtrail users to travel all the way from WinthropJunction at the western end of Ishpemingthrough town to the brownstone building atthe east end of town and then on to Ne-gaunee.

Originally planned for 10 municipalities,the IOHRA is now in effect in the cities ofNegaunee, Ishpeming and Marquette andthe four townships of Chocolay, Marquette,Negaunee and Tilden, with other municipal-

ities able to join with the passage of thesame millage amount at any other election.

“The board meets to start planning,” Ful-sher said. “They’ve done a lot of work withvery little resources.”

Now that the millage has passed, grantfunds will be easier to secure since thegranting agencies will see the county’s resi-dents are supporting the trail. A $15,000grant from the Natural Resources TrustFund for further interpretive signs is one ex-ample of a grant that required matchingfunds.

“We’ve got lots to do but the board is ex-cited,” Fulsher said.

By 2012, however, trail organizers hopecounty residents will be able to travel fromWinthrop Junction to Chocolay Townshipusing the trail.

All that is needed to connect Ishpemingwith Chocolay is a 13-mile portion of the trailthat will run from where the trail currentlyends in Negaunee to the city of Marquette,where the IOHT will connect with the exist-ing paths in Marquette and then Chocolay.

“It’ll be paved through the city of Ne-gaunee and paved from Northwoods Roadinto Marquette,” Fulsher said. “The rest willbe gravel or boardwalk.”

The Negaunee-Marquette portion of thetrail will take people through quarry and wet-land areas, requiring boardwalks to moreeasily negotiate the terrain.

“We’re going through fields of cattails,”

Fulsher said. “It’s a beautiful spot.”Heading east from Neguanee, the IOHT

will run parallel to County Road 492 to nearthe Michigan Iron Industry Museum, whichwill also be serving as a trailhead. Fromthere, the trail will follow the Eagle Mills rail-road grade toward Marquette, featuring for-mer granite quarries.

With the current portion of the trail runningpast old mining sites, the Negaunee to Mar-quette portion will focus on industries andactivities that supported the mines, such asquarries and farms.

“It’s really taking people to different areas,”Fulsher said. “We get into what people didto support the mining.”

Interpretive signage will let trail users learnabout what immigrant families did to supportthemselves if they were not directly involvedin mining, as well as information on theplants and animals found around the area.

“Any time we walk through the trail, ifanyone has a question, we want to an-swer it,” Fulsher said.

Available for purchase or sponsorshipare mile markers, which can be dedicat-ed to a family or organization for $600.For more information on sponsoring amile marker, call Fulsher at 906-251-1769.

Johanna Boyle can be reached at 906-486-4401. Her e-mail address [email protected].

Heritage TrailMillage approval leaves authority ready to work

In background, Oberstar operator Ed Kryzanowiczworks on the Iron Ore Heritage Trail. In foreground,Oberstar operator Gary Spach clears a path for thetrail. The two were working on the 2.2-mile segment ofthe trail running through Ishpeming. (Journal photosby Johanna Boyle)


MARQUETTE — In oth-er areas of the country,wind turbines are often setup in large open areassuch as farm fields. But forcommunities in the UpperPeninsula interested insetting up wind turbines,the process is often com-plicated by the surround-ing terrain.

To help communitiesacross the U.P. navigatethe physical and ecologi-cal challenges of settingup wind energy sources,the Superior WatershedPartnership recently re-ceived a $36,000 grantfrom the Michigan CoastalManagement Program.

The grant will allow theSWP to develop a conser-vation model for potentialwind power developmentacross the U.P.

“There’s a lot of things totake into account when

considering wind in theUpper Peninsula,” saidCarl Lindquist of the SWP.“The U.P. poses some in-teresting challenges forwind development.”

Although many areas inthe U.P. have adequatewind resources, the landalso has some high, rockyterrain to deal with, as wellas wetlands and forests.By studying two areas thatrepresent many of thosechallenges, the SWP canput together a model tohelp communities over-come those challenges.

“They’ll have this boilerplate that we should belooking at this, this andthis,” Lindquist said.

The two sites the modelwill be focusing on arenorth of the Dead Riverwithin the city of Mar-quette and in a commer-cial forest site outside thecity limits. Those twosites, however, are onlybeing used to develop the

model, and are not beingconsidered for wind devel-opment themselves.

Helping out with variousaspects of the study arestudents from three differ-ent departments at North-ern Michigan University —the Environmental Sci-ence Department, the En-gineering/Alternative En-ergies and the EnglishDepartment.

“A lot of different parts ofthe study will involve dif-ferent disciplines,”Lindquist said. “It’s givingthe students real-worldexperience.”

Work on the model hasalready begun and is ex-pected to be finished bythe end of March. The finalmodel and report will beavailable for use by com-munities around the U.P.

Johanna Boyle can bereached at 906-486-4401.Her e-mail address [email protected].


ISHPEMING — Winterfor some people is thebest part about living inthe Upper Peninsula, butif you have a disability,getting outside to enjoy itisn’t easy.

To help those who maybe confined to awheelchair or legallyblind to get outside, theSuperior Alliance for In-dependent Living and theCentral Cross CountrySki Association put onweekly skiing lessonsavailable to all ages andability levels throughoutthe winter.

The sessions are at theAl Quaal Recreation Areain Ishpeming, focused onhelping people learn tocross country ski either

on traditional skis, or sitskis for those inwheelchairs.

“Our winters are quitelong, so physical activityis important for all of us,”said program Director Jo-di Tervo. “It’s just easierfor some people.”

Since a sit ski — a lowchair with two skis at-tached to the bottom —can cost more than athousand dollars, theprogram was a chancefor new skiers, especiallykids, to get to try some-thing they might not oth-erwise get to.

“It’s fun. I feel like I ruleskiing,” said 9-year-oldJoey Gavlek of Escana-ba. “I feel like I”m theruler of the world.”

Normally gettingaround with the use of awheelchair, a sit ski lets

Gavlek get outside in thewinter. This is his secondyear participating in theSAIL program.

The adaptive skiingprogram provides skis forthe participants and avolunteer to ski with toboth teach techniques orjust provide company.

“I like the experientiallearning,” Tervo said. “Ilike to let the participantbe the guide.”

A similar program is al-so beginning soon inHoughton.

To learn more about theadaptive skiing program,visit their blog atw w w. m q t - a d a p t i v e -ski.blogspot.com.


2E -— The Mining Journal Monday, March 28 PROGRESS2011

Everyone can skiSAIL begins adaptive skiing program

Joey Gavlek, 9, propels himself across the snow in a sit ski. (Journal photo by Jo-hanna Boyle)

Wind study

Wind turbines are often set up in large open areas such as farm fields. But for com-munities in the Upper Peninsula interested in setting up wind turbines, the processis often complicated by the surrounding terrain. (AP photo)

Green shoesThe Mining Journal, Monday, March 28 — 3EPROGRESS2011

Group pulls aproblem weed


ISHPEMING — LizCoyne stopped her walkalong the Iron Ore Her-itage Trail to pull out atall, white-flowered plant.

“This whole area be-tween the trail and thefence is pretty much in-vasives,” she said, ex-amining the thick root atthe base of the plant. Afaint smell of garlic waft-ed up from the crushedleaves.

Garlic mustard, con-sidered an invasiveplant, was the focus forthe Central UpperPeninsula CooperativeWeed ManagementArea working along theIOHT in the spring of2010.

“It’s a well-used pathand we try to controlpathways of invasion,”Coyne, coordinator ofthe CUPCWMA, said. “Ifthe garlic mustard seedis picked up by trailusers, it can be taken totheir own yards.”

A tall plant with small

white flowers and heart-shaped leaves, garlicmustard was originally agarden herb that givesoff a slight garlic smell,but now it threatens totake over forest areas,choking out not just na-tive flowers, but alsotree seedlings. Coynecoordinated weeklymustard-pulling ses-sions along the trail tolimit the growth of theplants before they go toseed later in the sum-mer.

“The thing that makesit easy to spot is the tallstem with the white flow-ers,” Coyne said.

Because the trail wasrecently put in, invasivespecies, including for-get-me-nots and spottedknapweed, have had achance to grow up alongthe sides of the trail.

In the spring, garlicmustard is typically oneof the first plants to be-gin growing, giving it ahead start on the nativeplant species. Last yearespecially, the mustardwas further along than

normal, due to earlywarm temperatures,Coyne said.

Coyne’s group metweekly, pulling the garlicmustard and bagging itto be thrown away so itcannot spread any fur-ther.

“Throw it in thegarbage and pleasedon’t send it to the citycompost,” Coyne, ad-vised those who mightbe considering pullingthe invasive plants.

Invasive plants areconsidered a danger tonatural habitats because— since they didn’tevolve in the area —they don’t have naturalenemies which couldlimit their spread. Theycan invade quickly andovertake native plants.

For more informationon invasive plants, visitthe Upper Peninsula In-vasives Council Website at upicweeds.org.



NEGAUNEE — Yourun, jump and walk andwhen they’re worn out,your athletic shoes prob-ably are headed for thetrash can. Last spring,however, a group of Ne-gaunee High School stu-dents worked to providean alternate destinationfor that used footwear.

For the third year in arow, members of GlobalAwareness, a studentgroup that focuses onenvironmental and hu-manitarian efforts, col-lected used athleticshoes to be shipped offto the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program.

Nike then breaks downthe shoes into rubber,foam and fabric compo-nents and uses them fortrack surfaces, paddingfor basketball courts andsurfaces for tenniscourts. Eventually, thecompany hopes to usethe recycled materials tocreate new products, ac-cording to nikereuse-ashoe.com.

The group collectedthe shoes in all three ofthe Negaunee schoolsand asked communitymembers to dig into theirclosets for unwantedathletic shoes. Athleticshoes are the only typeof footwear that are ac-cepted by the Nike pro-gram.

“People would justthrow their shoes away,”said then-junior AdrianaRuiz, 16. “It’s better toput them toward a goodcause.”

Shoes were collectedat sporting events andwithin the Negauneeschools before beingboxed up and shipped,with shipping expensescovered by donationsand raffle ticket sales.

In addition to recyclingthe shoes that are nolonger useable, thegroup also sortedthrough the shoes to pullout the ones that stillcould be worn and aresetting those aside to begiven to local kids whomight need the shoes orsending them to a down-state school in an impov-erished area where a

Negaunee alumnusteaches.

“We know this otherschool is needing them,”group advisor KathyHoughton said.

The Nike program hasrecycled more than 25million pairs of shoessince starting in 1990.

Last year was the firstthe Global Awarenessgroup has expanded itscollection into the com-munity, with the intent tocollect a larger amountof shoes.

Any shoes turned inthat are not athleticshoes will be taken to thePeninsula Arts Apprecia-tion Council’s Vista ThriftShop so they can still bereused.

The shoe collection,like many of the group’sprojects, was originallysuggested by a student.The group has also orga-nized trash pickups anddonated money to earth-

quake victims in Haiti. Asa certified “green”school, Negaunee HighSchool also participatesin paper and plastic recy-cling.

Johanna Boyle can bereached at 906-486-4401.Her email address [email protected].

Students at the Negaunee High School are up to their knees in old athletic shoes,and they’re hoping it stays that way. Members of the Global Awarness studentgroup are currently collecting used and worn out athletic shoes to be recycledthrough the Nike Reuse A Shoe program. Here, Global Awareness members, fromleft, Adriana Ruiz, 16, Stephanie Reichel, 16, and Jamie Dunn, 17, tie the shoes to-gether in preparation for shipping them off. (Journal photo by Johanna Boyle)

Old footwear recycled

Liz Coyne, coordinator of the Central Upper Peninsula Cooperative Weed Man-agement Area, walks a section of the Iron Ore Heritage Trail in Ishpeming lookingfor garlic mustard. (Journal photo by Johanna Boyle)

4E — The Mining Journal, Monday, March 28 PROGRESS2011

Green aviation

By JOHANNA BOYLEJournal IshpemingBureau

SAWYER — Thanks tocooperation from a clus-ter of both local and in-ternational businesses,Sawyer International Air-port may become morethan just a place to catcha plane.

A United States SmallBusiness Administrationgrant is allowing orga-nizers of the UpperMichigan Green AviationCoalition to look forwardto bringing business andjob opportunities to thearea. The coalition isworking to set up agreen aviation businesscenter in the UpperPeninsula, potentiallywith an airplane recy-cling facility at Sawyer.

A representative fromthe SBA was in the areain January to celebratethe awarding of the$600,000 grant to thecoalition at a press con-ference at Sawyer Inter-national Airport. Thegrant award was origi-nally announced in Oc-tober.

The green aviationcoalition, which hasgrown to include morethan 48 members, fo-cuses on the Sawyer air-port, the Delta Countyairport and theHoughton County airportas central points for areabusinesses to buildaround the concept ofgreen aviation.

“It really does add syn-ergy to things so you

don’t have a bunch ofbusinesses off doingtheir own thing,” saidBob Eslinger, executivedirector of business ser-vices for MichiganWorks The Job ForceBoard and co-chair ofthe coalition’s HumanResources WorkingGroup. “We think that’sreally critical to the jobgrowth.”

The coalition or clusterof businesses is set tostimulate business byworking together aroundgreen aviation, with anaviation recycling centerplanned for the Sawyerairport, for example. Thegrant money providesbusiness training, com-mercialization and tech-nology transfer services,counseling and otherservices to help thebusinesses move for-ward.

“The majority of com-panies have perfectedthe processes in the lab,”said Paul Arsenault, co-chair of the Business andProcesses WorkingGroup for the coalition.

The grant money willhelp make processes forrecycling composite ma-terials used on aircraftand other new technolo-gies commercially viable.

“The contract award tothe Upper MichiganGreen Aviation Coalitionwill accelerate the growthand opportunities for itsmembers,” Arsenaultsaid. “It will allow them tobe competitive on a glob-al level.”

Although it could betwo years before thepublic could see planescoming in to be recycled,working through thecoalition is allowing part-ner businesses to gettraining and connectionswith national companies,said Vikki Kulju, execu-tive director of Telkite En-terprises and co-chair ofthe the coalition’s brand-ing and promotion group.

Kulju said besides de-veloping technologies forrecycling airplanes, thecoalition will also helpdevelop technologies tomake airports them-selves more energy effi-cient.

"You have to find waysto be more efficient,” shesaid. “On the researchand development side,it’s just endless.”

Some 400 to 500 aredecommissioned in theUnited States eachyear, Arsenault said,with the UMi-GAC hop-ing to eliminate 20 per-cent of what enterslandfills from that de-commissioning eachyear.

Last fall, one businessin the anticipated clus-ter, Aircraft Deconstruc-tors Inc., was working tonegotiate the lease oflease of two hangars atSawyer for dismantlingand recycling activities.

Johanna Boyle can bereached at 906-486-4401. Her e-mail ad-dress is [email protected].


MARQUETTE — LanniLantto works surroundedby fabric and clothing ofall different sorts. Herstudio is filled with cur-tains, dresses, slips, lacetable runners and T-shirts.

All of that fabric, how-ever, wasn't purchasedat a fabric store. Lantto isan "upcycler," a clothingredesigner specializingin remaking clothing byadding pieces of differ-ent kinds of reusablefabrics, from lace tocamping tent material.

"What really bothersme is the wasteful sur-plus that ends up in thelandfills. We have toomany clothes in theworld," she said.

A self-described "left-brained person living in acreative person's body,"Lantto said she neverplanned on becoming aclothing designer.

"I've always had adeep seed planted in methat's focused on humanrights and caring for theearth. Originally, I wasvery focused on gettingthe degrees," she said. "Ididn't know anythingabout clothes."

A graduate of the Uni-versity of Michigan inwomen's studies, she re-ceived a master's degreein Brussels, Belgium, ininternational law in 2006.While living in Washing-ton, D.C., however, she

discovered a small ce-ramic owl at a thrift store.

"I went home and I tookany material I had, most-ly old T-shirts, and Irecreated that design ona skirt," she said.

Later, after moving toIthaca, N.Y., she helpedcreate the costumes forthree low-budget filmprojects.

"You don't have a bud-get. It all started from theidea that you don't haveto have a lot of money tocreate things," Lanttosaid.

Now she has set up astudio in Marquette,called (re) by lanni lantto.Besides creating re-designed T-shirts andeveryday wear and tak-ing custom orders, shealso works to put togeth-er a showcase collectioneach year, which isn'tsold until it has beenphotographed and docu-mented.

Her studio is organizedinto finished pieces,pieces that are being re-designed and a closet ofthrift store finds that arewaiting to be reworked.

"These are all thepieces I collect from thethrift stores," she said,carefully pulling piecesout of the closet. "Theseare all curtains and chaircovers and God knowswhat else.

"I call it fashion re-design. I take old thingsand make them new. Idon't take a pattern anduse new fabric."

Her designs includeeverything from ap-pliqued T-shirts to formalwear. One of her gownswas created from materi-al from a tent, anothercontains portions of aparachute.

"I'm inspired by what Isee first. I let the materi-als speak to me. There'sno boundaries that way,"she said. "If I see a cur-tain or if I see an old coat— anything. It's usuallythe fabric that draws meinto it."

Drawing attention tothe idea that clothing canbe upcycled into some-thing unique and wear-able, creating no newwaste, is Lantto's mis-sion.

"There's a lot of wastein the fashion industryand there's somethingwe can do about it," shesaid. "As consumers weshould be aware of theimmense waste involvedin the fashion industryfrom production to pack-aging. You have the cot-ton pesticides, you havethe wages that are reallylow, you have the elec-tricity and water that'sused to create it."

To learn more aboutLantto's work, visitwww.lannilantto.com orsearch for (re) by lannilantto on Facebook.

Johanna Boyle can bereached at 906-486-4401. Her e-mail addressis [email protected].

Clothing redesigner

Almost any type of fabric can be upcycled into clothing. Here a model shows oneof redesigner Lanni Lantto’s evening gowns, created from a bridesmaid dress, aruffle and a parachute. (Photo by Jeffrey Geniesse)

Catherine Gase of the United State Small Business Administration was at SawyerInternational Airport to congratulate the Upper Michigan Green Aviation Coalitionon its awarding of a $600,000 grant recently. The money is used by the coalition fortraining, commercialization and technology services and other growth and devel-opment services. (Journal photo by Johanna Boyle)

Pictured Rocks looksat Alger County energy use


MUNISING — Lastsummer, more than 700Alger County residentsparticipated in a surveyon energy use and cli-mate change, providinginformation that will helpthe Pictured Rocks Na-tional Lakeshore and theSuperior Watershed Part-nership help county resi-dents learn more aboutbeing energy-conscious.

“We wanted to take thepulse of the communityprior to doing a public ed-ucation and technical as-sistance program,” saidCarl Lindquist, executivedirector of the SWP.

Financed through agrant from the Environ-mental Protection Agen-cy’s Great Lakes Restora-tion Initiative, the surveywas mailed to AlgerCounty residents be-tween June and Septem-ber 2010, asking them togive input on everythingfrom use of compact fluo-rescent lights to theiropinion on global warm-ing.

In January, the two or-ganizations began a com-munity energy conserva-tion assistance programthat will provide freehome energy visits andfree weatherization andenergy conservation ma-terials.

Already many of thesurvey respondents re-ported taking steps to cutdown on their energy use.Ninety-eight percent re-ported turning off lights

when they weren’t need-ed, 66 percent use as lit-tle water as possible and56 percent wash laundryin cold water.

“I think it was reassuringto find a lot of people arealready doing a fairamount to conserve ener-gy,” Lindquist said.

The survey found, how-ever, that only 10 percentof Alger County residentshave CFL bulbs in allhome light fixtures.Around half of those whotook the survey have onlya few or no CFL bulbs.

Residents also reportedseeing no need to up-grade to more energy-ef-ficient water heaters andhome heating systems,even though the EPA’sEnergy Star program sug-gests looking at replacingheating or cooling sys-tems older than 10 years,citing the cost of new sys-tems as a barrier. Havingfinancial assistance, how-ever, would make resi-dents more likely to makethose energy-saving im-provements, 73 percentsaid. Eighty percent ofhouseholds also said theywould be more likely to re-cycle if better recycling fa-cilities existed.

In addition to askingabout energy use andconservation, the surveyalso asked residentsabout their attitudes to-ward global warming, aparticular point of concernfor officials at PicturedRocks.

“National parks are tosome degree the ca-naries in the coal mine,”

Chief of Heritage Educa-tion Gregg Bruff said.“The park service’s ap-proach is that climatechange will continue tohave an impact on naturalresources, cultural re-sources and, to some de-gree, visitor health.”

More Alger County resi-dents reported beingalarmed (16 percent) orconcerned (30 percent)about global warming,nearly twice the numberwho reported being dis-missive (11 percent) ordoubtful (12 percent).

In January, the cooper-ation between PicturedRocks and the SWPformed Alger EnergySavers, a program de-signed to help AlgerCounty residents reducetheir energy use throughenergy-saving productsand in-home energy as-sessments. The programis funded through theGreat Lakes RestorationInitiative. If successful,the program will reach1,500 homes in the coun-ty, eliminating 165,000metric tons of carbondioxide emissions andsaving 1.7 million kWh ofelectricity.

According to the Nation-al Parks Service, globalwarming is predicted to oralready has impacted theGreat Lakes regionthrough declining winterice, lower lake levels,higher summer tempera-tures, loss of cold waterfish populations, shifts invegetation and habitatand changes in distribu-tion of wildlife.


NEGAUNEE — Lastspring, groups of Ne-gaunee High School stu-dents worked together toconstruct and plant asmall hoop house on theschool’s property.

Working throughout thesummer, the students,including biology classesand clubs like the KeyClub, produced a varietyof vegetables from toma-toes to pumpkins, plusherbs like basil.

“The cherry tomatoeswere really good,” saidAdriana Ruiz, 17, a se-nior student involvedwith the hoop house pro-ject.

“We weeded and har-vested everything,” saidfellow senior EmmaCollins, 17.

The groups, led byteachers Helen Gross-man and Sherri Holm-gren, are waiting for theirfinal pumpkins to ripenbefore putting in a wintercrop.

During the first fewmonths of school, stu-

dents who were involvedin the hoop house got tosample their produce insalads and other dishes,prepared by Grossmanfor events like club meet-ings.

Working with the hoophouse has allowed thestudents to becomemore connected to thefood they eat, and to rec-ognize the environmen-tal impact of their food. Itis the hope of the stu-dents and their teachersthat the program willeventually produce veg-etables for use in theschool’s cafeteria.

The 10-by-16 hoophouse at Negaunee,however, is just one ofthe first to be put in placeat area schools.

The Marquette Com-munity Foundation,which provided a grant tohelp construct the Ne-gaunee High Schoolhoop house, is currentlyworking with the Mar-quette County HealthDepartment’s Building aHealthier Communitygrant program to fundhoop houses at other

area high schools.The new hoop houses

would be larger, closer tothe size of the hoophouse that is in placeand under operation atNorthern Michigan Uni-versity.

“The idea is to be able tohave students discover forthemselves that thehealthy choice can be aneasy choice,” said GeorgeSedlacek of the HealthDepartment. “What betterway to teach nutrition thanto have students learnhow to grow their ownfood?”

Besides being fresh andhealthy, and often organ-ic, locally grown food doesnot require fossil fuels tobe transported thousandsof miles from where it isgrown to where it is con-sumed.

A project is also in thebeginning stages to con-struct a hoop house forthe NICE CommunitySchools.


Negaunee studentscontinue hoophouse work

A Hoop House is being organized by the Marquette Food Co-op, Northern Initia-tives and Northern Michigan University, but first the sandy soil must be built up sothat it can sustain plants. Hoop house manager Kelly Cantway is working with twomethods to work nutrients into the soil. A smaller hoop house is currently in oper-ation at negaunee High School. (Journal photo by Johanna Boyle)

The Mining Journal, Monday, March 28 — 5EPROGRESS2011

PROGRESS2011


MARQUETTE — Theymight seem like any oth-er group of friends sittingdown to socialize in theevening, but their topicsof conversations revolvearound life after oil orraising chickens.

The group is calledGreen Drinks, and itssole purpose is to giveeveryone from hard-coreenvironmentalists tothose just wanting toknow more a chance toget together and talk.

“There’s over 300(Green Drinks) groupsall over the world,” saidMindy Otto, a student atNorthern Michigan Uni-versity and co-founder ofthe group with NMU ge-ography professor SteveDegoosh. “It’s really justnetworking, talking withpeople who are passion-ate about the samethings.”

The Marquette GreenDrinks group is open toanyone who would like toattend. They meet at theVierling Restaurant onFront Street at 8 p.m. thesecond Wednesday ofevery month.

Meetings aren’t sup-posed to have a strongstructure, Otto said, just

offer a chance for greenconversation.

This week’s meetingwas the third for thegroup.

“We were talking aboutthe transition initiative fora while — life after peakoil,” Otto said.

First-time Green Drinksattendee Chad McKin-ney agreed.

“Especially for a com-munity like this whereeverything’s shipped in,”McKinney said.

Otto said she had at-tended a Green Drinksgroup while attendingthe Ecosa Institute, aschool for sustainabledesign in Arizona andwanted to try a similargroup in Marquette.

“They had people whowere just getting togeth-er and talking,” Otto said,adding it was a goodchance for her to getideas on ways to bemore environmentallyfriendly.

“This is for whatevercomes out,” she said.

Depending on who at-tends and their interests,discussion can involvethe entire group or besplit into smaller groups.Topics have includedbooks on solar energy,beekeeping and garden-ing.

McKinney said whilehe didn’t normally con-sider himself “green,” hedecided to come toGreen Drinks after see-ing part of a film serieson transitioning awayfrom the use of oil shownin the Peter White PublicLibrary.

“Especially seeing ‘TheEnd of Suburbia’ (film)encouraged me to getmore involved,” he said.

When asked if he con-sidered himself “green,”McKinney said he felt hecould still make someprogress.

“I want to be more so,”he said. “I’m on my way.Everyone has room to domore.”

Although the GreenDrinks idea is more of adiscussion group than agroup dedicated to tak-ing organized action, Ot-to said she hoped thegroup would inspire oth-ers to join in the greenmovement.

“We’re trying to just getinformation out andmaybe reach peoplewho wouldn’t normallycome,” she said.


The Mining Journal, Monday, March 28 — 7E


NEGAUNEE — Whatwas once uneven, rockyground around the Jack-son Mine Pit No. 1 isnow a smooth pathwayaccessible to just aboutanyone, thanks to the ef-forts of the Negaunee Li-ons Club.

Members of the Clubspent time in Octoberlaying down a 280-footlong boardwalk from thepark off of the HeritageTrail around the pit to thegated tunnel entranceon the other side.

“This will allowwheelchairs and otherhandicapped people tohave a solid surface toview Jackson Pit No. 1,”said Jim Thomas, chair-man of the Iron Ore Her-itage Recreation Author-ity.

Materials from theboardwalk were previ-ously used as the board-walk connecting theparking lot to the Michi-gan Iron Industry Muse-um, which was takenapart two years ago bymembers of the LionsClub.

Last summer, the clubbegan cleaning theboards and getting themready for their new useas the mine pit board-walk. An afternoon ofwork in the fall now al-lows everyone to walkaround the mine pit.

Club members haveadopted the mine pit asa park area, and arelooking for either an un-derground or pit minecar to add to the collec-tion of sculptures andmine equipment that al-ready decorates thepark.

The mine pit is one ofthe sites where the Jack-son Mining Companybegan mining in the1800s, providing ore foruse in cannon foundriesduring the Civil War.

Funding from the Ne-gaunee CommunityFoundation helped com-plete the project.

The story of the reuseof the boards later wasrecognized as the LionsClub International “Storyof the Week” on lion-sclubsorg.wordpress.com in January. The entryfor Jan. 28 included avideo about the con-struction and the impactthe boardwalk has madefor local residents.


Boardwalkcircles mine

Members of the Negaunee Lions Club installed a boardwalk around the JacksonMine Pit No. 1, just off the Iron Ore Heritage Trail in Negaunee. The boardwalk, madefrom the boardwalk that used to connect the Michigan Iron Industry Museum to itsparking lot, will allow wheelchairs and other persons with limited mobility to visitthe mine pit. (Journal photo by Johanna Boyle)

Meeting to talk about all types of environmental issues, from sustainability to lifeafter peak oil, members of the Green Drinks Marquette group meet monthly at theVierling. Meetings are open to whoever is interested in discussing or learning moreabout living green. (Journal file photo)

Networking opportunity

Green Drinks


MinersPark updateBy JOHANNA BOYLEJournal Ishpeming Bureau

NEGAUNEE — Thosefamiliar with the way Min-ers Park along U.S. 41 inNegaunee used to lookknow that its current stateis a big improvement.

The project that beganin August of 2009 with theinstallation of brand newplayground equipment isentering its final stageswith the completion on anew bathroom facilityslated for this spring.

Completed thanks tothe efforts of the city’sParks and RecreationCommittee member AnnaMattson, city staff and thesupport of communitymembers, the park hasbecome a regular desti-nation for kids and fami-lies.

The most recent roundof work focused on theconstruction of the re-stroom facilities and im-provements to the pavil-

ion structure near theplayground.

The 8.5 by 22.5-footstructure was funded by agrant from the MichiganDepartment of NaturalResources and Environ-ment with a 25 percentmatch by the city for a to-tal of $96,869.

The construction waslargely completed in thefall of 2010 by PremeauConstruction. Since thefacility would have had tohave been winterized forthe cold weather, finalwork on the water andelectrical will be complet-ed this spring, replacingportable restrooms thatwere previously used atthe park.

The pavilion was movedto the park in 2009 afterbeing donated by theUnited Steelworkers Lo-cal 4950 and has beenreroofed and improvedwith a handicapped-ac-cessible ramp to allow allpark visitors to enjoy thefacilities.

Besides the play-ground, the park is also adraw for basketball andvolleyball players.

The construction waslargely completed inthe fall of 2010 byPremeau Construction.Since the facilitywould have had tohave been winterizedfor the cold weather,final work on the wa-ter and electrical willbe completed thisspring, replacingportable restroomsthat were previouslyused at the park.

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A project at Miners Parkin Negaunee began withthe installation of newplayground equipment.It’s entering its finalstages with the comple-tion of a new bathroomfacility. (Journal photo byAndy Nelson-Zaleski)

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