December

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Do you guys ever stop? Really, is there nothing better for you all to do than sit at home and think up new ways to sabotage any advancement at Mt Bohemia? I'm tired of hearing the same people saying the same things, and asking the same stupid questions. The majority of our township meetings tend to consist of useless babbling and false accusations that usually have nothing to do with the subject at hand. Give it a rest you guys, it's getting too old.

People of the Keweenaw are justified in their concern over land development. Ask any former lesse of the Torch Lake area who in the mid 90's was denied the right to purchase the shoreline property they had leased in some cases for upwards of 30 years. This land literally was our backyards. Developers would love nothing more than for residents to become complaisant.
As for Bohemia the bulk of any profit made will most likely leave the area for Novi. Not unlike the mining days when the majority of the profits ended up in Boston. I personally don't know anyone who is gainfully employed at the ski hill. It certainly won't have any bearing on whether or not my sons stay in the area. What attracts and keeps people here is the natural beauty and low population base. These things don't go hand in hand with a thiving economy and if they did would we still take the time to enjoy the simple pleasures of our magnificent area or would we too only see green dollar bills when we look out over the Keweenaw?

Janet Shea's comparison of Mt. Bohemia promises versus year-later realities is right on. Many who opposed construction of the hill like to ski and like the idea of more tourism and jobs. But after years of study, the likelihood of a ski resort at Mt. Bohemia succeeding seemed very low, the likelihood that its parent company really wanted the ski hill as a magnet to build and sell resort housing (housing is its main business) seemed very high, and the likelihood that this would eventually leave the Keweenaw with another economic and environmental disaster seemed high as well. With disappointing first year business, and desperate efforts to install a sewage treatment system suitable for new condos before the resort bubble bursts, this gloomy scenario seems right on track. Instead of fighting among ourselves and experiencing yet another failed industry, the people of Keweenaw and Houghton Counties need to be planning together for a future with a good likelihood of success in ways we all can live with.

Hancock City Councilwoman Susan Burack's complaint about being misquoted by the Daily Mining Gazette illustrates why a growing number of people of conscience refuse to buy the Gazette. Nicely prepared special sections, local civic and sports news, obituaries et al are useful and often entertaining reading; but they cannot make up for fundamental lack of fair reporting and an editorial posture which is clearly way out of the mainstream of local thought. I will get my news from other sources until the Gazette is restored to the respected role it held for so many years in this region.

Just a quick footnote.
Here's part of an article + link to a science piece I just came across that might interest anyone involved in Keweenaw bird-counts per recent story posted by Keweenaw Now. It's great to see young people interested in warblers!

December 13, 2001 NY Times
Naturalists Share Their Findings Online
By JAMES GORMAN
So long as there have been amateur naturalists, the field notebook has been an indispensable tool. Where else to note the abundance of salamanders in a particular summer, or the paucity of bluebirds?
Gradually, binoculars have also become an absolute necessity for birders, and more recently for butterfly-watchers.
The latest technological innovation for the trampers of woods and fields, though, is the interactive online database.
Amateur observers of nature are being recruited by professionals to keep an eye on their natural neighborhoods, to count hawks and other birds, to report butterfly sightings. The nature lover's newest role is collector of data.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/13/technology/circuits/13BIRD.html

Thanks to Michele Anderson at Keweenaw Now for her in-depth coverage of the Mt Bohemia wastewater treatment system. There's always something new to learn. I thought Chuck Brumleve raised some interesting questions on its construction and monitoring. Was he suggesting that the soil type present needs at least another 6" of drainage fill to be effective for nutrient uptake so all that potential plant food doesn't make it down into the water table and eventually into the lake?
On the lighter side, who doesn't love a yurt?

I share the concern about what is happening now to our American freedoms because of the September 11 attack. As always, the government is asking us to trade freedom for security. And, as always, most people make that trade eagerly. Although the Republicans are now the ones chipping away at our freedoms, that is simply an accident of history. Environmentalists and Planned Parenthood may come under surveillance today, but administrations change. Right-to-lifers and the Chamber of Commerce will come under surveillance in the future. Either way, our American freedoms continue to erode, and most folks appear to find that comforting.

Lynn,

Are you talking about David Bartlett's article On Northern Lights and Arabian Nights in KeweenawNow? If so, I enjoyed it also and hope to see more from David.

OK - I will admit to a bit of bias, maybe even a lot of bias. David is my brother and the author of this fabulous article. When I read his words in print I can feel his presence around me, I can see the picture he is painting, I can smell the woods and feel the chill of winter approaching. Most of all, I remember the scenes of our childhood and long to return. Dave - thank you.