The Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe tribe has opened a treaty harvest and educational camp on public lands in the Penokee Hills, near the site of the proposed worlds largest open pit iron mine, upstream from the Bad River Reservation. The site includes an area that hosted almost 200 Indian allotments in the late 1800 which were stolen, or deceptively removed from Indian ownership in favor of wealthy investors of the original shaft mining in the area. Ancient mining artifacts in the region have been carbon dated to 260AD. The camp will be open for hunting, fishing, harvesting [wild rice and maple syrup] and public recreational use as defined by treaty and public laws.
An anonymous supporter involved with the camp had this to say
“…Folks are camped out in the woods, they do not have a lot of access to communication. They are just asking folks to show up! They are definitely ready for a massive influx of people, and a massive influx of people is exactly what they need to stop this terrible mine project before it even starts – so if you feel called, please just do it!
“You can find more about the camp and a video of the site, here.
“If you make it up there, but are unsure how to find the site, visit the Penokee Hills Education Project office in Ashland, 616 West Main Street. Someone there will be happy to help you.
“Please forward this message widely—especially if you cant travel up to Iron County, send a friend (or two or three).”
- Report from Indian Country News c/o Earth First! Newswire