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6 March 2009
Dear Friend of Lake Superior:
The rugged, inspiring, and picturesque coastline of Lake Superior
that many of us have beheld in awe is facing a crucial test within the
next two months. The long term fate of this spectacular Great Lake
coast could rest in the hands of an Ontario Municipal Board (OMB)
Hearing that will be taking place in Wawa, Ontario in April 2009.
How this predicament was reached is explained here.
Dear Friend of Lake Superior:
The rugged, inspiring, and picturesque coastline of Lake Superior
that many of us have beheld in awe is facing a crucial test within the
next two months. The long term fate of this spectacular Great Lake
coast could rest in the hands of an Ontario Municipal Board (OMB)
Hearing that will be taking place in Wawa, Ontario in April 2009.
How this predicament was reached is explained here.
Spectacular Coastline and Local Way of Life are Threatened
A large Detroit-based highway construction company is pursuing a
license for its 1,000-acre parcel on Lake Superior’s pictorial north shore,
at Michipicoten Bay, near Wawa, Ontario, to operate a quarry as a source
of aggregate material for building highways in Michigan. And if this isn’t
serious enough, there have been 15 other extensive expanses of Lake
Superior’s shoreline identified as potential aggregate sources.
What is at Stake:
· Lake Superior’s spectacular north shore is threatened with a series of
quarries that could literally haul away the shoreline to construct roads
elsewhere.
· The coastal waters and the nearshore environment of Lake Superior
would be degraded by the impacts of heavy industry - dust, noise and
pollution.
· The historical and cultural values which are inherent in Michipicoten
Harbour would disappear along with the landscape itself.
· The ecotourism that has flourished in this area as a sustainable
business model may be eliminated by the quarrying process and the
scars that would be left behind.
· Recovery strategies for woodland caribou recently adopted by the
Provincial government could be jeopardized and area populations
placed at severe risk.
· Local fish habitat that supports a sport fishery could face degradation
and be further threatened with the introduction of invasive species from
the ballast from freighters used to haul the rock away.
A large Detroit-based highway construction company is pursuing a
license for its 1,000-acre parcel on Lake Superior’s pictorial north shore,
at Michipicoten Bay, near Wawa, Ontario, to operate a quarry as a source
of aggregate material for building highways in Michigan. And if this isn’t
serious enough, there have been 15 other extensive expanses of Lake
Superior’s shoreline identified as potential aggregate sources.
What is at Stake:
· Lake Superior’s spectacular north shore is threatened with a series of
quarries that could literally haul away the shoreline to construct roads
elsewhere.
· The coastal waters and the nearshore environment of Lake Superior
would be degraded by the impacts of heavy industry - dust, noise and
pollution.
· The historical and cultural values which are inherent in Michipicoten
Harbour would disappear along with the landscape itself.
· The ecotourism that has flourished in this area as a sustainable
business model may be eliminated by the quarrying process and the
scars that would be left behind.
· Recovery strategies for woodland caribou recently adopted by the
Provincial government could be jeopardized and area populations
placed at severe risk.
· Local fish habitat that supports a sport fishery could face degradation
and be further threatened with the introduction of invasive species from
the ballast from freighters used to haul the rock away.