By Nicole Walton
Big Bay, MI –
UPDATE 5/28/10 7:04 a.m.
All protesters have been removed from the site of a planned nickel and copper mine in Marquette County.
Officials with Kennecott Minerals and the Michigan State Police issued verbal and written requests that six people vacate Eagle Rock, where many have camped over the past few weeks to protest the mine. Around 9:30 Thursday morning two members of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Charlotte Loonsfoot and Chris Chosa refused to leave and were arrested for trespassing. They've since been released on their own recognizance.
Environmentalists say permits for the mine remain under litigation, which means the site is still state land and open to everyone.
Kennecott officials say they have cleared every hurdle and can proceed with mine construction. They say safety is the company's main priority, so a fence has been erected around the mine site. Police say anyone who breaches the fence will be arrested.
As mine construction moves forward the battle continues between those who want to protect area waters and those who need the jobs the mine would provide.
Thursday, 5/27/10
Police have cleared out all protesters from the site of Kennecott Minerals' planned nickel and copper mine in Marquette County.
Unconfirmed reports indicate two Native people, Charlotte Loonsfoot and Chris Choasa, were arrested around 8:30 Thursday morning for trespassing at Eagle Rock--considered a sacred site by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. Tribal members and area residents have been camping at the rocky outcropping for weeks in protest of the mine. There were four people there at the time of the arrests; two who arrived later at the site were told to leave.
Cynthia Pryor of the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve faces trial on her own charge of trespassing at the site. She says Eagle Rock has always been sacred to the tribe, but Kennecott and the state have turned a deaf ear. Pryor believes Kennecott could have provided access to the site without resorting to arresting people.
A perimeter has been erected around the mine area. Police say anyone who breaches the fence will be arrested.
Kennecott says it has secured all the permits it needs to proceed with construction of the mine, which they say will create much-needed jobs in the area and provide a bigger tax base for the county.