Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve
What is the importance of the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve to our communities here in the U.P?
Hills Falls, a popular fishing spot on the Yellow Dog River Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013 in Big Bay, MI. (Marquettemagazine.com photo by Soullenz.com)
Growing up in the Upper Peninsula I took for granted the beauty and assumed purity of the environment here. I was distracted by the desire to explore other areas of the world and set off on 20 years worth of adventure. I returned to the U.P. a year ago now as a family of 7 to what I remembered as a “Pure Michigan” paradise. Yes, the U.P. is still a beautiful place to live but there are invisible dangers here unseen and unheard of for the most part. Mercury has contaminated Lake Superior to the point that it is considered dangerous to eat local fish more than once a week. Mercury and nickel content in the air is over threshold limits and higher here than our previous home in Los Angeles, CA. Marquette county has been listed as a cancer hotspot in a recent Detroit Business Magazine article . This information concerns me especially as a mother of 5 choosing to raise her children here.
I’m sure if you asked anyone here if they cared about the health and safety of their families they would respond with a resounding, yes. Yet, not many people here are speaking about these issues that are clearly health concerns for our community. Perhaps, I thought it is because they just don’t know, because when you look around it seems so beautiful on the surface it’s easy to assume everything is fine. This is the reason I’m taking the time to write. So others can join with me on this latest journey to get educated about what is really happening underneath the surface here. Vital information in order to protect the resources of the place we live and the health quality of our families. Below is some relevant information about a positive organization I discovered along the way thus far…
MIndy Otto, Executive Director for the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, and Erica McMillan of MarquetteMagazin.com speak about the importance of protecting the water quality on the Yellow Dog and Salmon-Trout Rivers in the Big Bay area as they hike along the Yellow Dog River on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013 in Big Bay, MI. (Marquettemagazine.com photo by Soullenz.com)
The importance of the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve: an asset to our community
After some initial searching I came across an organization called the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve (YDWP). This is a small grass-roots organization doing some very important work on behalf of our communities and local environment. Founded in 1995 by a group of citizens concerned about contamination from timber harvesting they have since grown to include 4 main areas of focus:
- Water Quality Monitoring (testing for water health and contamination levels in the Yellow Dog River, Salmon-Trout River, and Lake Independence)
- Land Preservation (buying land parcels to set aside for conservation & public use)
- Education Outreach (teaching school children and interested community members about the local watershed and how to study and protect it)
- Advocacy Programs Regarding Local Mining Issues (keeping the public informed about mining practices so they can have a voice)
Hills Falls, a popular fishing spot on the Yellow Dog River Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013 in Big Bay, MI. (Marquettemagazine.com photo by Soullenz.com)
The media often portrays these type of groups as radical activists compromising human life to save a flower…. On the contrary, what I found was a group of kind and concerned citizens working for the benefit of everyone living in the Marquette and surrounding areas. The work they are doing is not only important but crucial because they are caretakers working to protect the safety of our water supply for the fish, their food, the fishermen – the entire food chain – you see, we are all the flowers!
For now mining in the Upper Peninsula is a reality but it’s not possible to extract ores without generating pollution on some level especially, in the case of sulfide mining which is taking place directly beneath one of our local water sources, the Salmon-Trout River. This makes it extremely important to be sure that the mining practices going on are done as safely as possible to leave the most minimal impact on our environment and water supply. The Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve strives to monitor and protect high quality water resources so they remain intact.
It’s human nature to cut corners especially in a profit driven business so the mining processes must be regulated and monitored to ensure that they are running operations as honestly and safely as possible. In my opinion the YDWP should be regarded as local heroes for the important work they are doing on behalf of our communities.
MIndy Otto, Executive Director for the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, explains how the mining processes can affect water quality on local water sources. The Yellow Dog River for which the preserve is named is pictured in the background on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013 in Big Bay, MI. (Marquettemagazine.com photo by Soullenz.com)
This week I traveled on behalf of Marquette Magazine to the Yellow Dog River to speak with YDWP Executive Director, Mindy Otto. You can watch the following video clip to hear more details as she explains the main concerns of their organization and the our community. If you’d like to get involved by volunteering or get in the holiday spirit by making a donation you can contact them anytime at: www.yellowdogwatershed.org or call 906-345-9223
* Special note – another way to donate to the cause if you are a land owner is by setting aside acerage under a conservation easement which restricts future development on the parcel while maintaining private ownership. What a great way to protect the place you live for now and future generations!
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