lmt,

Thanks for your post mentioning the word "green." Our "white" is disappearing fast--and "green" would be a great replacement. It's good to see you back here posting!

Hey all,

A call from the great green south here!

Sorry for the prolonged absence. I can see you all are still busy at work though, glad to see it.

Rich, keep in mind the source buddy!
Hope you and yours are well.

Just a shout hello real quick hope to spend more time in future. ( typical of me though ).
Trying to get back up to speed on what's up in the U.P. So you will have to give me some time. lol

Take care
LMT

A counterpoint offering to the recent DMG editorial concerning EPA administrator Christie Whitman:

April 17, 2001
E.P.A. Backs Wetlands Rule Set by Clinton
By DOUGLAS JEHL
WASHINGTON, April 16 — The Environmental Protection Agency said today that it would leave in place a Clinton administration rule that would expand protection for tens of thousands of acres of wetlands across the United States.
The decision is a big defeat for developers, who have contended for years that the action would impose restrictions far beyond those authorized by Congress. A challenge to the rule by the National Association of Home Builders is pending in Federal District Court in Washington.
The rule was to have taken effect on Feb. 17, but had been set aside for 60 days as the Bush administration reviewed last-minute regulations issued by the Clinton administration.
The E.P.A. has said that the action would close a loophole that in the last two years permitted the destruction of 20,000 acres of wetlands and the channeling of 150 miles of streams without environmental review.
Much of that lost 20,000 acres was in North Carolina and Virginia, said Derb S. Carter Jr., a senior lawyer with the Southern Environmental Law Center, an advocacy and litigation group in Charlottesville, Va.
The new rules require developers to obtain permits under the Clean Water Act before carrying out earth- moving activities that have been protected from regulation. Those activities include many routinely used in construction of housing developments, like the digging of artificial lakes that many developers favor and the gouging of streams with manmade channels, a practice used to limit the presence of wetlands to be governed by environmental restrictions.
"Wetlands" is a collective term that refers to marshes, swamps, bogs and similar areas, all of which filter and cleanse the nation's water, help to retain floodwaters and provide natural habitats for many species of fish, birds and other wildlife.
In announcing the decision today, Christie Whitman, the environmental agency's chief, said the action reflected a commitment by the Bush administration "to keeping our waterways clean and safe."
"In addition to serving as habitat for wildlife, wetlands help filter and protect our country's water supply," she said. "Today's action will help preserve our wetlands for ourselves and for future generations."
Within an hour after that announcement, the White House took the unusual step of issuing a statement that declared, in part, that President Bush "applauds E.P.A. Administrator Whitman's decision to move forward with regulations to protect our wetlands."
The statement put Mr. Bush on record in support of the decision, but may have also been intended as a more particular endorsement of Mrs. Whitman, who had been on the losing end of an internal administration debate last month on the direction of global-warming policy.

Copper Harbor Walleyes make national publication. In-Fisherman Magazine, April-May 2001, Article titled "The Secret Return of Great Lakes Walleyes" which starts on page 118. On page 122;

"Many of these streams now supporting runs of recolonized walleyes escape notice because they don't produce steelhead or salmon, while the major walleye ports continue to draw most of the pressure because the fishing is so consistantly good. Thousand Islands. Copper Harbor. Erie's Western Basin. Lake St. Claire. Green Bay. Saginaw Bay. Bay of Quinte. Bay de Noc. Currently or historically, these places and many more around the Great Lakes have been listed among the world's top-ten walleye destinations."

Guess I'll have to leave the walleyes in Lac La Belle alone and go chase the ones at the Harbor.

There's an interesting piece in today's Online Gazette(grafted from the Mining Journal) on MSU's research into reviving the white pine population. I see so few regenerating on their own in the Keweenaw that a project along these lines just sets my heart all a-twiddle.

This is to alert all of the lucky people who live in the U.P. that tonight might well be a great night to view the aurora.

On a lighter and perhaps more regional note, for those who fear that Bush Administration officials are "extremists" on environmental issues(since I'm still up):

April 13, 2001
Forest Service Choice Is Praised by Conservation and Timber Forces
By CHRISTOPHER MARQUIS WASHINGTON, April 12 — Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today appointed Dale N. Bosworth, a career forestry official, as the new chief of the Forest Service. The selection drew tentative praise from conservationists and representatives of the timber industry, who noted that the Bush administration was preparing to announce policy decisions that could affect the nation's forests for decades. Mr. Bosworth, a regional forester who manages 12 national forests in northern Idaho, Montana and North and South Dakota, will oversee an organization of more than 30,000 employees and an annual budget of $4.6 billion. In announcing her choice, Ms. Veneman said Mr. Bosworth's "background and experience will make him a great addition to our team." Mr. Bosworth, 57, will succeed Michael P. Dombeck, who was an architect of a number of Clinton administration initiatives to protect forests from development, including a ban on road building in about 60 million acres of federal land. Mr. Dombeck resigned last month, after Bush administration officials told him they wanted to take policy in "a different direction," aides said. Mr. Dombeck nevertheless praised the selection of Mr. Bosworth, who he said had played an important role in the road-building ban and in a strategy to place greater emphasis on ecological impact over commercial interests. Mr. Bosworth is "a great choice," Mr. Dombeck said, adding, "Dale was instrumental in developing key parts of the Forest Service's natural resource agenda and led development of the roads rule." The Bush administration is studying the road-building ban, and is expected to announce on May 4 or earlier whether it will keep the policy. The ban has been strongly opposed by the timber industry and oil and gas interests, who accused the Clinton administration of seeking to lock up valuable resources. The Bush administration has not defended the ban, which has been challenged in court by the State of Idaho and the Boise Cascade timber company. Mr. Bosworth will be called on to make his own recommendation on the policy almost immediately. The Clinton administration's rules would ban most timber cutting in the areas, which make up about one-third of the national forests. They would also bar most new oil, gas and mining operations in the areas. Environmentalists and industry officials alike say it will be a litmus test on the direction in which Mr. Bosworth will lead the Forest Service. Each side voiced optimism that he would lean its way. Michael Klein, a spokesman for the American Forest and Paper Association, a national trade group for forest products, predicted that Mr. Bosworth, as a former regional forester, would be sympathetic to the appeals of industry and local governments. Mr. Klein said the new chief was also very likely act to protect forests from catastrophic wildfires and disease and infestation by allowing for greater road access and controlled burns. "He inherits the worst forest health crisis in the history of the national forest service," Mr. Klein said. But Michael A. Francis, the director of the national forest program at the Wilderness Society, said Mr. Bosworth had always been accessible and sensitive to the concerns of those who sought to keep forests pristine. "We feel he has a conservationist ethic," Mr. Francis said. "It's a question whether he's going to be allowed to implement the new policy or will he have the forces of darkness in the Bush administration undermine the direction the Forest Service has taken in the last four years."
Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company

Fred,

So you are selling bioreactors. Big Deal. SBRs are not a new technology. If you have any specific criticism other than trying to sell something, you should just say it and say it clearly and use actual numbers. And yes, engineers seem like lawyers and overcharge sometimes, but don't try and tell us your system requires no engineering to put in.

Dear Lynn Torkelson,

Thank you for your continuing interest.

Please do realize that the DEQ, back in 1999, who has the final say in any wastewater treatment facility over 1KGPD, notified the Health Department to issue the construction permit for one of my commercial systems which is located in the U.P., so, needless to say, our effluent quality standards meet and/or exceed specifications from the regulatory people. By the way, the U.P. DEQ denied our system out of hand, but, oddly enough, changed their tune after finding out from Lansing that ignorance of an EPA favorably-assessed technology will not be allowed to be covered up with the issuance of a denial. Again, the U.P. DEQ just loves septic tanks, mounds, and, of course, lagoons thanks in no small part to their friendly liaison with certain engineering firms.

Perhaps it would be interesting to note that the DEQ's Wisconsin counterpart, the Wisconsin DNR, selected my system over all others for their State Park on Lake Superior; the governor flew up to the park, looked things over, and signed the purchase order on behalf of the State. How's that for favorable PR? We are out front with our technology and are death on groundwater contamination and lake pollution.

We get the job done, provide quality and value, and refuse to buy into septic tank fiascos (if the system failed because of a septic tank, what sense does it make to incorporate the problem into any solution?). You might be very interested in learning about my system and you will discover for yourself why the engineering firms don't want to get involved with it (they cannot ethically charge an engineering fee on a product which has already been engineered!).

Feel free to visit our website: http://www.cromaglass.com

Fred Frederick

Fred Frederick,

Back to the monofilament line analogy: I did understand that you didn't feel that exceeding the DEQ standards was important. What I'm not sure of from your analogy is why you feel that way.

Let's say I'm in the market for a new microwave oven and am comparing two brands. If the salesperson for one of those brands disparages the other by saying "That microwave oven is about as easy to use as programming your VCR," then I know from his analogy (a) that he considers that product inferior (which I expected), and I also know (b) the nature of his criticism of the product.

By comparing the DEQ standards to monofilament line used to sew on Castro's buttons, you seem to be suggesting that the DEQ standards are unnecessarily strong. The inference one may draw from that analogy, then, seems to be that your product does not meet or exceed those unnecessarily strong DEQ standards. Is that really what you meant to suggest?

Dear Rich Harrer et al.:

It was not I who brought up the issue of what the LeBlancs paid for their onsite system. In any event, the LeBlancs have never indicated to me any dissatisfaction with their system; besides, Bruce and Lorry aren't the kind of people who hang their hat on "the value of a service diminishes the moment it has been rendered."

The reason my larger-scale systems are so cost-effective is because there aren't any engineers on board who derive their fees as a percentage of the total buildout of the project, sometimes saving the customer 20% or more. The DEQ agents in the UP, with a certain exception, put all their stock in lagoons and septic tanks because that is all that they know, given their limited expertise in understanding up-to-date system designs; if their knowledge is short, they simply take the easy way out with their trump word, "denied." They have found out that Lansing is only a phone call away, and change their tune in a big hurry when their boss tells them "the more treatment the better."

Now, I am sure that Rich is completely up to speed on operating his facility and is no doubt a good and decent human being. That being said, he wasn't the outfit that designed that system or the agency that issued the construction permit. The engineering firm not only made a six-figure fee at the front end, they doubtless are milking the sanitary district yearly with so-called on going 'professional' services, which is nothing more than trying one remediation strategy after another. SBR/extended aeration technology was a viable alternative available at design time yet the good old 'tried and true' no-brain lagoon system got designed because it was the easiest money for the engineering firm given the DEQ's proclivity for approving such antiquated designs.
The Copper Harbor sanitary district got ripped off, plain and simple, and is now stuck with continuing to pay for and put up with it.

The collection and conveyance system not withstanding, MY system could have been installed for approximately one third to one fourth of the total cost of the lagoon system--no brag, just fact.

Now, about the fishing line and Castro: Exceeding an artificial standard set by the DEQ is about as important as making sure Castro doesn't lose his buttons (you may have to be an
MTU grad to get this).

Fred Frederick;

Maybe you should get your facts straight instead of worrying about spelling. The Copper Harbor system has two aerated lagoons with Alum addition to remove Phosphorus and UltraViolet dissinfection. I hold a Lagoon and class"D" tag as well as two water tags.
I also notice that you are too busy attacking me to put up your figures for a typical installation and the costs of operation and testing for your system. By the way, my records are open to you or to anyone at any time. Please feel free to drop by.

Rich Harrer-Superintendent-Copper Harbor Water and Sewer

Fred Frederick,

You'll probably need to add me to your "ignorant" list too. Your monofilament line analogy totally befuddles me. Also, I was expecting a definitive answer to Rich's question about why the Copper Harbor system is "dead on arrival," but couldn't find it in your post. Those of us interested in this subject (yes, there are some!) would prefer to read more specific information and fewer insults.

Lynn Torkelson

TO: Rich Harrer

First of all, Richard, I am not familiar with your usage of "to" in your
first sentence! Truly, your ignorance of homonyms is blissfully apparent!
Perhaps there is a certain ignorance that you just can't hide (the rest of
us tend to use spell-check).

I outright challenge you now to "get the numbers,...,on the site." You
sound like a 'septic-type' mentality.

Be sure to forward this entire communication to Bruce and Lorry (do notice
that, unlike you, I have the spelling of Mrs. LeBlanc's first name correct)
since you maliciously invoked their good name.

By the way, exceeding all DEQ requirements with respect to a (let's all
genuflect) stabilization lagoon is like using monofilament fishing line to
sew on Castro's buttons! And, please, don't hope to impress anyone with
your title of 'operator'; if I want to talk to an expert in municipal
wastewater treatment, I sure as •••• would avoid you and the DEQ because I
have the privilege of asking a real expert, a scientist, the MANAGER of the
Gogebic-Iron Wastewater Treatment Facility, Mr. Mark Bowman.

Be seeing you,

Fred Frederick


----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard A. Harrer"
To:
Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2001 9:49 PM
Subject: Copper Harbor


> I am to •••••• to write anything else so just go to the commentary site
> and check out richeagleharbor 's post. If you persist in putting down
> the Copper Harbor system I will get the numbers from Bruce on the
> installation, maintanence and testing dollars that they spend and put
> them on the site. Ignorance must truly be bliss!
>

TO: Superior 54540:

I am the operator of the "dead on arrival" Copper Harbor Lagoon system, and I would like to know why my system is dead on arrival? Did you know that they are not only meeting, but exceeding all DEQ requirements? Did you know that they are not just stabalization lagoons but are full treatment lagoons? Have you ever stopped by to see them?
You simply want to sell your system at the expense of anyone else you can find. I have talked to Bruce and Lauri on many occasions about the cost to run and maintain your system and the cost and frequency of testing, and you sure don't have anything to crow about. I left their last name out but would be happy to pass any questions anyone might have on to them.
Why don't you tell people how much it costs to put your system in bedrock and also what the operating and testing costs are before you badmouth the Copper Harbor system.
Rich

Jeff and Peter,

The current culture certainly does make one much more aware of homosexuality than it did when I grew up. I was pretty much oblivious to the whole topic when I grew up, although I had heard of it, of course. It seemed almost preposterous to me that men would be attracted to other men. It's hard to reconcile with evolution--perhaps the intelligent designer folks have an explanation. So the information I came across about gay animals certainly surprised me.

Some of the homosexual people that I met in adulthood did (and still do) strike me as bizarre. Others, however, turned out to be completely responsible, productive citizens, different in that one respect (many are Republicans). When I really listened to their stories, I understood that they truly believe that they had no choice in the matter. Considering the amount of grief they've had to put up with over the years, it seems unlikely to me that they'd voluntarily choose to be homosexuals.

As I've matured, I've become quite a bit less likely to judge people harshly just because they live differently from the way I do. Many people oppose homosexuality on religious grounds, and those folks certainly have the right to abstain from such behaviors and to counsel others to do likewise.

Children need protection from sexual predators of any persuasion (I believe most abuse is heterosual), but I certainly detest any government meddling in voluntary adult behaviors. The communists tried and failed to force everyone to think and act alike, and eastern Europe still suffers the aftermath.

Thanks for the info, Paul. Sounds like a great project. I always liked that area between Calumet and Centennial Heights and were I in the market now for buying a lot I'd probably check it out.

On the homosexuality theme(and this is just my humble opinion based on what little science I've read on the subject), I think when the map of the genome is better understand science will argue that true homosexuality, though statistically rare, is not unnatural(as unnatural as it probably appears and feels to the majority of heterosexuals). A slight genetic mutation that effects, say the building of a protein or an enzyme which later controls or effects the balance of hormone levels in the fetal brain, could well achieve such a behavioral predispositon. Like other statistically rare human qualities, it is nonetheless part of the great natural variation that exists in the ever-transforming gene pool. Having said that, I also think that certain aspects of homosexual "behavior" are learned and taught(especially via the media), both at conscious and unconscious levels. How much good(in the way of tolerance) or harm(in the way of prosletyzing) this is doing remains to be seen. It just seems to me that popular culture and media representation of this subject matter has disproportionately increased to some excess over the past 20 years or so. Perhaps it's just a generational focus whose time too will pass.

Walmart spokesperson,
Oh, I don't know. I've seen some Walmarts in what seemed like out of the way places in Iowa.

Lynn Torkelson,
On the homosexual theme: You have to wonder if the unnatural act is s'posed to be "acceptable" and assuming it has been around since the gay cave men came out of the clost, that "men" would have evolved a method of lubricating. I believe medical science says homosexuality is unnatural.

Jeff, the body of water is now to be known as the Calumet Lake. We have 23 parcels for sale. The nature trail is going to be reality, the wildlife stays and the whole place will be developed around the wildlife park. It looks real good on paper so I hope it will look as good when it is done. This project should bring more tourist to the Calumet area as well as year around people. Some of the parcels are spoken for on a verbal basis, and I think the price for the lots and bigger parcels will bring quick results. We hope to start serious talks as soon as the snow goes. I believe we border the north side of the cementary by the marsh? The lake is 38 acres so it is quite large and hard to know all its borders. If anyone wants the details e-mail me at Paul_Mahal@HotMail.com seeya

Hey Paul O' Eagle River:
How's that Calumet Reservoir Project comin'?
Could it be connected to the Schoolcraft Cemetery Restoration(topographically speaking)?
And what about reviving or extending the Copper Range RR within this district?
Look forward to your reply from this offering, Mr. M!
JB

Hey Mole(if that's your real name):
Good Morning!
Where is this new Menards now?
Last time I heard the nearest Menards was in Marquette.
Don't make me sing their obnoxious jingle.

Please...someone with credentialed authority...confirm or dismiss the WalMart in Keweenaw County rumor.
If true...the Ugly End is Near.
If false...more power to those who are trying to create a Beautiful New Beginning for this Unique American Ecosystem.
SISU

WHY EXPAND COPPER HARBOR'S PROBLEMATIC SO-CALLED "WASTEWATER TREATMENT" FACILITIES WHEN TIME-PROVEN ON-SITE TECHNOLOGY IS AVAILABLE?

Given the outstanding problems with Copper Harbor's dead-on-arrival lagoon system, it would make no sense to further proliferate this 'Dickensonian' technology in order to accommodate anticipated wastewater flows from an out-of-area development.

For less than $250,000.00 the developers can invest in their own on-site system whose technology would vastly surpass that of the Harbor's. Such a 'decentralized' system is commonplace where enlightened engineering flourishes. Lagoons, darlings of the 'percentage of total buildout fee-mongering' engineering firms, have a long, storied and notorious history of sucking up monetary resources due to their never-ending 'remediation' projects, oddly enough, suggested by the same engineers who 'pushed' them in the first place!

An estimated daily maximum code-derived flow of 35KGPD is a no-brainer. On-site soils are not used for treatment, as this would not be a septic system. Septic systems load the native soils with liquid sewage.

Any reader may feel free to contact us at
cromglas@newnorth.net for the facts.

Lynn,
Spring must be in the air. I'll try to answer your post, but one of my dogs has found my leg to be attractive. Or something. A distraction, anyway. Springtime?

With the fragmenting of the land, it won't be easy for future generations to hop in the car and head over to the neighboring county to take a walk in the woods. Looking at the current plat book, it is amazing how little CFR land there is on the road between Gay and Lac La Belle.

As for the Salon link: I recall sitting in a tree stand one year and watching with anticipation as I spotted several whitetail in the distance--a large doe, followed by several bucks. Heard two of the bucks grunt, a couple of them engaged in some homosexual antler rattling for a moment, and one heterosexual buck left with the doe, and two of the other bucks must have been homosexual as they withdrew to other parts of the woody forest. So much for homophobic whitetails.

On another note: You may want to check your hard-drive as I had received en e-mail on the 31st warning me too stay off the Internet on the 1st as they were conducting a cleaning, I suppose a kind of Spring-Cleaning of the Internet on the 1st, and if you had a computer connected to it, you may have had some files cleaned out. I guess I should have passed the e-mail alert on to everyone as I see a few others were on-line as well.

Walt,

You're absolutely right. The population trends you documented will inevitably fragment the large tracts of land on the peninsula will and make them less and less accessible unless folks take steps to preserve some of those tracts. As you've shown, the fragmentation is already happening. I'm sure that as the baby-boomers start to retire, the pace of this fragmentation will only accelerate.

On a totally different topic, your mention of homosexuality in animals got me looking to see if such a thing really exists. According to one researcher, some species exhibit less homosexuality than humans (ostriches--1%) and some species exhibit quite a bit more than humans do. An article I found about this research was in Salon: Gay animals in nature.