Wisconsin Eco Art Exhibition
Donation protected
The Issue: An exceptional ecosystem still in danger
Several years ago, a Florida mining magnate proposed to build what could have been the world’s largest open-pit taconite iron mine near the shore of Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin. The project threatened a pristine watershed that includes the Kakagon-Bad River Sloughs, a wetland of international significance, and the Penokee Hills, a 25-mile-long escarpment that harbors the headwaters of the Bad River. The Penokees are home to a hundred miles of Wisconsin’s first-class trout streams, hardwood forests, lakes, spectacular canyons and waterfalls, and an amazing array of unspoiled wetlands.
The global mining conglomerate closed its Wisconsin office in early 2015 but the threat to the Penokees, Bad River, Sloughs and Lake Superior still hangs over the region like a dark, ominous cloud. The mining company had balked, once before, and then proceeded to lobby aggressively to weaken Wisconsin’s stringent environmental regulations. Conservative governor Scott Walker signed legislation that debilitated the state’s mining regulations and permitting process. A Sierra Club activist called it “the worst piece of environmental legislation ever written in the State of Wisconsin”. The mining company continued to push its project forward. Both the company and national conservative groups dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into local elections in order to grease the wheels.
There is an estimated 3.7 billion tons of low-grade iron ore underneath the Penokee ridge, roughly 20 percent of all remaining US reserves. More lies near important natural areas across Upper Michigan and Minnesota. The mining company and its billionaire owner never actually owned the land they intended to strip-mine in the Penokees but one of the corporations that still controls the land was established soon after the State was founded.
Tribal leaders, environmental activists and others are concerned that the land and water will remain in jeopardy as long as it is owned by corporations whose main motivation is profit.
The Project: Voices from the Penokees
This project will consist of a traveling photo/text exhibit that will reach audiences throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest. The exhibit will be displayed in various venues including colleges, community centers, art galleries and libraries. Whenever possible, public educational programs will be held in conjunction with the exhibit.
The aim is to document and focus attention on the potential environmental, social and cultural perils of proposed iron ore mining in the Penokees. I want to reach as broad and diverse an audience as possible: people active on issues relating to the environment and Native American sovereignty, people with a general concern for preserving the natural world, outdoor sports enthusiasts, and ordinary people who want to learn about problems of mineral extraction and possible impacts on ecosystems, economies and cultures.
I am already far along with this project, but now I need additional funding to complete the photography and create, install and promote the exhibits. During the past two years, with financial support from the Puffin Foundation, I have taped interviews with dozens of people: tribal elders, scientists, environmental leaders, politicians and ordinary citizens living in or near the Penokees. Traveling over 4,500 miles, I’ve also explored the Penokees and the Sloughs and photographed both people and places.
My hope is that this traveling exhibit will generate “a buzz” that will stimulate more exposure of the issue in print and electronic media. The ultimate goal is to give voice to those who often lack a voice in public decisions and to put a human face on a complex issue. I also hope the project will touch people on both an intellectual and emotional level, motivating them to take action to help preserve an exceptional ecosystem for future generations to cherish and enjoy.
For an in-depth exploration of the Penokee mine issue, VISIT THIS LINK: BOSWELL's BLOG
About Me: Tom Boswell
I am a professional journalist and photographer whose freelance articles and photos regarding environmental justice, human rights and other issues have been published in various local and national periodicals including E Magazine, Sojourners, The National Catholic Reporter and America. I have also worked as a community organizer for many decades and directed regional and statewide watershed associations.
As director of the Wisconsin Community Fund in the early 1990s, I became familiar with and supported many of the Wisconsin organizations and activists engaged in the decades-long struggle that ultimately defeated the zinc-copper sulfide mine that Exxon planned to build at the headwaters of the Wolf River in northeast Wisconsin. I have produced several photo-text exhibits involving environmental issues.
The Budget
Travel $1800.
Accommodations $ 1600.
Photographs $1230.
Mounting/Display for Text $500.
Printed Catalog for Exhibits $1000.
Publicity/Promotion costs $750.
Total Funding Goal: $6,880.
Several years ago, a Florida mining magnate proposed to build what could have been the world’s largest open-pit taconite iron mine near the shore of Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin. The project threatened a pristine watershed that includes the Kakagon-Bad River Sloughs, a wetland of international significance, and the Penokee Hills, a 25-mile-long escarpment that harbors the headwaters of the Bad River. The Penokees are home to a hundred miles of Wisconsin’s first-class trout streams, hardwood forests, lakes, spectacular canyons and waterfalls, and an amazing array of unspoiled wetlands.
The global mining conglomerate closed its Wisconsin office in early 2015 but the threat to the Penokees, Bad River, Sloughs and Lake Superior still hangs over the region like a dark, ominous cloud. The mining company had balked, once before, and then proceeded to lobby aggressively to weaken Wisconsin’s stringent environmental regulations. Conservative governor Scott Walker signed legislation that debilitated the state’s mining regulations and permitting process. A Sierra Club activist called it “the worst piece of environmental legislation ever written in the State of Wisconsin”. The mining company continued to push its project forward. Both the company and national conservative groups dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into local elections in order to grease the wheels.
There is an estimated 3.7 billion tons of low-grade iron ore underneath the Penokee ridge, roughly 20 percent of all remaining US reserves. More lies near important natural areas across Upper Michigan and Minnesota. The mining company and its billionaire owner never actually owned the land they intended to strip-mine in the Penokees but one of the corporations that still controls the land was established soon after the State was founded.
Tribal leaders, environmental activists and others are concerned that the land and water will remain in jeopardy as long as it is owned by corporations whose main motivation is profit.
The Project: Voices from the Penokees
This project will consist of a traveling photo/text exhibit that will reach audiences throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest. The exhibit will be displayed in various venues including colleges, community centers, art galleries and libraries. Whenever possible, public educational programs will be held in conjunction with the exhibit.
The aim is to document and focus attention on the potential environmental, social and cultural perils of proposed iron ore mining in the Penokees. I want to reach as broad and diverse an audience as possible: people active on issues relating to the environment and Native American sovereignty, people with a general concern for preserving the natural world, outdoor sports enthusiasts, and ordinary people who want to learn about problems of mineral extraction and possible impacts on ecosystems, economies and cultures.
I am already far along with this project, but now I need additional funding to complete the photography and create, install and promote the exhibits. During the past two years, with financial support from the Puffin Foundation, I have taped interviews with dozens of people: tribal elders, scientists, environmental leaders, politicians and ordinary citizens living in or near the Penokees. Traveling over 4,500 miles, I’ve also explored the Penokees and the Sloughs and photographed both people and places.
My hope is that this traveling exhibit will generate “a buzz” that will stimulate more exposure of the issue in print and electronic media. The ultimate goal is to give voice to those who often lack a voice in public decisions and to put a human face on a complex issue. I also hope the project will touch people on both an intellectual and emotional level, motivating them to take action to help preserve an exceptional ecosystem for future generations to cherish and enjoy.
For an in-depth exploration of the Penokee mine issue, VISIT THIS LINK: BOSWELL's BLOG
About Me: Tom Boswell
I am a professional journalist and photographer whose freelance articles and photos regarding environmental justice, human rights and other issues have been published in various local and national periodicals including E Magazine, Sojourners, The National Catholic Reporter and America. I have also worked as a community organizer for many decades and directed regional and statewide watershed associations.
As director of the Wisconsin Community Fund in the early 1990s, I became familiar with and supported many of the Wisconsin organizations and activists engaged in the decades-long struggle that ultimately defeated the zinc-copper sulfide mine that Exxon planned to build at the headwaters of the Wolf River in northeast Wisconsin. I have produced several photo-text exhibits involving environmental issues.
The Budget
Travel $1800.
Accommodations $ 1600.
Photographs $1230.
Mounting/Display for Text $500.
Printed Catalog for Exhibits $1000.
Publicity/Promotion costs $750.
Total Funding Goal: $6,880.
Organizer
Tom Boswell
Organizer
Evansville, WI
