And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: EarthWINS Daily #4.8 [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Recipients of 'mining-exchange' Mailinglist) 2/17/99 Contents 1. WISCONSIN: Nashville web site a. Nashville Chairman Responds to Nicolet Minerals' Spokesman b. Leveling the Playing Field by Using the Internet 2. USA Today & NY Times on 1872 Mining Law 3. U.N. Spokesperson for Native Americans 4. ENVIRONMENT-ECUADOR: Indigenous Communities Seek More Reserves 5. Ted Turner Interview in E Magazine 6. Excerpts: GREENLines Issue #817 a. Op-Ed Buries Okefenokee Deal b. Only Two Species Recovered from Valdez Spill Stop the Siege! Help the citizens of Nashville, Wisconsin Tax-deductible contributions may be made to Town of Nashville Legal Defense Fund c/o Chuck Sleeter / Joanne Tacopina P.O. Box 106 Pickerel, WI 54465 FAX: 715-478-2527 http://www.nashvillewiundersiege.com/index.html [EMAIL PROTECTED] +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1. WISCONSIN: Nashville web site a. Nashville Chairman Responds to Nicolet Minerals TOWN OF NASHVILLE P.O. Box 106 Pickerel, WI 5445 Phone: 715-478-2524 OR 715-484-4501 February 15, 1999 Dear Editor, I would like to respond to two statements that Dale Alberts of Nicolet Minerals, Co. made during his interview with the Associated Press in regards to the Town of Nashville Legal Defend Fund site on the internet. First, Mr. Alberts stated that Nicolet Minerals was willing to renegotiate the Local Agreement contract that the former town board signed with the mining company. In August, this past year, NMC was invited to a town board meeting and the current town board asked NMC if they were willing to renegotiate the agreement. The town proposed sending the company the proposed changes in writing and allowing NMC 30 days to respond. The question put before NMC was, "Are you willing to renegotiate the local agreement?". Dale Alberts stated three times, at that meeting, that NMC would not renegotiate rthe agreement. It surprises myself and other board members that Mr. Alberts would make such a statement to the press six months later. Second, Mr. Albert's stated that this dispute that the town has with NMC, "need not be played out in the courtroom. It could be played out across the kitchen table." This statement sums up the problems that the residents in Nashville have had with NMC and with Exxon right from the beginning. We in Nashville do not "play out" anything across a kitchen table. We do everything openly in public meetings where the townspeople can see and hear what is taking place. We are currently involved in an open meetings violation lawsuit which charges the former town board members with 16 open meeting violations in regards to this local agreement. The public was continuously shut out of the negotiating process prior to the signing of the agreement. The former board members will stand trial in June, 1999. As a matter of fact, Rio Algom and Exxon have already "played out" events across "the kitchen table". On April 4, 1997, three days after the current town board had been elected into office, the former board held a closed meeting at the home of the town treasurer. There was no posting of this meeting and no minutes were recorded. We have been told by the former board that this meeting was attended by the entire former board and the former town attorney. The purpose, we're told, was to discuss how to keep the current board from taking office. However, the former town attorney billed the town $2,362.50 for that meeting at the treasurer's home and the bill was later paid by Rio Algom, Ltd. and Exxon Minerals, co owners of the Crandon Mining Company. Mr. Alberts and Nicolet Minerals have not been able to figure out that we no longer do business like that in Nashville. This board is committed to open and honest government. And it is because Nicolet Minerals operates in such a fashion that we need everyone's help and support. Sincerely, Chuck Sleeter Nashville Town Chairman ------------------------------------------------------ b. EDITORIAL: Leveling the Playing Field by Using the Internet posted at http://www.nashvillewiundersiege.com/ Date: February 12, 1999 Appleton Post-Crescent Appleton, Wisconsin 920-993-1000 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Permission to reprint given per Dan Flannery, deputy managing editor, February 16, 1999 For subscriptions to the Appleton Post Crescent, visit http://www.wisinfo.com/postcrescent Our Views These days David vs. Goliath battles that usually are easily won by Goliath can become more equal on the Internet. At least, that's what the Town of Nashville is hoping to accomplish by creating a Web site to raise funds in its battle to keep a proposed copper and zinc mine out of Forest County. So far, so good. The town has generated more than $1,000 in donation since the Web site debuted on Monday. We're not saying we agreem with the pro-mine and anti-mine forces, but we do give credit where it's due, and that's to the leadership that decided to use the Internet to level the monetary playing field a little. By reaching out to the entire world of computer users, they have gone beyond the financial resources of Forest County, a very rural spot in northern Wisconsin. The town hopes to raise at least $50,000 for the expected fight against Nicolet Minerals. The town last year voted to rescind an earlier agreement that supported the mine's development and gave financial benefits to the town. There is little doubt that this matter will end up in court, and there is less doubt that a protracted court battle would be prohibitively expensive for a town with little or no industrial or retail base. Even $50,000 wouldn't put the Town of Nashville on the same level as Nicolet Minerals. But maybe it would make the company sweat a little more. Using the Internet for these purposes is exciting and encourages other "underdogs" to not give up the fight either. Yes, technology can be used for the right purposes. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2. USA Today & NY Times on 1872 Mining Law From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 10:58:57 EST Earlier this month, the U.S. Forest Service announced a mining moratorium on 429,000 acres along the Rocky Mountain Range in Montana. Since that time both the New York Times and USA Today have printed supporting editorials including strong calls for review and modernization of the 1872 Mining Law. The following text is from the USA TODAY In a seperate e-mail, I am sending you the text from the New York Times commentary. I think this would be a good time for all of us to contact our federal legislators and demand that the time is NOW to press this issue. Tom Wilson [USA TODAY] >Mining laws cheat taxpayers > >OUR VIEW Stripping undeveloped land from firms a welcome move. > >A laudatory decision last week by the Clinton administration to withdraw >mining access to 430,000 acres of Montana wilderness has the industry fuming >over lost wealth. To which the correct response is: tough. > >Montana's Front Range is one of the last unsullied ecosystems in the northern >Rockies, a great drift of grassland and forest reaching from the Continental >Divide to the Great, Plains. Grizzly bears still range out onto the prairie; >elk still forage the forests. What possible excuse is there for selling it at >$5 an acre? > >The usual tired excuses just aren't convincing. Sure, mining creates jobs and >taxes. But the industry doesn't need federal subsidies to do that. Indeed, >given the industry's economic, strength, the least it could do is pay a >royalty on the resources it extracts. The gas and oil industry creates jobs >and generates tax revenue, and invests in exploration and pays royalties and >still makes a bundle. > >More to the point, the land-grabs authorized by the anachronistic 1872 Mining >Law are so outlandish that jobs and taxes are beside the Point: Taxpayers are >getting snookered. > >In 1994, American Barrick Resources, a Canadian firm, purchased almost 2,000 >acres of public land in Nevada, containing an estimated $10 billion in gold, >for less than $ 10,000. Since 1993, the government has been obliged to sell >land containing an estimated $15 billion in minerals for a punk $26,000. All >told, 3.2 million acres containing an estimated $230 billion in hard-rock >minerals have been sold at $5 an acre. Add the claims staked by prospectors >and speculators, and more than 11 million acres of public land have either >been bought at $5 per acre or less, or claimed for $25 upfront and $100 annual >rent. > >For its part, the industry is worried less about a few mines in the Rockies >than with the threat that other land will be similarly withdrawn. But what >else can responsible stewards do? Lawmakers should be furious over the >squandering of public wealth, but the industry invests heavily in Washington. >In 1997 and 1998, it spent an estimated $ 10 million on lobbying and political >contributions. Result: Every effort to reform the mining law has failed. > >After decades of playing cozy with developers, federal land managers have >started to wise up. New rules to hold mining companies accountable for >cleanups and to restrict logging roads are welcome attempts to rebalance >resource use with conservation. But besides all that, this fight isn't about >national security or economic stability or land-use theory. The only question >here is: How much longer will the taxpayer be played for a sucker? > > >In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed >without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in >receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes >only. ---------------------------------------------- [NY TIMES] >Mr. Dombeck's Vision. > >Near the end of his State of the Union address, President Clinton outlined a >politically ambitious, plan to protect America's natural treasures - its >parks, wilderness areas and national forests. Skeptics wondered how much of >this grandly named "Lands Legacy Initiative" was real and how much was >rhetoric, and whether Mr. Clinton had the will to steer his ideas through a >Congress that has often been hostile to environmental initiatives. Then, last >week, came a reassuring down payment on the President's pledge. In a speech in >Missoula, Mont., Mike Dombeck, the head of the Forest Service, announced a ban >on mining activities along the 100-mile Rocky Mountain Front, one of the >richest wilderness areas in the lower 48 states. > >The announcement was important apart from its value as an indication of Mr. >Clinton's seriousness. To begin with, it will protect one of the jewels of >America's natural landscape, a rugged cascade of limestone and shale extending >100 miles south Of the Canadian border and. tilting eastward to the plains. >The front shelters a spectacular array of wildlife - e1k, mountain goats and >grizzlies - and interlaced with famous trout streams. It also offers a >tempting target for companies seeking minerals like gold, silver, and copper. > >The announcement was also a clear signal that the Administration intends to >use its administrative powers to cushion the impact of the 1872 Mining Law, an >environmentally destructive relic that Congress has repeatedly refused to >change. The law allows companies to stake claims to unprotected Federal lands >and, if minerals are found, to take title for a few dollars an acre. The law >does not require companies to show that the mining operation will not cause >unacceptable damage to the environment, nor does it require them to clean up >afterward. The net result is a legacy of abandoned mines, mountains of >poisonous wastes and thousands of miles of dead streams. > > Mr. Dombeck's announced ban will stop the mining companies before >they can >get started. > >Technically, this will require Bruce Babbitt, whose Interior Department >oversees mining, to impose a moratorium on new claims. Mr. Babbitt will >happily do so. He detests the mining law, and has already imposed a hard-rock >mining ban on thousands of acres north of Arizona's Grand Canyon. > >Finally, Mr. Dombeck's announcement is further evidence that he means to >transform the culture of the Forest Service and make it an ally rather than an >enemy of environmental values. For years, the service has been a willing >captive of the logging industry it is meant to regulate and an eager servant >of Western Congressmen who are far more-interested in harvesting trees than in >saving them. An. internal audit released last Friday revealed that the service >had done a generally poor job of monitoring private logging operations on >Federal lands and preventing damage to watersheds and wildlife habitat. > >In his two years on the job, Mr. Dombeck has made several important if modest >changes. But his speech promises much more, including a moratorium on new >roads in the roadless portions of the national forests, new rules against >clear-cutting and a far more disciplined approach to forest management. Much >of this, will not sit well with mining and logging interests and their friends >on the Congressional committees that underwrite Mr. Dombeck's agency. The >mining ban, for example, is effective immediately, but there will be at least >a year of comment and hearings before it becomes final. That leaves plenty of >time for Congressional mischief, and it would not be surprising to see some >outraged Congressman offer a bill to override Mr. Dombeck's and Mr. Babbitt's >administrative, authority. > >At that point, Mr. Dombeck will need White House support, and if the President >is as interested in creating an environmental legacy as he says he is, he will >give his forest chief all the help he needs. > > >In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed >without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in >receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes >only. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3. U.N. Spokesperson for Native Americans Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 09:38:57 EST Sender: "CT Network for Progressive Politics, Education, and Action" From: "Doug P. Ivison" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Honorable Senators Dodd and Lieberman, and Honorable Representative Shays: While we encourage Israel to recognize the Palestinians, can we set a powerful example by giving Native Americans greater recognition? Note that in many ways, we treat them as their own autonomous nations. Could we invite them to participate somehow in the U.N.? Inviting addresses to the U.N. would be a helpful first step. Could we also sponsor a motion at the U.N., that Native North Americans be invited to appoint a spokesperson to represent them collectively in the U.N. General Assembly? They would make a very creative and positive contribution. (( Note this address to the United Nations, by Hopi Elder Thomas Banyacya at http://www.alphacdc.com/banyacya/un92.html This hot link can take you there: <A HREF="http://www.alphacdc.com/banyacya/un92.html">Hopi Message to the United Nations - 12/10/92</A> )) Doug Ivison 7 Loren Lane Westport, CT 06880 [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Hopi Elder Passes into Spirit Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 14:29:11 EST >The New York Times February 15, 1999 > >Thomas Banyacya, 89, Teller >of Hopi Prophecy to World >By ROBERT McG. THOMAS Jr. > >Thomas Banyacya, who spent half a century on a tireless and often thankless >Hopi spiritual mission to save the planet from the ravages of modern >materialism and greed, died the on Feb. 6 at a hospital in Keane Canyon, >Ariz., about 40 miles from his home in Kykotsmovi on the Hopi reservation. He >was 89 and the last of four messengers named by Hopi elders in 1948 to warn >the world of impending doom. > >The 15,000 or so Hopis are a small nation, but their sense of burden is >great. According to a 900-year~old religious tradition, the Great Spirit >Maasau'u, Guardian of the Earth, assigned them the duty of preserving the >natural balance of the world and entrusted them with a series of ominous >prophecies warning of specific threats and providing guidance on how to avoid >them. > >The prophecies remained a secret oral tradition until 1948, when Hopi >religious leaders, alarmed by reports of the atomic bomb's mushroom cloud, >which they saw as the destructive "gourd of ashes" foretold in the prophecies, >appointed Mr. Banyacya and three others as messengers to reveal and interpret >the prophecies to the outside world. > >Mr. Banyacya seems to have been an obvious choice. At a time when many Hopis >were beginning to embrace modern ways, even accepting the governmental >jurisdiction of the United States, he had remained so steadfast in his >devotion to the sacred traditions and cherished sovereignty of the Hopi that >he had spent seven years in jail rather than register for the draft in World >War II. > >As he tirelessly explained, the Hopi, whose very name means "peaceful," >reject fighting in wars, especially for another nation. (His moral stand >apparently had an impact. In 1953, according to Hopi commentators, after >writing a letter to president Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mr. Banyacya helped win an >understanding with local Selective Service officials that any Hopi who >requested classification as a conscientious objector would receive it.) > >Mr. Banyacya's special feelings for his culture emerged early. A native of >the Hopi village of Moencopi, he attended the Sherman Indian School in >Riverside, Calif., where he was so distressed at being required to use the >name Jenkins, which his father had accepted, that he later insisted on using >his Hopi name. At the all-Indian Bacone College in Oklahoma, where he was a >star long-distance runner, he chafed at the lack of attention to indigenous >cultures and helped establish an Indian lodge where students sang and >performed traditional ceremonies. > >Although his later efforts to persuade the world to respect nature and >protect the environment under the threat of a devastating "purification," >produced indifferent results, along the way he forged spiritual alliances with >indigenous people around the world and was credited with reviving interest >among American Indians in their native cultures. > >Mr. Banyacya, whose work was supported by donations, traveled widely in the >United States and abroad, something that was made a bit tricky by his refusal >to apply for an American passport. It was a reflection of his spiritual appeal >that he managed to attend several foreign conferences using a Hopi passport >encased in buckskin. > >Although his appointment as interpreter of the prophecies gave him a broad >mandate, from the beginning his main focus was on securing a hearing at the >United Nations in accordance with an ancient prophecy to take the Hopi message >of peace, as he put it, "to the Great House of Mica on the Eastern shore where >the nations come together to solve world problems without war." > >Although he was often warmly received by United Nations officials, his >efforts to give a speech were repeatedly rebuffed. But then, as he explained, >the elders had told him to knock on the door four times. > >On his fourth attempt, in 1992, he was allowed to make a brief speech at the >General Assembly hall, but on a day when the General Assembly was in recess. >only a few delegates were present when he carefully sprinkled cornmeal on the >podium and then delivered his message stressing the need for world leaders to >listen to those still living in harmony with nature. > >A fierce opponent of uranium mining and a variety of other industrial >assaults on the environment, Mr. Banyacya warned that an endless quest for >material wealth would destroy the balance of the world yet he did not reject >all modern conveniences. His United Nations address and several other messages >can be found on the Internet at www.alphacdc.com Ibanyacyal banyacya.html, a >site maintained by the Alpha Institute. > >Mr. Banyacya, whose family asked that his survivors not be identified, >leaves several children, grandchildren and great~grandchildren. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 4. ENVIRONMENT-ECUADOR: Indigenous Communities Seek More Reserves Topic 480 ENVIRONMENT-ECUADOR: Indigenous Com newsdesk The Inter Press Service in English 3:10 PM Feb 15, 1999 Copyright 1999 InterPress Service, all rights reserved. Worldwide distribution via the APC networks. *** 12-Feb-99 *** By Gabriela Malo QUITO, Feb 12 (IPS) - Representatives of indigenous groups in Ecuador have asked the government to block any attempts to exploit further areas Amazonia, much of which is now a protected zone. Last month, the government declared the the Cuyabeno-Imuya region, and the territory of the Tagaeri and Taromenane in the Yasuni National Park off limits to any oil, timber, mining and colonization activities. The Minister of Environment, Yolanda Kakabadse said that the measure was a demonstration of the respect for the collective rights and knowledge of the Huaorani, Siona, Secoya and Cofan indigenous groups, and of the Quichua communities that live on the reserves. Cuyabeno-Imuya, located on the border with Peru, is an area of 435, 500 hectares, most of it permanently flooded lowlands and swamps with sensitive and fragile eco-systems. It has a great number of lagoons and rivers, among them the Cuyabeno, the Aguarico and the Zabalo, which it shares with Peru. The Tagaeri and Taromenane territories, located in the center of the Yasuni National Park, represent about 650,000 hectares. There is also an oil sector there, but there has been no geological or seismic surveys. The Indians belonging to the Huaorani group are opposed to external intervention and the Tagaeri and Taromenane have remained isolated from the outside world, and have rejected any attempts to be contacted. In 1987, two missionaries who arrived in the territory were killed. After the government's protection order on these two areas, the national oil company Petroproduccion announced that it would cease all its activities, despite the potential of the oil reserves in the area. By declaring these areas - with their enormous potential for mining and oil - as preserves, the Ecuadoran government is setting an example for all of the Americas, by privileging environmental conservation over other considerations, said spokespersons for the firm. Antonio Vargas, president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nations of Ecuador (CONAIE) said in an interview that the Indians not only were in agreement with this government measure, but that his organization has been advocating the need for it since it was formed twenty years ago. The Ecuadoran Indians are now demanding that another 60,000 hectares in the Amazon province of Pastaza (a frontier region shared with the Shuar group), be declared a reserve. Pastaza is the only province which still has significant forest areas untouched by modern civilization, the indigenous leader said. He also said that he supported the initiatives of the Shuar Federation to prevent oil activities by the U.S. firm Arco in the Shuar territory, on the border with Peru. The Ecuadoran Constitution of August 1998 established the collective rights of the indigenous people and that they would be "consulted about plans programs for exploration of non- renewable resources on their territories and which can affect their environment or culture." The president of the CONAIE also stressed the benefits that the preservation of the Amazon would have for all humanity. (END/IPS/gm/ag/en/ea/99) Origin: ROMAWAS/ENVIRONMENT-ECUADOR/ ---- [c] 1999, InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS) All rights reserved May not be reproduced, reprinted or posted to any system or service outside of the APC networks, without specific permission from IPS. This limitation includes distribution via Usenet News, bulletin board systems, mailing lists, print media and broadcast. For information about cross- posting, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. For information about print or broadcast reproduction please contact the IPS coordinator at <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 5. Ted Turner Interview in E Magazine Topic 40 info en.alerts 10:09 PM Feb 15, 1999 (at emagazine.com) Update For List: E Magazine "Basically, if we keep doing dumb, short-sighted, nationalistic things, rather than be thinking what's best for the whole planet and thinking long-term, then we're going to become just as extinct as the dodo. We're headed for catastrophe." --Ted Turner Cable News Network CEO Ted Turner definitely isn't afraid to speak his mind. Starting from humble beginnings with a small Atlanta UHF television station and modest resources back in 1970, Turner's determination and outspoken style changed the face of television. That same dynamism is now directed toward environmental ventures: Turner actively crusades for cleaner transportation, sustainable population growth, wilderness conservation and greener business. Turner, who is president of his own foundation, the flamboyant owner of the Atlanta Braves, a major western landowner, creator of the Goodwill Games, a famous yachtsman, and maybe even a presidential candidate, gave some $25 million to grassroots environmental groups last year. The Turner Foundation also started the Turner Endangered Species Fund to involve private landowners in conserving imperiled species, including desert bighorn sheep, Mexican wolves, California condors, and black-tailed prairie dogs. According to the Foundation's executive director, Peter Bahouth, "There are 450 groups being funded by the foundation now." Turner really made news a year ago when he announced plans to start a foundation dedicated to helping the United Nations, with an initial donation of $1 billion, paid over 10 years. The funds are reserved for population and women's projects, and for programs directly helping the environment and children. Find out what makes Ted Turner tick -- in his own words -- in the current issue of E / The Environmental Magazine... http://www.emagazine.com/january-february_1999/0199conversations.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 6. Excerpts: GREENLines Issue #817 Topic 52 RFeather list.actgreen 7:00 PM Feb 16, 1999 (at albq.defenders.org) GREENLines, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 1999 from GREEN, the GrassRoots Environmental Effectiveness Network, A project of Defenders of Wildlife (505) 255-5966 or E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] (c) GREEN/Defenders of Wildlife 1999 a. OP-ED BURIES OKEFENOKEE DEAL: An editorial in the 2/11 Atlanta Constitution criticized the recently announced agreement to pay DuPont Co. $90 million to not develop land adjacent to the Okefenokee Swamp. The editorial calls giving such a large amount of money to Dupont for profits it may or may not have realized "inappropriate." Other buy- outs of pristine lands near Yellowstone and in California's Headwaters forest, combined with the Dupont offer, could "encourage speculators to target projects not for their economic value but for the danger they pose to national treasures." b. ONLY TWO SPECIES RECOVERED FROM VALDEZ SPILL: On 2/9 Reuters reported only two species, the bald eagle and river otter, have fully recovered ten years after the infamous Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council issued a report on the state of Prince William Sound's wildlife, which says only half of all species are recovering. The other half, including several bird species, harbor seals, and killer whales show no signs of recovery. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GrassRoots Environmental Effectiveness Network (GREEN) Director's office: PO Box 40046, Albuquerque, NM 87196-0046 (505) 255-5966 fax: (505) 255-5953 [EMAIL PROTECTED] DC Office: 1101 14th St., NW, Suite 1400, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 682-9400 fax: (202) 682-1331 [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit our web site at: http://www.defenders.org/grnhome.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **************************************************************************** EarthWINS Daily is a publication of Mining-exchange. DISCLAIMER ** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. ** + &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
