Over 100 students, elders, veterans and others marched in Keshena on April 15 for the protection of the Wolf River. They included representatives of the Menominee, Mohican, and other tribes. Students from College of the Menominee Nation carried a banner reading: "The Wolf River is calling 911. College of the Menominee Nation students are First Responders." The students' walk was part of the statewide schools campaign by the Wolf Watershed Educational Project, which culminated in a statewide April 29, 2000 rally at the State Capitol in Madison. http://www.alphacdc.com/treaty/youth_edu.html
For more information on Menominee opposition to the Crandon mine, see the Menominee Treaty Rights and Mining Impacts Office at http://www.menominee.com/nomining/home.html.

COMMUNITY RALLY ~ CELEBRATION ~
EDUCATION FOR THE WOLF RIVER WATERSHED

People at the local, tribal and state level gather to celebrate the Wolf River and her gifts.

(Keshena, Wisconsin) -- The Student and Community Alliance for the Wolf River invites all youth, high school and college students, educators, tribal members, sportsmen, environmentalists, small business owners, and political leaders to celebrate the Wolf River. There will be a day of sharing, demonstration and celebration in honor of the Wolf River on Saturday, April 15 in conjunction with the Menominee Sturgeon Ceremony. The purpose of this gathering is to thank the Wolf River for her gifts and educate each other on how to protect her from harm.

The link between the sturgeon, the Menominee people, and the health of the Wolf River is of special importance. The sturgeon is deeply ingrained in Menominee culture, spirituality, and subsistence patterns. Dams on the Wolf River already impede the travels of the sturgeon to the reservation. Currently, the Menominee Tribe and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources have to gather the fish south of the Shawano dam and transport them to the reservation. If the water quality of the Wolf were to decline because of contamination from the Crandon Mine, the sturgeon would have no chance of survival. It is important people living in the Wolf River watershed are aware of these linkages and that people, especially young ones and students, become involved with these issues.

The event begins at 8:00 a.m. on the Highway 47 bridge in Keshena, just south of the Menominee Logging Museum (north side of Keshena). There will be a march through Keshena ending with a rally at the tank/pavilion in downtown Keshena. People are encouraged to speak about the Wolf River, share knowledge about the Crandon mine, and discuss environmental concerns. Busses will take people to Menominee Indian Middle School in Neopit where a second march will take place ending at the Menominee Tribal School. The Tribal School is on the west side of Neopit, behind the Neopit post office. The Sturgeon Ceremony begins at 10:00 a.m. at the Tribal School where there will be speakers, food, dancing and drumming.