E-M:/ Invitation to Backyard ECO Conference 2006

[Kay Cumbow <kcumbow@greatlakes.net>]

You are invited to Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination's
2006 Backyard ECO-Conference, May 12 -14 at Camp Neyati, Clare County.
The ECO-Conference has been an annual gathering of Great Lakes
environmental activists, novices, elders and youth since 1983, and
features speakers, panel presentations, arts and music, a youth program
for ages 8-15, and great food prepared by the ECO cooks led by Connie
Beauvais. There's time for reflection, walking in the woods, and
strategizing action plans.

Registration and directions to the camp are available on our ECO
brochure, which can be downloaded at
www.caccmi.org.

Featured speakers this year are:

Friday night: James Olson, lead lawyer for Michigan Citizens for Water
Conservation in their lawsuit to stop Nestle from taking water out of the
Great Lakes to sell, speaks on "The Water Commons: Public Trust or
Private Plunder"

Saturday: 
Paul Gunter from Nuclear Information and Resource Service: 
"Nuclear Renaissance or Nuclear Relapse?" He will also focus on
the campaign to stop the aging Palisades nuclear plant from
relicensing.

Terry Miller and Michele Hurd Riddick from Lone Tree Council  and
Sue Cameron from Citizens Against Toxic Substances speak on "The
Tittabawassee's Toxic Legacy", (DOW's dioxin poisoning in Michigan
and the Saginaw Bay). 

Bill Freese, long-time Great Lakes activist  will speak on the Huron
Environmental Action League's ongoing campaign to limit mercury
contamination by Lafarge in Alpena.

Alexis Raney from Save the Wild U.P. will address mining issues in
Michigan's U.P.: "Protecting the Headwaters".

Robert Shimek of Indigenous Environmental Network speaks Saturday night
on "Guarding the Commons for the Seventh Generation."  He
is a Red Lake Ojibwe and leads the mining campaign for IEN, and has also
worked on energy, water, forestry and environmental justice
issues.

Guy Williams, a founding board member and Chair of
Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice, speaks Sunday
morning on "The Campaign for State Action on Environmental
Justice."

Victor McManemy and Tim Joseph make powerful campfire music and Gretchen
Michaels brings out the Great Lakes artist in us all. Our youth program
is led by Holly White and her staff. 

Join us for a great northwoods weekend!

Kay Cumbow, Director
Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination 
8735 Maple Grove Road,
Lake, MI 48632
www.caccmi.org