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Dear Great Lakes Neighbor,
Each
week we invite grassroots activists,
artists, officials, physicians, parents,
young people and others to offer insightful
commentary on their Great Lakes experiences
and views. Of course, we also invite you to
comment on their thoughts!
This week, the Town Hall is pleased to welcome Jessica Smith, Director of Communications at the Biodiversity Project and project coordinator of Great Lakes Forever. Come visit the Great Lakes Town Hall to read and respond to Jessica's stories and perspectives about the Great Lakes every day this week - only in the Great Lakes Town Hall!
![JessicaSmith160.jpg]() Guest Writer this week-- Jessica Smith
Born and raised in Northern Michigan, Jessica Belle
Smith is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a B.A. in English and an
M.F.A. in Poetry. A professional writer and communications professional in
Chicago, Jessica
dedicates much of her work to the natural world. She received a Major Hopwood
Award in 2000 for a collection of her non-fiction, In the Museum of Our Natural History. In
the early 1990s, she wrote the libretto for an alternative opera on climate
change and has spent her life dedicated to environmental causes. The Great
Lakes, particularly Lake Michigan, continue to
inform her artistic and professional work. There is no place she would rather be
than hiking the dunes of Benzie
County or exploring the bays of her
native Old
Mission Peninsula.
Featured Issue this week - To Mine or Not to Mine
In addition to guest speakers, the Great
Lakes Town Hall focuses on a new featured
Great Lakes issue each week, provided by
co-moderators Dave Dempsey,
Gary Wilson, and Brenna Wanous. This week, Dave explores the proposals for sulfide mining in Minnesota and Michigan by comparing it to historical mining in the region (copper and iron), and by highlighting the dangerous side effects of this particular trade. He writes,
"In the 1800s, large swaths of the public domain
of these same regions were opened up to private parties for timbering
and mining, and after most profitable resources were exploited the
low-value lands were returned or forfeited back to the public.
Is the region repeating its history of boom and bust -- with the mess left behind for the public to clean up, and pay for?"
Read the rest of Dave's Featured Issue, and put in your two cents!
Bringing you a better Great Lakes Town Hall!
We listened to all of the wonderful
feedback from our 2007 survey and have taken your advice. We will be launching your
new Town Hall this December. You can expect easier navigation, new features, all
past postings and much, much more!
We are looking for sponsors to support
the building of the new Town Hall. Here is a great opportunity for businesses to
sponsor a good cause and see their logo on the front page of the Town Hall. Are
you interested? Do you know someone who might be interested? If so, please
contact Brenna Wanous at bwanous@biodiverse.org or 773-496-4020.
Don't miss this great opportunity to read and
comment on our featured issue - To Mine or Not to Mine - and the stories and perspectives of Jessica Smith in
the Great
Lakes Town Hall all this week!
Guest speakers contribute content on a Great
Lakes topic of their choice for five days. While
there are basic rules of conduct, guest
speakers are unedited and diverse views are
welcome. If you are interested in serving
as a guest speaker, please reply to this
email. We encourage individuals of all
ages, occupations, and opinions to
participate in the conversation.
Your Great Lakes Neighbor,
![brenna sig.jpg]()
Brenna Wanous
Great Lakes Town Hall Manager
Biodiversity Project's Great Lakes Town Hall
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