Here’s the Soo Locks, once the home of one of the greatest fisheries in the northern hemisphere, the subject of this treaty:
Now:
Dropped by Henry and Jane’s place, but I missed them by damn near 200 years:
Huh. Interesting inscription. Wonder what Jane would say about that.
Here is the opinion in Schmidt v. Army Corps, from the Western District of Michigan, in which the court upheld a decision by the Army Corps not to allow a building project on the St. Mary’s River, near what the Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority says is a fish spawning ground.
From the Sault (Ont.) Star:
First Nations will bridge the river to protect the St. Mary’s on World Water Day, March 22.
Elders from both sides of the border will share their knowledge about water ceremonies and raise awareness about the need to protect local waterways. Garden River and Batchawana First Nations, Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians and the Bay Mills Indian community will all be on hand.
The four tribes first came together in 2004 to sign the Tribal and First Nations Water Accord, under which they work to influence the Canadian and U.S. governments to protect St. Mary’s River and its ecosystems.
The event takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Sault Tribe Cultural Building in Sault, Michigan. Traditional food will be served, bring a dish to pass.
I read this just after I assign my students a project to assess the Port Huron deal….
From the Port Huron Times Herald:
The long-stalled effort to open an Indian-owned casino in Port Huron has received a major boost from Michigan’s governor, who has thrown her support behind the project.
From the Port Huron Times Herald: “Little by little, the odds for a Port Huron casino are beginning to improve. First, there was the important support U.S. Sen. Carl Levin gave the effort earlier this year, a setback to Detroit. Motor City officials have tried to block Port Huron’s bid, a development they view as a threat to Detroit’s three casinos.
“With new support from U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, Port Huron’s casino effort marked another important sign of progress. The Rhode Island Democrat last week became a co-sponsor of H.R. 2176, legislation essential to Port Huron’s gambling facility.
“The bill seeks long-sought federal approval of a 2002 land trade between the state of Michigan and the Upper Peninsula’s Bay Mills Indian Community. The Chippewa band, based at Brimley, agreed to drop its claim to 110 acres of property at Charlotte Beach on the St. Marys River in exchange for the establishment of a new reservation on the property of Port Huron’s Thomas Edison Inn. The reservation would become the site of Port Huron’s Indian-run casino.”Despite his opposition to casino gambling, Gov. John Engler approved the deal. He did so largely because the Point Edward Charity Casino and Sarnia’s Hiawatha slot machines were drawing a substantial number of Americans who crossed the St. Clair River to gamble in Ontario. The Thomas Edison Inn casino would allow Port Huron to compete.”
From the Port Huron Times Herald: “Stupak’s bill is the latest of several attempts to win congressional and presidential approval of the Aug. 23, 2002, land swap approved by then-Gov. John Engler and Bay Mills, a Chippewa band based at Brimley in the eastern Upper Peninsula.“The tribe gave up its long-standing claim to 110 acres of property at Charlotte Beach, a community on the St. Marys River, in exchange for a reservation on the 15-acre Thomas Edison Inn property in Port Huron.”
Details about H.R. 2176 are here.
Bay Mills’ claim against the State of Michigan in regards to Charlotte Beach was dismissed in 2001 by the Michigan Court of Appeals. The opinion is here.
Turtle Talk 
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