Meet Up and Eat Up program breaks record by serving 118,426 meals in 10 weeks

Shelby Turnquist(center) with volunteers Jonah(left) and Oliver(right). Photo credit to Boersma Family Roots.

Meet Up and Eat Up, officially known as the Summer Food Service Program, is a free school food program that piloted this summer. The program was open to all residents with children, and distributed meals for free in Houghton and Hancock during the summer season to families with children that would normally receive meals provided by the school.

Such initiatives play a crucial role in addressing food insecurity, especially among families with children. By providing nutritious meals to those who might be struggling to afford them, these programs contribute to the overall well-being and development of children.

MICHIGAN FOOD SECURITY COUNCIL FINAL REPORT, 2022

The program is through the Michigan Department of Education and is partially funded by the federal government based on the percentage of applications received for free or reduced school lunch applications at the school. 

The meals come with milk, juice, snacks, and entrees for the week, as well as fresh fruit and produce acquired from local participating farmers: Mother Farmer, Ghost House Farm, Boersma Family Roots, North Harvest Farm, and Eden Greens.

Shelby Turnquist: Food Access Champion

In the midst of food insecurity, it’s great to have individuals like Shelby Turnquist in your corner, who are championing food access and supporting families in need by applying for and coordinating meal distribution programs.

“The program came in at the very last minute from the federal government,” said Turnquist. “I went after it. A rural feeding program gave us the opportunity to do curbside pick-up, but who knows what’s going to happen next year? The last four years, it’s been a last-minute, switch-up-the-program type of deal.”

Turnquist says she spent weeks on the phone trying to secure the program for both Hancock and Houghton schools. The program requires many types of coordination: not only jumping through hoops to qualify, but also advertising, customer correspondence, meal packing, meeting food safety requirements, acquiring volunteers, processing leftover food, and coordinating between farmers, to name a few.

“All I know is, I’m here to feed the kids,” said Turnquist.

Local farmer Nichole Boersma says the tenacity with which Turnquist approached the program is infectious.

“She is an inspiration and someone that I admire beyond words. She handles the program like the incredible boss of a woman that she is,” said Boersma. “So many families depend on her over the summer, and she is insanely humble about it.”

According to Turnquist, programs like this one executed downstate require farmers to bring in specific vegetables, while Turnquist opts to let the farmers bring in what is freshest off their fields.

“She told us to bring what we could and if something didn't move well, she would let us know. The relationship was super fluid and she definitely helped stimulate the local food economy,” said Boersma.

Turnquist and her crew distributed 600-700 meals a day this summer. The only qualification that had to be met was having a child under the age of 18. Children with special needs were also accepted up to the age of 26, provided that they were enrolled in a school. Turnquist noted that this type of qualification meets the needs of families that aren’t “well off” but don’t qualify for other types of assistance. 

The most difficult part of the program, according to Turnquist, was the time spent processing food to be frozen, leftover from people who signed up for meals but didn’t pick them up. Some weeks up to 100 people were a no-show. However, Turnquist comments that if they reached just one child who didn’t go hungry that day because of the meals, then their efforts are well worth it.

“Growing up my parents always taught us to treat all children like they're your own,” explained Turnquist. “I’ve taken that to heart. And people that worked on the program have that same heart and soul for the kids.”

Emelia Johnson, a teacher in the school district who helps pack and distribute the boxes, commented that it’s also a great way to expose local families to the flavorful bounty of fresh vegetables that our local farms have to offer.

Food insecurity is a significant issue in many communities, and efforts like Shelby Turnquist and the Meet Up and Eat Up program can make a positive impact by ensuring that children have access to essential nutrition. This, in turn, can improve their health, cognitive development, and educational outcomes.

This article is a part of a larger series on food access in the Keweenaw. If you are a food insecure Keweenaw resident in need of community resources, call 211.

More News

Paw Patrol pushes forward with work to protect abused animals

An emaciated dog in the midst of being rescued. Some of Paw Patrol’s rescue photos are too graphic to publish under Copper Beacon’s editorial policy. Photo provided by Paw Patrol.

Editor’s Note: The name of Paw Patrol’s founder has been withheld to protect her safety.

One day about a year ago, a woman got a call that changed her life. An extremely emaciated dog was running loose, the caller said. The woman who received the call, a dog lover and animal abuse activist, dashed out to assess the situation.

“The dog was very, very skinny, and you could see that he was not well,” she recalls.

She did some investigating.

“Allegedly the owner became involved with a controlled substance,” she says. “He allegedly knew that the dog was sick, but instead of getting veterinary care, he locked him in an abandoned building. Somebody found him there and turned him loose.”

The dog was eventually caught and taken to a veterinarian.

“But he succumbed two days later,” she says. “It was heartbreaking.”

The next day she started Paw Patrol of Houghton County, a group whose goal is to raise awareness about animal abuse and encourage prevention.

“While we may not be able to save every animal affected by animal cruelty, we will raise awareness so that everyone can contribute to its prevention,” Paw Patrol’s founder says.

Asking County Commissioners for Help

Paw Patrol representatives spoke at the Aug. 15 meeting of the Houghton County Commission. They presented statistics about the number of animal cruelty reports logged by local police departments and the Copper Country Humane Society. Each month in Houghton County, there are an average of 67 animal abuse cases reported. They have resulted in only two arrests and one prosecution, a Paw Patrol member said.

The group also presented a petition circulated in Houghton County with 1,415 signatures, asking the County Commission to appoint an animal control officer.

“We are the voice of the voiceless!” the petition said.

They also gave commissioners photos of abused animals.

“We are asking you to please help us put a stop to the senseless mistreatment and brutality that these animals are going through and help us save some lives,” a spokesperson for the group said. “We personally receive multiple reports every week of cases of animal abuse, cruelty and neglect. These reports range from hamsters to horses. We never know what each report will involve, which is why we need an animal control officer dedicated to these situations, as none of us are law enforcement officers and cannot always safely resolve the situation.”

Why the name ‘Paw Patrol’?

Paw Patrol’s founder chose to name the new group Paw Patrol, which is also the name of a popular children’s cartoon program. It seemed a good fit.

“The cartoon teaches lessons about caring for animals,” she explains.

That message is reinforced through the cartoon’s partnership with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Paw Patrol of Houghton County partners with several local animal protection organizations, including the Copper Country Humane Society, KSNAG (Keweenaw Spay and Neuter Assistance Group), UP Wildlife Rehab, Keweenaw Wild Bird REC, Natalie’s Blind Sanctuary and Rescue, Michigan Humane, and Hoppily Ever After—a rabbit rescue group based in Laurium.

“Animal abuse and neglect are huge problems in our society-- and the Copper Country is no exception,” says Julie Badel, a Paw Patrol member and attorney from L’Anse. “Without a group like Paw Patrol, there is no one to speak for the animals.”

Badel is past chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee.

Horses Require Rescuers, Too

A neglected horse, mid-rescue. Photo courtesy of Paw Patrol.

Natalie Este, the founder and president of Natalie’s Blind Sanctuary and Rescue, shares her own horror stories of abused and neglected horses.

Este, who is passionate about horses, received a call last year from a woman who was boarding her horses locally. She was concerned about their health and care. When Este investigated, she found that the woman’s mare was “a rack of bones that could barely walk.”

“The horse was eating hay that was covered in feces,” she says. “There was no water in the water tanks and no shelter. Horses must have adequate shelter, clean hay and water.”

Este rescued the mare and her foal and took them to her veterinarian, who treated the horses but eventually discovered maggots in the mare’s hooves that were destroying the hoof bone and causing a significant amount of pain.

“There was nothing to do but euthanize her,” Este says.

She buried the mare on her own property. The younger horse fared better.

“The baby has blossomed,” Este reports happily.

She decided to turn her rescue efforts into a state and IRS-licensed nonprofit that currently cares for 10 horses, five of them blind. Este has a special passion for blind horses, which are usually sent to kill lots where they are slaughtered and their flesh sold for meat.

She is planning to expand her rescue operation to accommodate more horses.

Potential For Law Enforcement Officer Training

Paw Patrol asked the Houghton County Commissioners for more training for law enforcement officers in handling animal cruelty reports. Eventually, they would also like to see the county appoint a trained animal control officer.

“We aren’t law enforcement officers. There’s only so much we can do,” the Paw Patrol founder points out. “We collect all the evidence we can legally obtain and turn it over to the sheriff.”

Houghton County used to have an animal control officer, Sheriff Joshua Saaranen said, but the position disappeared in the 1990s due to budget cuts. The main purpose of that program was to collect stray dogs, an activity that has been turned over to the Copper Country Humane Society. The county contributes $15,000 a year to the Humane Society for that service, the sheriff said.

“Training in our capacity and any professional development is key to the law enforcement profession,” Saaranen said.

Most of the animal complaints the sheriff’s office receives are about stray dogs. Animal abuse or neglect cases are reported approximately one to two times per month, Saaranen said.

“If it is determined that there is abuse or neglect, we investigate, receive an opinion from a veterinarian if necessary, and submit charges through the prosecutor’s office,” Saaranen said. “I believe the way that we respond to complaints now on a case-by-case basis around the clock is the most effective and efficient way possible both by practice and financially. That said, any additional training that we could receive will improve our response to animal abuse complaints.“   

Paw Patrol is meeting with the sheriff and working with Michigan Humane—a nonprofit that investigates animal cruelty, rescues and adopts out animals—to find ways to provide animal cruelty training for deputies.

“Paw Patrol’s goal now is to get law enforcement officers trained,” the group’s founder said. “I believe that with training, they will be better equipped to handle animal abuse calls properly. I’ve met with the sheriff, and he was kind, attentive and concerned.”

“I don’t love what I do” she goes on to say. “I hate what I do. I hate that there’s a need for what I do. I would drive a million miles to save an animal. There are days when we can’t save the animal, and it literally breaks our hearts.”

Occasionally a report turns out not to be true.

“We’re glad when that happens,” she says.

The front of the t-shirt design. Image courtesy of Paw Patrol.

Once, while investigating a report of a dismembered dog, she had to climb into a dumpster. She found no dismembered animal there.

Paw Patrol has 184 members. The group has no website but can be found on Facebook. They are about to offer custom-designed T-shirts through UP North Custom Apparel in Houghton. The manufacturer will sell the T-shirts at cost, and Paw Patrol will not make money on the sales.

More News

Calumet Community Free Fridge offers fresh produce to address food insecurity in Keweenaw

Sue Peterson with a crate of donations. Photo courtesy of North Harvest Farm.

Correction: Lee Peterson has been added as a volunteer coordinator alongside Sue Peterson.

In the Keweenaw, a significant challenge has long persisted: limited access to fresh and affordable food. This geographical predicament, often referred to as a "food desert," has hindered the community's ability to enjoy nutritious sustenance easily. However, food access in the region is expanding, and there are now many more ways to acquire fresh produce while supporting local farms and without breaking the bank.

This year marks the opening of the wildly successful Calumet Community Free Fridge started by Ashley TenHarmsel of North Harvest Farm. TenHarmsel partnered with volunteer coordinator Sue Peterson and Ron Rea of Calumet’s The Office Shop to offer a fridge of fresh produce, available to the community five days a week, at no cost to them and with no questions asked.

Ashley TenHarmsel. Photo by Lily Venable.

TenHarmsel says what sparked the idea was the Calumet farmer’s market taking on more food access programs and the continuing discourse on food access. Keeping an eye on social media, she saw community fridges being executed in other states on Instagram. Then, she attended a Women in Agriculture seminar last winter for an in-depth look at how it’s done. Finally, she took a leap of faith in her community.

“I had no idea how it was going to do, if we needed social media, if people would feel comfortable going, or would want to donate. But the farmers’ donations have been incredible. They're extremely happy to do that,” said TenHarmsel.

How it works: Calumet Market vendors bring plenty of produce to the busy Saturday morning market and donate what they don’t sell to the Free Fridge. Donors include Ghost House Farm (Houghton), Lake Effect Farm (Copper Harbor), North Harvest Farm (Calumet), Boersma Family Roots (Calumet), Whispering Wild Market Farm (Toivola), and Minnie Farms (Lake Linden). Calumet vendors Superior Cupcakes (Lake Linden) and Two Old Broads Bakery (Calumet) also donate leftover baked goods.

According to program coordinators, the fridge has been so popular that the donations are usually gone within a couple of days. The Office Shop recently put out a post on Facebook calling for local gardeners to donate excess produce.

“I get here at 7:30 a.m. in the morning on Monday. I get half a dozen people before 8:30 a.m. just taking what they need and being very grateful for the produce and being able to have fresh salads and eat healthy. Because times are tough,” said Rea. “I’ve seen tears several times. It’s been maybe 5 weeks. Each week, there is more and more energy. More and more items flow in.”

The refrigerator itself was donated by Rachael Pressley, and Rea comments that he will soon need a second fridge to house all the produce from local farmers and gardeners. 

Cash donations are also accepted, which go to the farmers to buy their produce.

The program is in addition to the Office Shop’s existing free food pantry, where Rea also coordinates the distribution of winter clothes, children’s Christmas items, and non-perishable food items.

Rea says his personal motivations for helping the community come from memories of his parents.

The Calumet Community Free Fridge. Photo courtesy of the Office Shop.

“My parents gave a lot. I saw it when I was growing up. My father worked hard, but he always had time to help people. He fixed things and people’s cars at no charge. My mom cleaned houses for people at no charge. They did things out of the goodness of their heart just constantly. They always seemed to be open and giving,” said Rea.

“It’s a calling I think,” he continued. “The universe has pushed me in that direction. It’s something that I like to do, and I enjoy doing it. I’m lucky that people give me the resources I need to do it. And we’re going to continue to do it for as long as we can.”

TenHarmsel would like to see how they can expand the model to open more fridges around the Keweenaw.

“It would help to have someone leading that. Volunteers would be needed to get that set up. And then possibly multiple locations within the town. If people don’t have access to wheels, they could walk,” said TenHarmsel. 

“We’re figuring it out as it’s going, and it's going really well,” TenHarmsel continued. “It’s the volunteers and donors and people coming out that really make it happen.”

To donate, or to pick up produce, canned goods, or other food items at no cost to you - visit the Office Shop at 25703 Scott St. in Calumet open Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.- 5 p.m. Rea also comments to leave your name and number with him if you need something specific.

Follow the Office Shop on Facebook for updates.

This article is a part of a larger series on food access in the Keweenaw. If you are a food insecure Keweenaw resident in need of community resources, call 211.

More News

Speaking With My Stomach

Hey team, it’s Chris. Welcome to “Speaking With My Stomach,” a food column where we’ll be talking about food in all different kinds of ways; the history of foods and ingredients, how to cook them, and celebrating the love language that is universal.

This time, join me on a trip to Valencia, Spain, the birthplace of paella, Spain's most famous dish.

Spain’s capital city of Valencia is a breathtaking old city, founded during the tenure of the Roman Empire in 138 BC, and hopefully, someday I just might get to be there in person. For today, we’ll have to see it vicariously through our mind’s eye and through our taste buds by recreating today’s dish.

Spanish cuisine is known for its bold flavors and wealth of spices, and because of Valencia’s close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, we get to experience the flavor rush of saffron in this rice-based delicacy.

If you have a shellfish allergy, don’t feel left out! The traditional paella valenciana recipe uses chicken, pork or rabbit, so feel welcome to follow along with just chicken or pork, because I’ll be using pork and sausage.

There’s a vague guideline to follow for paella and it can be hard to choose a line to stay in, so don’t! There is no one true paella because it was originally a peasant dish that could have anything from squid to prawns, to rabbit and eel.

You can make chorizo sausage paella, veggie paella, or any of the paellas we already discussed. The essential ingredients are saffron and rice. I will provide portion sizes as we go.

Saffron is a highly-priced spice that requires only a small quantity. Although it might be challenging to find, its worth is incomparable. In case of unavailability, turmeric can serve as a substitute but cannot match the flavor. Turmeric can also be used to achieve the desired color.

This dish is really fun because it has a “socarrat,” a crispy bottom rice layer, and a “sofrito,” a kind of sauce our rice layer will be cooked in.

I’m going to be really specific about the kind of rice we use because this dish puts a lot of focus on the mouthfeel, so we’ll need a short or medium grain round rice because it soaks up a lot more liquid with breaking down and becoming a mush. Bomba, Calasparra, and Senia are the recommended rice strains I found in my digging. Arborio rice works in a pinch and can be found in U.P. stores easily enough.

For the proteins of the paella, I'm using a sliced sausage (I won't be too picky), and pork short rib. Here's my blend for short rib seasoning:

• ½ tbsp salt

• ½ tbsp black pepper

• 1 tbsp cumin

• ½ tbsp paprika

• 1 tbsp garlic powder

• 1 tbsp onion powder

• ½ tsp cane sugar

You can either individually rub the seasoning onto the meat or toss it in the bowl to evenly coat it and save time. This should work for one to one and a half pounds of short rib.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. While the oven preheats, you can sear your meats to prep them for the oven. While your meat is searing and the oven is heating up, you can start the prep on your veggies by dicing your single white onion. I like my onion to be very finely diced, almost to the size of the rice, but you can go with what you feel.

Once the oven reaches the desired temperature, the short rib should cook for about 20 minutes. Since we are not roasting it in its entirety, it won't take all day. However, to be safe, please ensure that your pork is cooked to at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid food poisoning. At “Speaking With My Stomach,” we take food safety very seriously.

So anyways, meat is doing its thing. Let's talk about our wets, the sofrito. In one pan we need to have 3 cups of stock (could be chicken, veggie, or a shellfish base) and one cup of chardonnay. If you don't want to play with chardonnay, go for four cups of base. Take your precious saffron and place some strands (roughly half of your little pack) into the stock and put it on medium heat to simmer it.

Sofrito, a tomato sauce with sliced sausage. Photo by Chris Jaehnig.

Let the stock and saffron intermix, and let's focus on the sofrito. For the sofrito, we want between low and medium heat under our saucepan. In the pan, we'll want 1/3 cup of veggie oil, our diced onion, and two cloves of minced garlic. We want to cook these together until the oil is translucent, and the onion and garlic are just starting to brown.

Now we want to add two finely diced Roma tomatoes and stir them in with 1.5 teaspoons of paprika and half a teaspoon of salt, and my sliced sausage. Let the tomatoes cook down a little bit, and now we'll mix in the simmering stock and saffron sprigs, along with two cups of rice.

Stir the rice into the sofrito fully, and now level it out into the pan.

This part, making the socarrat, was tricky for me. With risotto, it’s stir-stir-stir so it doesn’t stick or burn, but to make socarrat, we simmer our rice, sofrito and broth together allowing it to carmelize and make a bit of a crunchy base. We don’t want it burnt or undercooked, so this part needs a lot of attention and patience.

It can take 15-20 minutes on medium heat to get this crunchy layer, but forgetting it completely or giving it too much of a window will burn it. We use short or medium grain rice because it absorbs a lot of liquid over a longer period of time, so this will help it stop from burning.

Once the socarrat has had time to do its thing, we'll want to thinly slice our pork short rib and place it along the edges of the pan in a radial pattern for serving.

Some experienced paella cooks report being able to hear a satisfying crackling sound when it's done, but I, unfortunately, pulled mine too soon, and I didn't get that perfect bottom—but it tasted phenomenal. The saffron is so subtle, but is a flavor you can't really liken to anything else, and was worth the treasure hunt I had to go on.

Finished paella with pork short rib. Photo by Chris Jaehnig.

This dish can be used as a side, or as a standalone dish and can feed 4-6, depending on how hungry everyone is. I fed five with mine and had a bit left over.

Thanks for hanging out, I hope this classic Spanish dish works for you, and until next time, don't forget to tip!

More News

Conservancies involved in sale of Seven Mile Point registered to same address

In the wake of the recent sale of Seven Mile Point, local residents have expressed mixed reactions. While some accept the inevitability of the sale, others express disappointment with the loss of public access and the leadership of the involved organizations.

The leaders of Keweenaw Natural Areas and the American Songbird Management and Restoration conservancies say the sale and closure of public access was necessary and ethical, but paperwork filed with the state and IRS show the two organizations registered to the same Ahmeek address as recently as April 2023, as well as other information that disagrees with the nonprofit leader’s narrative.

Seven Mile Point, via Wallpaperflair.com

Seven Mile Point Background

Seven Mile Point is a pristine, wooded site on the north shore of the Keweenaw Peninsula, overlooking Lake Superior. Located in Allouez Township, an 8-mile drive from Ahmeek, it is a conservation area, home to eagles, wolves, loons, snowshoe hares and a beaver named Stephanie, according to the North Woods Conservancy website. North Woods Conservancy has been doing business as Keweenaw Natural Areas(KNA) since 2018.

A 7-page history of Seven Mile Point written by John Griffith says that the Lake Superior Land Company subdivided Seven Mile Point into 24 lots in the late 1990s. KNA – which Griffith founded with his wife, Jane in 1992 – tried to buy all 24 lots to protect the scenic and natural resources and the traditional public use, but he says the land company “wanted houses there” and refused to sell to them.

According to Griffith, KNA managed to negotiate the purchase of the final remaining lot in 2001, ending up with a large mortgage and no source of income other than public donations and an annual raffle. The lot KNA bought is at the western, lakeside end of Seven Mile Road, a private road through the properties. It comprises 32 acres and over 1,800 feet of Lake Superior shoreline, including a cobble beach and the ancient bedrock point.

As a condition of its purchase of the Seven Mile Point property, KNA negotiated an agreement with the other property owners along Seven Mile Point Road to provide driving access on their private road to the beach only at certain times, with KNA monitoring the access whenever it was open. KNA also installed a gate at their property line on the private road.

“It was never a public beach or public property,” said Griffith in an email. “That is a misconception. The limited guest access across two miles of private road was negotiated by KNA with the owners of the private road.”

Despite KNA’s efforts to control access to the private road at the times agreed, a scarcity of volunteers made it difficult to do so, Griffith said. More and more rowdy visitors were using the road, threatening homeowners, making noise, setting fires and leaving trash, he explained.

A Difficult Decision

The limited public access and other restrictions on the property made it difficult for KNA to find grant funding for the property, according to Griffith. He said this year, with mortgage debt that it could not pay, KNA faced the specter of default and the sale of Seven Mile Point to developers.

Griffith said that to avoid development and protect the property for conservation, KNA sold it to another conservation non-profit, American Songbird Management and Recovery (ASMAR), which has no website or public face of its own. Griffith said the sale allowed KNA to pay off its mortgage on the property.

“Members of Keweenaw Natural Areas (KNA) brought Seven Mile to ASMAR’s attention,” said Sue Lafferty, chair of ASMAR’s board of governors, in an email. “KNA initially asked for a partnership or other ideas on how to permanently protect the property.”

Eventually, KNA sold the land to ASMAR.

“KNA is ecstatic that instead of selling for development, KNA found a conservation buyer that will protect the habitats, species, and viewscape at Seven Mile Point in perpetuity,” said Griffith.

ASMAR is registered as a non-profit conservation organization with a focus on resident and migratory songbirds. Griffith says he is only active with ASMAR as a volunteer liaison to the Keweenaw, and that his wife has “never been an ASMAR officer or board member.”

“I have agreed to keep an eye on the property and continue to liaise with the lot owners, and also am encouraging ASMAR for more Keweenaw action,” Griffith added.

Public Reaction

“I have heard only a handful of objections to the sale,” Griffith said. “Most responses have been acceptance of the facts on the ground, chagrin that more was not done by them, and of course sadness they can’t go there anymore. I understand them 100%, as I share them, as does the board.”

Sue Ellen Kingsley said Copper Beacon’s call was the first she had heard about the sale of Seven Mile Point. Kingsley’s husband, Terry Kinzel, was the lead founder and first vice president of the Keweenaw Land Trust—another conservation organization in the Keweenaw whose mission is to protect land, water and quality of life through conservation, stewardship and education.

Some time ago, the Keweenaw Land Trust looked into merging with North Woods Conservancy — now KNA — but decided not to do it, Kingsley said.

Closing beach access really seems wrong, she added.

“Public beach access was their big thing when they were raising money,” she said.

Legally speaking, the beach is not part of the property sold by KNA to ASMAR, Kingsley went on to say.

“The beach is owned by the State of Michigan, and no one can deny access to it,” she said.

A 2004 Michigan Supreme Court ruling held that the public has a right to walk along the shores of the Great Lakes “…below and lakeward of the natural ordinary high-water mark…”. However, they do not have the right to trespass on private property to get to the shoreline.

Kingsley said she often walks the beach at Seven Mile Point, accessing it from surrounding land, not using Seven Mile Point Road.

Questions Arose

The new owner, ASMAR, will not allow public access to the Seven Mile Point property, according to Lafferty.

“To maximize habitat protection and breeding success, most ASMAR sanctuaries are not open to the public,” she said.

The loss of beach access upset some KNA donors and volunteers. They blamed KNA for shutting down beach access.

“KNA accepted a lot of donations toward this parcel from the general public, largely on the basis of continued public access.,” said one longtime KNA supporter, who wished to remain anonymous for the sake of their continued volunteer work with local conservation organizations. “People who are donors feel slighted. Their donations were to be used for public access.”

The volunteer went on to say he knows that the Griffiths are personally dedicated to achieving conservation outcomes in the Keweenaw. But he is concerned about whether KNA made a profit on the sale.

Lisa Karrio, assessor for Allouez Township said the land value of the Seven Mile Point property that KNA sold is $675,988. The sale price recorded was $790,000, she added. According to Forbes Advisor, land value is often less than market value or sale price. According to an archived version of the North Wood Conservancy website from April 2002, the purchase price of Seven Mile Point was $365,000.

John Griffith stated emphatically that neither KNA nor he and his wife made any profit on the sale.

“Jane and I do own private property in Allouez Township, and we did recently place a conservation easement on it, but this property has nothing to do with Seven Mile Point,” he said. “Zero. To state it directly again: Jane and I don’t own, and never have owned, KNA or Seven Mile Point or ASMAR. Period.”

It is true that no one owns non-profit incorporations like KNA or ASMAR. They are operated by a board for the benefit of the community, under special tax rules. They do not pay property taxes.

KNA owns and manages five other conservation areas across the Keweenaw.

“Our mission is simple: to acquire natural areas to protect native habitats and wildlife, and provide public access for the benefit of residents, visitors and our tourism-based economy,” said Griffith.

He and his wife Jane are both conservation biologists.

Paperwork Incongruencies

Griffith says ASMAR originally operated in the Southwest. Lafferty says they perform research and recovery projects and establish bird sanctuaries throughout the United States, Mexico and Central America. ASMAR was awarded $77,000 for the study of birds in California, which is also listed on the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation(NFWF) website.

However, no registration for ASMAR could be found on California’s business registry, and ASMAR’s IRS 990 tax filings available online list their only address in Ahmeek and active only in Keweenaw County. The form also lists Jane Griffith as principal officer, and John Griffith as a director. Filings with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) show that Jane Griffith is the original and sole incorporator of ASMAR, and the registered agent for ASMAR was changed from Jane Griffith to Susan Lafferty in April of this year.

Filings with LARA also show that until July 10 of this year, ASMAR and KNA were registered to the same street address.

ASMAR also gave a grant of more than $5 million to KNA in 2021. None of KNA’s 990s, which should hold record of them receiving and using the grant, is available after 2018. This letter from the IRS re-establishes KNA’s status as a 501(c)(3) charity in 2022, and makes it clear that they can lose their status for not filing the required form 990 for three years in a row. The timing of the ASMAR donation roughly coincides with KNA’s purchase of more Gratiot River land, one of their major projects.

An updated 2021 Form 990 for ASMAR was provided directly to Copper Beacon by Lafferty, dated July 10, 2023. Copper Beacon has been unable to verify if this form has been submitted or accepted by the IRS.

In it, the principal officer is Lafferty instead of Griffith, and information about a NFWF grant was added. There is also information about the direct acquisition of The Northern Cardinal Sanctuary in Ahmeek for $35,148. The paperwork says ASMAR received more than $23 million in contributions and grants in 2021, and only granted money to KNA.

The Griffiths abstained from the KNA vote to sell Seven Mile Point.

“We abstained precisely to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest, since we are active in both KNA and ASMAR as volunteers,” said Griffith.

The board members that lead both organizations are volunteers, and Griffith is a member of both in the most recently available IRS paperwork. However, neither of the Griffiths are listed as directors or officers in current LARA information for ASMAR, updated with paperwork from July 10 of this year.

Copper Beacon continues to investigate.

If you’re interested in republishing this story, please email us at editor@copperbeacon.org.

More News

Can you imagine what a billion is?

Scrooge McDuck is famed for diving into and swimming around in his wealth. He fights tooth and nail to build his horde before gleefully plunging into the silo of gold, diamonds and cash—often to the bewilderment of his family. His imagined wealth has been estimated to be about $65.4 billion.

You may recall the infamous dragon, Smaug, from The Hobbit. Residing within a cavernous mountain, he hoarded stolen riches and precious treasures. Following the dragon's demise in the film, one of the characters succumbs to the insidious "dragon disease," prioritizing the amassed wealth over the lives of loved ones.

Smaug’s wealth is estimated at $62 billion.

Now, here’s the kicker.

According to Forbes, there are 15 people in the world with more money than Scrooge McDuck. More money than the dragon Smaug. More money than these fictitious characters, used to illustrate the height of greed and excess.

Fifteen individuals on our planet possess a wealth so exorbitant that it surpasses the limits of human imagination. At the apex of the Forbes list stands Bernard Arnault, Bernard Arnault, could fill three Smaug-style mountains up and still have enough money left to retire in luxury.

Now, the Numbers

The style the press writes numbers in does us disservice sometimes. In the news, we don’t write them out often. $1 billion and $1 million, written out in numerals, looks like this:

$1,000,000,000 and

$1,000,000

The perception of 1 billion is often just a small step above 1 million due to the way we write it. However, in reality, it is 1,000 times larger than 1 million, representing three orders of magnitude.

According to Credit Karma, the median American household income in 2021 is $70,784. When compared to $1 billion, that amount is equivalent to providing more than 14,000 families with the median household income for a year. To put it differently, if you never spent or invested a penny at the median rate of household income, it would take you more than 14,000 years to accumulate your first billion.

To illustrate the magnitude of wealth, consider the fictional character Scrooge McDuck, with his fortune of $65.4 billion. With that wealth, he could sustain the median household income of $70,784 for over 900,000 years. Assuming a 50-year career, this would support the livelihoods of 18,000 families for a lifetime.

While this analysis oversimplifies the intricacies of payroll, income, and wealth estimation, its purpose is to highlight the vastness of these numbers, particularly in comparison to the income of the average hardworking American family.

Billions of dollars are not simply acquired through hard work. There is no occupation on earth that justifies earning 14,000 times the median income. To achieve such immense wealth, one must extract value from the work of others, repeatedly and disproportionately, without giving back adequately. In a nation where children go hungry, and the elderly are homeless, this is simply unjust.

For more on wealth and income inequality, read this study by the Pew Research Center.

More Editorials

Michigan Tech fires deans of two largest colleges, offers no explanation

(Left) Janet Callahan, Michigan Tech professor and former Dean of the College of Engineering and (right) Professor David Hemmer, former Dean of the College of Sciences and Arts.

Editor’s Note: A correction has been made to this article. We implied that David Hemmer said both interim deans learned of their new positions through public announcements, but he was only sure of one. We apologize for any confusion this has caused.

Editor’s Note (2): Another correction has been made to this article. We inadvertently suggested Janet Callahan told us she was given no explanation for her dismissal, but in fact another source, David Hemmer, was speaking in plural, and to our knowledge does not have authority to speak on Callahan’s behalf. We sincerely apologize.

The deans of both the College of Engineering, and the College of Sciences and Arts at Michigan Technological University were fired June 26. According to written statements made by one of the two fired deans, they were informed of their pending termination by Michigan Tech provost Andrew Storer on June 20, and offered a chance to renounce their tenure and resign from the University entirely for three months salary. Both declined the offer. The next day, the Office of the Provost announced that both faculty members would “transition from their leadership roles in the College of Engineering and the College of Sciences and Arts” and that interim deans would be stepping in to fill their vacancies.

One of the two fired deans, David Hemmer of the College of Sciences and Arts, said the two were offered no explanation for their abrupt dismissal and that it was conducted in a manner to “increase our humiliation”. At time of reporting, both former deans are still employed at the University as tenured professors.

Hemmer authored a letter to the Board of Trustees expressing his “shock and disgust at the events that [had] transpired”. Transcripts of the letter soon made their way to social media, where they were shared by students and faculty of the University. Copper Beacon has verified the authenticity of this letter, the full text of which can be read in the card below.

• Dean David Hemmer’s Letter

  Members of the Board of Trustees,
  
  I am writing to express my shock and disgust at the events that have transpired this week. Late in the day on Tuesday June 20, College of Engineering Dean Janet Callahan and I were separately informed that we were fired, effective Monday June 26, that interim deans had already been selected, and that the announcement would be in Tech Today a short 12 hours later. No reason or explanation was given. We were individually summoned to Provost Andrew Storer’s office, asked to leave an ongoing retreat with other campus leaders, in a way very likely intended to increase our humiliation.
  
  We were encouraged to submit letters of resignation. We both refused. Despite both being tenured full professors, we were encouraged to renounce our tenure and resign entirely from the university in exchange for only three months’ salary.
  
  Provost Storer immediately called my direct reports (Department Chairs and college staff) and told at least two of them that I had “resigned.” He told several others that I had “stepped down”. Both are, of course, false.
  
  The Provost’s office submitted an article in Tech Today for Wednesday morning that was designed to further humiliate us. Indeed, our entire set of accomplishments as deans was summed up in one line: “Janet and David played important roles over these past five years, especially during the pandemic, and we thank them for their service.” This cursory summary is an insult to all that we both accomplished over five incredible years of leadership. It feels like an intentional slap in the face to both of us.
  
  It is particularly puzzling given that we were both renewed one a year ago with strong support from faculty, staff, department chairs and students. Indeed, I was recommended for renewal “unanimously and unequivocally” by an evaluation committee of more than a dozen colleagues. In a meeting on May 24, 2022, President Koubek told me he thought I was a “strong leader” and would “make a great Provost or President someday.”
  
  Earlier that same Tuesday, Dr. Storer called Physics Chair Dr. Ravi Pandey and said there “might” be some leadership changes in CSA and asked if he was willing to serve if necessary. Ravi agreed. When we met on Thursday, Dr. Pandey told me that my firing came as a complete shock to him, as did the announcement in Tech Today that he would be the interim dean, his having not even agreed on terms yet. He was not entirely sure he would take the position, but he has already been publicly announced. What a hasty and bungled transition!
  
  I fully understand that deans serve at the pleasure of the Provost and President, and that Dr. Storer has every right to select his own leadership team. The usual and customary way across academia to remove a dean or provost is to quietly let them know they have one year left. This allows them to announce their resignation early, have a proper national search, look for an administrative position at another institution if they desire, and preserve some measure of dignity with little or no suggestion that they were fired. The way Dr. Callahan and I were terminated would typically be reserved for some emergency, or in cases of serious misconduct. Frankly, Dr. Callahan and I were both relieved the other was fired, which makes it clear to everyone that this is the result of a misguided Provost (or President) cleaning house, and not misconduct on our part.
  
  Despite many faculty being away for the summer, and perhaps not paying attention, the outpouring of support and anger I have received has been enormous. More than 100 faculty and staff from across the university have contacted me, and their response was uniformly one of disgust with Provost Storer, bafflement with how and why this decision was made, and fear for the future. This includes a substantial portion of the academic leadership on campus. Comments include “shocked and saddened”, “This isn’t how we operate at Michigan Tech”, “stunned and disappointed”, “the provost is a dictator”, “insane”, “baffled” and on and on. What could possibly be the reason to fire experienced deans of the two largest colleges? Colleagues have called for a vote in the University Senate to censure the Provost, or a faculty vote of no-confidence in his leadership. I am admittedly angry and of course biased, but I do not see any way his provostship survives this decision. Dr. Storer has completely lost the trust and confidence of the large majority of faculty. I encourage the Board of Trustees not to take my word for this, but to poll the faculty yourselves. Talk to department chairs. Seek feedback from the administrative staff as well as to the functioning of the Provost’s office over the past year.
  
  This decision has created fear and uncertainty on campus. Firing the deans of the two largest colleges sends a clear message that the academic side of the house is in crisis. What is the crisis? Did it not exist a year ago? How will having interim deans eventually replaced by inexperienced deans solve it? The campus rumor mill is bubbling over and people are truly afraid of what is coming.
  
  The way this was handled will make it impossible to recruit strong external candidates to fill what will now be three vacant dean positions this coming year. MTU already has difficulty recruiting external administrators. In the past few years we have had failed chair searches in MEEM (even with hiring a search firm), Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, and Chemistry. Our recent national CFO search dragged on for almost a year and ended with the hiring of an original member of the search committee. We will have open chair positions for next year at least in Biological Sciences, Chemical Engineering, and Computer Science. We will be running national searches for at least three deans (CFRES, CSA, COE). Any qualified and savvy external candidate for these chair and dean positions will investigate what happened to Dr. Callahan and me, and the answer will not be encouraging. We risk losing star faculty members as well. MTU has already lost an unusual number of our leading faculty in recent years, and more than one of our current superstars has told me this decision will send them to the job market.
  
  The timing of this decision is horrible as well, with a capital campaign underway and next year being the critical ABET accreditation year in COE. Both Dr. Callahan and I are in the midst of working with donors and foundations on large gifts. Dr. Callahan was in California meeting important donors last week, as well as meeting with her external advisory board. Neither Bill Roberts nor anyone in the advancement office was told of this decision. No plan for contacting alumni and donors was implemented. Perhaps it is expected that Dr. Callahan and I should let our donors know what happened?
  
  Finally, I was a semifinalist for the Provost position and interviewed with the search committee. At least five members of the committee have personally told me how strong my interview was, and that multiple members wanted to advance me to a campus interview (yes, search committees leak like sieves). Having the new Provost fire one of his competitors for the position only a couple months after earning it himself sends a horrible message, independent of the actual motivation for the decision.
  
  The last five years have been great ones for MTU. We survived the pandemic in a strong financial position with growing enrollment. New academic buildings and dormitories are being planned and constructed for the first time in more than a decade, a capital campaign is underway, marketing and recruiting efforts are modernized and working. Dr. Koubek often celebrates this momentum in his public remarks. This capricious decision has completely negated that narrative. The perception now is that MTU is a university in crisis, at least within Academic Affairs, and that senior leadership is not up to the task. The repercussions of this decision will hurt our recruiting for many years.
  
  I am proud of what my team and I accomplished over the past five years. By every metric (enrollment, research funding, fundraising, student retention, etc.) my deanship has been an unequivocal success. I take great pride in my work. I will return to the faculty in Mathematical Sciences and continue to work hard for the success of our students and our university. I carefully negotiated my contract in ways that protected me from just this scenario. I will be ok. I fear MTU will not.
  
  David Hemmer
  

In his letter, Hemmer asserts that the provost behaved in a manner designed to humiliate and insult both faculty members.

“It feels like an intentional slap in the face to both of us,” Hemmer wrote.

Michigan Tech Provost Andrew Storer.

Hemmer also accused provost Storer of conducting a “hasty and bungled transition” that led to at least one of the interim deans learning of their new jobs through a public announcement on the University’s daily newsletter.

Hemmer continued by noting an “outpouring of support and anger [from] more than 100 faculty and staff from across the university” and offered many quote snippets to highlight faculty bafflement, fear, and disgust with the provost’s decision. Hemmer added that “Colleagues have called for a vote in the University Senate to censure the Provost”.

As the University Senate seldom meets during the summer, it is unclear when this measure might be considered or how likely it would be to pass.

Hemmer concluded his letter with a series of concerns about how this decision would impact the University’s ABET accreditation, the current capital campaign, or the ability for the school to recruit and retain faculty in the future.

“I carefully negotiated my contract in ways that protected me from just this scenario. I will be ok. I fear MTU will not,” Hemmer wrote.

The University in response to an inquiry about the former deans being fired without explanation offered the following comment.

“Thank you for reaching out. Regarding your questions, the University does not comment on personnel matters beyond the announcements made elsewhere.”

The second faculty member, Janet Callahan did not respond to a request for comment at time of publication.

The College of Sciences and Arts (CSA) is the second-largest college under MTU’s umbrella, home to approximately 1/6th of their students. The college also supports several notable departments including the Biological Sciences, Humanities, Mathematical Sciences, Physics, and ROTC.

David Hemmer, the former CSA dean, holds a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Chicago and worked for the University of Buffalo as chair of mathematics prior to coming to Michigan Tech. Hemmer replaced retiring CSA dean Bruce Seely in 2018 with much praise from the former provost Jacqueline Huntoon.

Hemmer is being replaced by interim dean Ravindra Pandey who holds a PhD in Theoretical Solid State Physics from the University of Manitoba. Pandey also serves as Chair of the Physics Department.

The College of Engineering (COE) is the largest college by far. More than half of Michigan Tech’s total student population study under one of its programs including the Biomedical, Chemical, Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, and Geological Engineering departments in addition to other programs such as Material Science and Manufacturing.

Janet Callahan, the former COE dean, holds a PhD in Material Sciences University of Connecticut at Storrs and worked for Boise State University as chair of the Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering before coming to Michigan Tech. Callahan replaced retiring dean Wayne Pennington in 2018 with praise from the former provost Jacqueline Huntoon as well.

Callahan is being replaced by interim dean Audra Morse who holds a PhD in Civil Engineering from Texas Tech University. Morse also serves as Chair of the Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering Departments.

If you’re interested in republishing this story, please email us at editor@copperbeacon.org.

More News

To Stem the Flood

Photo of flooded private land in Pelkie, submitted to the Flood Photo Submission Tool. Photo courtesy of Steve Irwin.

This year, flood emergencies once again swept the UP, prompting emergency management divisions across the peninsula to request federal assistance through programs like FEMA. There are two types of assistance to be applied for: public assistance (infrastructure, roads, municipalities, etc.) and individual assistance (privately owned properties and houses). Funds are then given back to the local emergency departments in a reimbursement process.

As of June, FEMA’s latest visit concluded, and they will now make a report to the state. According to Emergency Management Division Coordinator Chris VanArsedale, we now wait and see what happens. 

Preventing Flood Emergencies: The Quest for a County Drain

In April, abandoned railway grades in Lake Linden blocked a water drain, causing it to become waterlogged and burst, resulting in a flood emergency. Situations like this prompt questions about who maintains these culverts.

“We still are very interested from the county’s perspective in pursuing County Drains within a lot of these municipalities. In the long term, we think it will be the best way to manage them,” says VanArsedale. 

The Houghton County Emergency Division is working with the county board of commissioners to figure out how to get municipalities and people on board to have an established community drain. An established community drain would then be eligible for grants. It would give communities, in the long term, better overall preparedness.

“Right now, they are segmented. Part of the system might belong to the township, or the village, or the landowner. Even if they are maintaining their drains, are they coordinating together? If someone is putting in a 20-inch culvert, but someone [downriver] isn’t, that could cause problems. We want one continuous drain system to where it can be engineered to be coordinated,” says VanArsedale. “I think that’s a big step in the right direction.”

A county drain would make it so that the county assumes responsibility for the maintenance of a system of drains, rather than the individual municipalities or the landowners.

The catch is that a county drain has to be petitioned into existence by a group of at least 10 people that are within the drain district. Those people can petition their local township or city or village board. Then, the municipality can petition the county board of commissioners. 

For example, Dollar Bay residents would petition the Osceola Township, who can then petition the Houghton County Board.

Farm equipment barely escaped the flooding in April. Photo courtesy of Steve Irwin.

There are 36 drains within the M-26 corridor alone, with the main area of concern in the stretch between Lake Linden and Dollar Bay. Other potentially hazardous areas include the drainage in between South Range and Painesdale, which threatens the ATV trail. The drains near Chassell all the way up to Ripley all have potential for damage, too.

“How much money it would cost is a concern,” said VanArsedale. “On the flipside, how much damage would it cost in the end? Are we paying more money by responding to it?”

Rural Hazard Resilience Project Hones in on Flood Preparedness

In the face of unpredictable natural disasters and the growing need for community preparedness, the Rural Hazard Resilience Project is empowering rural areas to overcome the challenges posed by flooding and secure a more resilient future for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

According to Evan Lanese, GIS/Planning Technician, the project is a collaboration between WUPPDR, Michigan Tech, and the University of Washington and involves the development of three main tools; the GIS visualization tool, a photo submission tool, and Google Earth engine.

GIS Visualization Tool

The GIS Visualization Tool is a map where you can toggle on and off different layers: transportation layers (roads and trails), critical infrastructure layers (schools and hospitalization), and other important things that an emergency manager would need to know to evaluate flood procedures. The map shows where flooding is most likely to happen.

“Let’s say there’s a nursing home that needs to be evacuated,” said Lanese. “They could use the tool to find the best route, say ‘Oh, this road is flooded or washed out, so we’ll have to go this other route,’ and adjust the time accordingly.”

Lanese does outreach, social media and web design for the project, but most importantly collects map data from other townships to create a more accurate map. Some landowners don’t want their map data to be public, and sometimes the follow-up between townships and Lanese takes months.

According to Lanese, collecting data for the map is a full-time job. The good news is that they’re comparing it with modeling systems collected by FEMA, and they’re matching up pretty well.

Flood Photo Submission Tool

You can help contribute to the effort by using the Flood Photo Submission Tool. The team is trying to get community members to take pictures of the flooding and tag the location to upload to our database. The tool then checks to see if what is pictured matches our flood models using real life data.

Submitting flood photos with tagged locations lets the Rural Hazard Resilience team double-check their data against real-world situations. Photo courtesy of Steve Irwin.

Google Earth Engine

The third tool is the Google Earth Engine, which allows you to select a certain area and choose a return period for flooding, like 25-year-flood versus a 500-year-flood, and gives you a flood hazard risk assessment. The assessment includes how many buildings might flood, how many people might be affected, how much farmland will be affected. The tools are all publicly accessible and can be used by the community to assess flood hazard risks.

The goal of the project is to offer this model at low cost to rural areas, making flood hazard mitigation accessible for counties that may not have the budget. Lanese hopes to see the models they develop expand to the entire UP.

If you’re interested in republishing this story, please email us at editor@copperbeacon.org.

More News

Houghton Taco Bell closed due to high carbon monoxide levels

The Taco Bell on Razorback Drive in Houghton closed to the public on Friday, June 16, due to high carbon monoxide levels detected.

Though staff remained at work to do deep cleaning, a Taco Bell employee said that they couldn’t run their food equipment due to the risk.

According to the neighboring business, the restaurant’s CO alarm was activated and employees were evacuated until they got the go-ahead to return to the store by the fire department.

The fire department could not be reached Friday for comment.

Other employees estimate the store will reopen by tomorrow.

The Taco Bell manager on duty declined to comment.

According to the EPA, carbon monoxide exposure could lead to effects from fatigue and chest pain to impaired vision and even death. Sources could include unvented kerosene and gas space heaters, furnaces or stove leaks, or incomplete oxidation during combustion in gas ranges, and unvented gas or kerosene heaters.

Around 12:30 p.m., AirCare of Houghton visited the restaurant. A representative from AirCare said they haven’t found the cause of the carbon monoxide levels and declined further comment.

Editor’s Note: This story has been edited to reflect the correct chemical formula for carbon monoxide.

If you’re interested in republishing this story, please email us at editor@copperbeacon.org.

More News

Residents wanting solar panels face stumbling blocks

Editor’s Note: This story has been corrected. We previously wrote that Hancock’s new solar and wind ordinance entirely prohibits industrial solar, but that isn’t the case. It restricts industrial solar to I-1 industrial districts and requires permits. We apologize for the confusion.

Renewable energy advocates say that homeowners can save money on electricity by installing solar panels, but there are stumbling blocks to using solar panels in the Keweenaw area. They include state distributed-generation regulations, net metering caps set by electric utilities and local zoning ordinances regulating installation of solar panels.

Net metering is an electricity billing tool that uses the electric grid to “store” excess energy produced by an individual’s solar panel system. Under net metering, the value of the energy produced by solar panels that a homeowner doesn’t use is credited back to their electric bill.

Net metering was designed to encourage the adoption of solar energy.  The system was pioneered in the United States as a way to help use solar and wind to provide electricity. It enables customers who generate their own power to receive credit for the electricity they contribute to the grid.  

A report by the Michigan State University Extension Service calls net metering “the gold standard” for solar billing in the U.S. According to the report, it was one of the main reasons the number of solar installations in Michigan quintupled between 2011 and 2018.

In 2018, Michigan’s Public Service Commission replaced net metering with a distributed generation program. Using distributed generation, electric utilities can credit less to residents who send their excess solar energy to the grid.

The Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO), Detroit Energy (DTE), Consumers Energy and some other electric utilities and co-ops in Michigan are using the distributed generation program.

Solar Caps

State law does not prevent electric companies from setting caps on the amount of solar energy generation eligible for credit,

UPPCO, which serves the Keweenaw peninsula, recently raised its cap to 3.5%. That means that the most a customer with solar panels can contribute to the grid for credit is 3.5% of peak demand or load and capacity. 

Peak demand is the highest amount of electricity demand within a particular period of time. Load is the total electrical power being removed by the users of the grid. Capacity is the maximum output an electricity generator can physically produce, measured in megawatts.

There’s a thornier problem facing homeowners who want to install solar panels in our area. They say they have been told that the cap has been met in the UP as a region, so no more solar panel installations are eligible for the credit.

UPPCO spokesperson Brett French says that is not true.

“We have not reached the cap, and we are accepting applications,” he said in a phone interview.

Dr. Elizabeth Benyi

Dr. Elizabeth Benyi, who lives near Calumet, talked to her neighbors and got a few of them interested in installing solar panels.

“But again, when it came to permitting, they were denied because of the cap on solar,” she says.

An osteopathic physician and surgeon, Benyi lived in L’Anse for 10 years before she moved to Calumet. She wanted to get solar panels installed on her house in L’Anse. She says Blue Earth Solar tried to get permits for the installation but were refused. They were told that the solar cap had been met in the UP, so no more solar projects that tied into the power grid were allowed.  

Pending Legislation

Benyi has been working for two years to help get legislation passed to get rid of the solar cap. First introduced in 2021 by Greg Markkanen, state representative for the legislative district that includes the Keweenaw, it would have eliminated the solar cap.

“But to no avail,” Benyi said.

New bills recently introduced by both Representative Markkanen and State Senator Ed McBroom, who also represents the Keweenaw, would remove the cap on solar energy credits.

Michigan State Rep. Greg Markkanen at a town hall event in Ontonagon. Photo by Joshua Vissers.

“I am very passionate about this issue,” said Markkanen in a phone interview. “We need to lift the cap and give people a choice. Many states near Michigan don’t have a cap.”

McBroom agrees.

“The system that we have in this state is rigged against controlling costs for individual consumers,” he said in a phone interview. “That’s unfair. The system isn’t working to the benefit of the people. Our high electric bills are stifling our economy.”

“The cap does discourage people from installing solar,” says Allan Baker, who has installed solar panels on the sides of the apartment building he owns in Houghton.

Senator McBroom has introduced two bills in the Michigan Senate. One would remove the solar cap. The other would bring back net metering and make it easier to establish community solar systems.

“Small-scale, local solar projects will be particularly useful to residents, providing an opportunity to independently produce energy for themselves and their neighbors, and providing savings on energy bills for those who subscribe,” the senator said.

According to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, Michigan currently does not have enabling legislation for community solar, so community solar programs in Michigan must be developed and managed through a local electric utility.

Escanaba and L’Anse have both established community solar systems. Those municipalities are served by their own, local electric utilities, not by UPPCO, Senator McBroom pointed out. L'Anse is served by L'Anse, Michigan Electric Utility, a municipally-owned organization.  The City of Escanaba owns its own electric utility.

The senator thinks the legislation removing the cap and enabling community solar will pass. He’s less confident about bringing back net metering.

“The big utilities like UPPCO have powerful lobbies,” he explained.

Zoning Issues

As if caps on solar weren’t enough of a roadblock, there are zoning ordinances that severely regulate installation of solar panels.

The Michigan Zoning Enabling Act requires all zoning to be based on a master plan. The master plan therefore establishes the community’s formal policy position on solar energy development. Roof-mounted solar panels are allowed in most zoning jurisdictions in Michigan, according to an MSU Extension Service report.

The City of Hancock just passed a zoning ordinance regulating the development and use of solar and wind energy. The ordinance permits private, residential solar but limits “industrial” solar – systems designed for sale of power generated to off-site consumers – to the I-1 industrial district. This includes solar farms or gardens, which are community systems.

Calumet and Stanton Township have no zoning ordinances prohibiting solar panels, although Stanton Township Supervisor Marty Rajala said, “My personal opinion, not the township’s, is that anyone dumb enough to place a solar panel in our area, where the sun shines 15% of the year, should be allowed to throw their own money away and not be subsidized by the government.”

Houghton permits solar panels, subject to the city’s zoning ordinance, according to City Manager Eric Waara.

Adams, Franklin, Portage and Chassell Townships did not respond to questions about zoning ordinances regulating solar panels.

All About Money

What’s causing the ongoing conflict that has the solar industry and environmentalists on one side and utility companies and local zoning boards on the other?

It seems to be all about money.

“The cap has always been an artificial construct given to the utilities to help them make more money,” says Senator McBroom.

“UPPCO doesn’t have the best interests of the people at heart,” Representative Markkanen remarked. “It is a private, for-profit company with its eye on the bottom line and making money for its shareholders.”

If you’re interested in republishing this story, please email us at editor@copperbeacon.org.

More News