I grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan, about two miles outside of Menominee, Michigan. The Yellow Dog Poject is only beneficial to the long term success of Kennecott Minerals. I have been researching this topic and I am set to write a paper on it before the end of May. Gold, silver, copper and other valuable minerals are trading in the global economic markets at an all time high. The successful extraction and sale of the minerals from the Upper Penninsula serve as an engine for the omnipontence of sulfide extraction and other mining practices to continue worldwide. The government needs to consider land rights and mineral rights more aggressively than ever. In order the the ecosystem to prevail, especially under the constraints of global warming, a new precendent needs to be achieved. It needs to be one of reconstruction and preservation. We need to reconstruct the lands that have been abused so natural systems can renew the air, water and soil. The land we have that is "pristine" needs to be advocated for. This especially includes riparian woodlands. Without this land, we lose the models for the forests of the future. If we have to rebuild, we need to know how. The Yellow Dog is a short-term fix for a very, very hungry machine called Kennecott Minerals (Rio Tinto. By denying extraction rights in the Upper Penninsula, we will set the stage for many more denials.