"ODANAH, WIS. -- While laughing children bob in kayaks along the sandy shores of Lake Superior, their somber parents hunch over picnic tables talking about their wild rice, their water, their fish and their way of life. Members of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians worry about what is to become of their lake, a life source for their people."

"Gov. Scott Walker, his fellow Republicans and the governor's onetime enemies, labor unions, are championing a $1.5 billion open-pit mine planned for the Bad River watershed, 6 miles from the reservation.

On Aug. 30, six Chippewa tribes of Lake Superior sent President Obama a letter asking the Department of the Interior to prepare litigation to protect the wetlands, fisheries, waters and wildlife from mining. The mining area is honeycombed with 70 miles of rivers and streams that flow north into Lake Superior, which the tribes say would be threatened."

Carol Pogash reports for USA TODAY September 8, 2013. [2]