Eastern Woodlands Protectors

10/03/2026

JUST IN: There’s been an aquifer breach at an Enbridge drilling site near the Marengo River in Ashland County. According to the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission:

-Happened this week at an Enbridge horizontal drilling site south of Marengo.
-Primary concern is water quantity rather than water quality.
-If water flows at long enough it could cause flooding or a shift in water levels.
-Enbridge is pumping excess water into tanker trucks.
-Red Cliff leaders call the incident “heartbreaking.”
-The DNR secretary and Gov. Evers have been informed.

Statement from Enbridge:
“A flow of water was observed following the direct installation of pipe beneath the Marengo River. The observation was reported to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR); agency representatives have visited the site. Enbridge is working with the DNR and other engineering and environmental specialists to determine next steps. The water flow continues to be monitored and contained.”

A viewer provided the below photo.

09/02/2026

📢Posting on behalf of 7 Directions of Service 📢

_________________________________________

"Hi everyone,

I’m reaching out because we need help getting people organized in Danville and Pittsylvania County, Virginia, particularly around the rapid growth of data centers, energy infrastructure, and the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP).

7 Directions of Service (7DS) is working with local community partners to bring residents together around these interconnected environmental justice issues. We want to help build a strong, locally led network of residents who understand what is being proposed and constructed in their communities and have the tools to participate in the decisions affecting them.

There is also an immediate opportunity to get involved.

With the Virginia DEQ public comment deadline coming up on September 9 regarding the proposed SSEP Consent Order, we want to create a community working space where residents can learn, ask questions, share what they are seeing on the ground, and receive support participating in the public process.

We are planning a gathering in the Danville/Pittsylvania County area on Saturday, September 5, from 4:00–8:00 PM. RSVP here

This will be more than a presentation. It will be a community organizing and working space.

We plan to discuss what DEQ has documented during pipeline construction, explain the proposed Consent Order, help residents develop meaningful public comments, and hear directly from people living in affected communities.

But we also want to look at the bigger picture.

What is happening with data centers in Danville and Southern Virginia? What new energy infrastructure is being proposed to serve them? What could this mean for electricity demand, water, land, utility costs, rural communities, historically Black communities, and future development? And, most importantly, are the people who live in these communities being meaningfully included in these decisions?

We want to begin building a broader community network around data centers, pipelines and energy infrastructure, environmental justice, historically Black communities, youth leadership, churches and faith communities, pipeline safety and emergency preparedness, water and land protection, and community organizing throughout Southern Virginia.

We need your help.
If you have relationships in Danville, Pittsylvania County, or surrounding communities, please help us connect with residents, neighborhood leaders, churches, pastors, young people, college students, civic organizations, landowners, farmers, community advocates, and others who should be part of this conversation.

We don't want to organize for the people of Danville and Pittsylvania County. We want to help people who live there build the knowledge, relationships, and organizing power to advocate for their own communities.

If you can help us make connections, bring people together for September 5, or become part of this longer-term organizing effort, please reach out.

There is a lot happening in Southern Virginia right now, and this is an important moment to make sure communities are organized before decisions are made for them.

Thank you,

Dr. Crystal A. Cavalier-Keck
Executive Director
7 Directions of Service (7DS)"

07/29/2026

07/21/2026

07/17/2026

Canadian Wildfire Smoke will be around today and Friday across most of North Carolina, with the highest concentrations in the northern and Northeastern parts of the state. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality in Raleigh has issued a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for Ground Level Ozone for the following urban core counties Granville-Durham-Franklin-Wake, Forsyth-Guilford-Alamance-Davidson-Randolph, Davie, Mecklenburg. Code Orange: Unhealthy for Sensitive Group. Older adults, children, active people, and those with heart or lung disease may experience health effects. Limit prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.

The smoke could at times create enhanced sunsets and sunrises. Conditions are far worse as you head north.

07/16/2026

North Carolina's attorney general is calling a proposed settlement over PFAS contamination in the Cape Fear River "an insult" to the people of the state. 🌊🦠

He's urging a federal judge to reject the agreement and wants the public to make their voices heard.

Read the full story and find out how you can weigh in. ⬇️

07/12/2026

It’s warm and nothing sounds better than being in the water! But you may notice that the water doesn’t exactly look inviting. Summer is not only the perfect time for recreation, but for harmful algal blooms (HABs), in the Cape Fear River Basin. HABs occur when algae grows rapidly under the right conditions. While not every algal bloom is harmful, some can produce toxins that threaten people, pets and wildlife, and the health of our waterways.

In the Cape Fear River Basin, excess nutrients, primarily nitrogen and phosphorus, from stormwater runoff, wastewater, and animal waste (such as from factory farms) can contribute to HABs. 🦠 You can help reduce nutrient pollution by planting native species that require little to no fertilizer, maintaining your septic system, picking up and properly disposing of your pet’s waste, and using rain gardens or other landscaping practices that filter polluted runoff.

‼️ Avoid contact with water that is:
- Bright green,
- Blue-green,
- Looks like spilled paint,
- Or has thick surface scum.

If you suspect a harmful algal bloom in your area, report it to CFRW and NC Dept of Environmental Quality so it can be investigated. You can also add known blooms to DEQ’s real-time algal mapping tool (linked in the comments).

📷: HAB on Greenfield Lake in 2021