Walk for Peace 2009Pictures from Walk for Peace 2009
Eight out of nine peace activists arrested at Ft. McCoy.
Illinois to Camp Douglas by Bicycle
August 6, 2009 Portage Daily Register Imagine for a moment how simple, less costly and environmentally friendly your life could be if you got rid of your car and instead used a bicycle. That’s the life five Chicago residents are living as they use their bicycles this week to travel from their home to Camp Douglas. The bicyclists stopped briefly in Portage on Wednesday afternoon on the fourth day of the five-day journey. The five are traveling via bicycle to participate in a three-day Walk for Peace that takes place this weekend from Camp Williams to Fort McCoy. The walk is in support of the 32nd Brigade Combat Team of the Wisconsin National Guard, which is deployed to Iraq. Peace activists await trial for Wisconsin army base demonstrationAugust 11, 2009 By Gil Halsted, Wisconsin Public Radio SPARTA, Wis. (WPR) Nine anti-war protesters face trespassing charges following a demonstration at the U.S. Army base at Fort McCoy over the weekend. The protest was part of an annual three-day peace walk held to commemorate the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki 64 years ago. Protestors End Walk for Peace at Ft. McCoyWKBT - News Channel 8 For three days about fifty people protesting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan went on the thirty mile Walk for Peace. They ended Sunday at Fort McCoy. Bob Tammen is a Vietnam Veteran, he says he’s on the walk to get his message out. Nine Arrested at End of 3 Day Peace Walk to Fort McCoyAugsut 10, 2009 TOMAH, Wisconsin – Nine anti-war activists were detained at Mt. McCoy after walking onto the central-Wisconsin base to protest the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the continued U.S. possession of nuclear weapons. Five of the nine were ticketed and released from the site after being permanently banned from entering the base again. Walk LogisticsDownload Logistics Letter as PDF We look forward to your participation in this year’s Walk for Peace from Camp Williams to Fort McCoy. Here are a few logistical matters for your consideration. One highlight: in addition to your camping and walking gear, please try to bring your own eating utensils: knife, fork, spoon, bowl, plate, coffee cup, etc. That will help us to avoid spending money on throw-away paper cups, plates, etc. Walk Finances All are encouraged to participate in the Walk for Peace. Several organizations with limited budgets are providing funding for the walk. Entirely voluntary contributions to help defray camping and food costs would be most welcome and appreciated. A suggested contribution of $20 to $25 would go a long ways towards defraying these costs. At the same time, we recognize that most, if not all, participants in the walk are already incurring travel and other costs to participate in the walk and perform work with limited incomes and we do not want to add yet another cost to participants. Campground Location & Directions: We will be camping at Mill Bluff State Park, which is located along Highways 12 & 16 just about midway between Camp Douglas and Oakdale. You should take I-90 / I-94 (the two run together at that point). If coming from the south, exit at Camp Douglas; turn left at the end of the exit ramp; and turn right onto Highway 12 & 16. If coming from the north, exit at Oakdale; turn right at the end of the exit ramp; and turn left onto Highway 12 & 16. This will take you to the entrance into the state park. Campground Check-In with the Walk Upon arrival, please come check-in with us at the campground. We’ll be set up at one of the campsites and have a sign to indicate who we are (there are only 21 campsites at Mill Bluff and are all located on a circle drive, so you’ll have no problem finding us). We’ll direct you to a campsite at which to set up. While we won’t be rigid in where people camp, we ask that you check-in with us before setting up your gear since there is a limit of 6 people per campsite per state park regulations. State park requires that you have a vehicle admission sticker on your vehicle. You can purchase this sticker at the park office upon arrival. The cost for Wisconsin residents is $7 per day or $25 for an annual pass. The cost for non-residents is $10 per day or $35 for an annual pass. If you purchase an annual sticker it is good for the remainder of this year and is valid in any Wisconsin state park. Federal Golden Eagle, Golden Age, and Golden Access Passports are also valid for vehicle admission to the state park (so there’s no need to purchase a separate state vehicle sticker if you have one of these). Camping Gear to Bring Tent: Please be sure to bring your tent with you. With over 50 people expected to camp during this walk, we are not able to commit to providing a tent for each person. Unless you’ve already spoken with a walk organizer and that organizer has committed to finding tent space for you, you should not necessarily anticipate that tent space will be available if you do not provide your own tent. Also, be sure to bring your own sleeping bag, air mattress, flashlight, and other items you would normally bring with you when camping. State Park Camping, Firewood, Alcohol and Pet Regulations No more than 6 people are permitted to camp on any given campsite. Please help us in coordinating this by checking in with us upon your arrival at Mill Bluff State Park. Firewood CAN NOT be brought into the state park from any of the following areas: 1) a location more than 50 miles from the park; 2) Vernon County or Crawford County in Wisconsin; and 3) outside of Wisconsin. This is to control the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer insect which has killed more than 8 million ash trees in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana and first appeared in Wisconsin last summer. We ask that campers refrain from the consumption of alcohol (even though state park regulations permit alcohol consumption at camp sites). Please do not bring your pet with you. While state park regulations permit dogs in campsites that are kept on an eight foot long leash, there will be nobody in the campground during the walk itself who will be able to look after your pet. Also, we will be walking on the side of U.S. highways with narrow shoulders so it will not be safe to bring your dog with you during the walk. Hotels If you prefer to stay in a hotel, the closest communities will be Camp Douglas and Tomah. The K & K motel is located in Camp Douglas (phone: 608-427-3100). There are a number of hotels in Tomah to choose from. You could search at Orbitz.com for a listing and rates. The cost for staying in a hotel room is yours and the walk is not able to reimburse for such an expense. Walking Gear to Bring with You You should plan to bring the following items with you for the walk: hat, umbrella (good for both sun and rain), sun block, water bottle / water canteen, good shoes, good socks, and mole skin / mole foam (available at most drug stores). We will have larger containers of water in a support vehicle from which you’ll be able to replenish your water supply at break areas. However, it is very important that you carry your own water bottle / canteen during the walk to avoid dehydration. FOOD Meals will be provided by the walk. This includes breakfast, lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday. It includes breakfast and lunch on Sunday. We likely will not be able to accommodate specific individual dietary requirements. While vegetarian meals will be provided, vegans and carnivores may need to provide their own meals. You should also plan for your own dinner meal prior to or after your arrival at Mill Bluff State Park on Thursday evening. Since campers will be arriving at different points in time we will not be providing an evening meal on Thursday. Shuttle Runs We’ll organize shuttle runs during the walk to and from the end points of the walk to minimize the use of vehicles and of gas. Please let an organizer know if you are able to assist with shuttling people to the start point and from the end point of the walk each day. On Sunday morning, we will caravan from Mill Bluff State Park to Tomah and park cars in that city. Then we will do shuttle runs from Tomah to Tunnel City (the start point for the walk that day). Since Tunnel City is so small and parking is limited, we do not want to overwhelm the community’s residents with too many cars parked near the starting point. Township Park in Tunnel City A wedding reception is scheduled to be held at the township hall located in Tunnel City on Saturday, August 8. To ensure the wedding reception has full access to the park across the street, we are asking walk participants to NOT congregate in the township park at the conclusion of the walk day on Saturday. We’ll meet elsewhere in Tunnel City to begin the shuttles back to Tomah for the nonviolence workshop. Participating Organizations: Walk for PeaceOrganizations participating in the Walk for Peace include: Voices for Creative Nonviolence Camping and HotelsThe Walk for Peace has reserved campsites in the area. We will be setting up campsites in the late afternoon and early evening of August 6. If you would like to camp with us, please contact Nukewatch at 715-472-4185 or via email, to reserve a space. Other camping is available in the area and Voices can suggest other camping locations if space fills up or if you prefer to make your own arrangements. We’ll soon have information on this site regarding other campgrounds and hotels in the area. Walk for Peace: Walk Schedule and RouteThe schedule for the Walk for Peace is: August 6 We will set up camp in the late afternoon and early evening hours. Please contact Nukewatch to reserve a camping spot. Nukewatch’s phone number is 715-472-4185 and the email is Friday, August 7 8:00 a.m. Vigil and speakers at the main gate to Camp Williams. The main gate is located at the intersection of County Highway C and Wisconsin Avenue in the community of Camp Douglas, Wisconsin. 8:30 a.m. The Walk for Peace will begin from the main gate to Camp Williams. We will follow Highway 12 to Tomah, concluding our days walk at Gillette Park. Map to Camp Williams Saturday, August 8 9:00 a.m. The Walk for Peace will depart from Gillett Park in Tomah. We will follow Highway 12 to Highway 21. We’ll follow Highway 21 west and end at Tunnel City. 2:00 p.m. A nonviolence workshop will take place at the park pavillion in Lake Park in the city of Tomah. Lake Park is located at Parkview Drive and Lakeview Drive in Tomah (114 Parkview Drive). Map to Lake Park in Tomah Sunday, August 9 10:00 a.m. The Walk for Peace will depart from the park in Tunnel City. We will follow Highway 21 west. We will conduct a vigil outside the main gate of Fort McCoy when we arrive. Map of Tunnel City The park is located at the intersection of Finn Rd and Fisher Rd in Tunnel City. Statement of Nonviolence: Walk for PeaceThe coalition of organizations that is organizing the Walk for Peace is committed to nonviolence. All participants in the Walk and related events are expected to share this commitment to nonviolence during this effort. While nonviolence is defined in different ways by different people in different contexts, and while there exists the need to continue discussion and debate on how nonviolence and nonviolent action is conceived, Walk for Peace is adopting the following principles for this particular campaign.
In addition, we will not commit any damage to property during this campaign, while recognizing that discussion should continue about which forms of property damage (such as Plowshares - Disarmament actions) might be considered to be nonviolent in nature and which forms of property damage might be considered violent in nature.  |
