The International Community Congress: Balancing Nature and Commerce in Communities that Neighbour Public Lands will be held in Grand Portage and Thunder Bay, Ontario, from October 24-27, 2011. According to Paul Danicic, International Community Congress co-chair and executive director of Friends of the Boundary Waters, the congress is being planned by a “diverse team of local leaders and will be facilitated by a team from The Conservation Fund, a Virginia-based organization with long established experience in assisting communities in balancing nature and commerce and in forming critical partnerships.”
The Conservation Fund works with communities throughout the nation.
The purpose of the four-day event is to “brand the bi-national region, spur community economic development, and foster an appreciation for the area’s abundant natural resources.”
Twelve teams have signed up to attend the congress, a mix of business leaders, elected officials, land managers, economic development officers, non-profit directors, interested citizens, and others. Danicic said participants share an interest in taking advantage of their community’s proximity to the vast wealth of natural, cultural, recreational and scenic assets of the region.
The Heart of the Continent region includes 5.5 million acres (2.2 million hectares) of public lands spanning the Minnesota/ Ontario border.
The teams are evenly distributed between Canada and the United States with five from Ontario, five from Minnesota, and two bi-national collaborations. Representing Cook County will be County Commissioners Jan Hall and Sue Hakes. Also attending to represent Cook County will be a team consisting of U.S. Forest Service-Superior National Forest Gunflint Ranger Dennis Neitzke; Grand Portage Tribal Chair Norman Deschampe, Anna Deschampe, Dyke Williams, Edwina Hertzberg, and Sue Weber.
Another team has members affiliated with the Highway 61 Scenic Byway.
The International Community Congress has received financial support from the Blandin Foundation; University of Minnesota’s Northeast Minnesota Sustainable Development Partnership; Quetico Provincial Park, the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program of the National Park Service; Quetico-Superior Foundation, Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park; Voyageurs National Park, and the U.S. Forest Service. Danicic said the funders have helped the initiative significantly towards the goal of $150,000 for the congress. He added that sponsorship opportunities still remain for organizations that want to play a role in this precedent setting event.
Organizations, businesses and people who are interested in sponsoring the congress and supporting participation by community teams should contact Paul Danicic at 612- 332-9630, or Bret Hesla at 612-333- 1858 for more information.
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