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“We don’t have forever. Not to act, not to live, not to slowly combat the climate crisis.”
On January 26th, Olya Wright and Naomi Tracy-Hegg presented to the Grand Marais City Council, imploring them with stories, community support and statistics to pass a resolution declaring a Climate Emergency in Grand Marais.
“…the trees and portages in the Quetico that I had traversed three years before were gone, the jack pine at the campsite on Lone Gull Lake that I had swung from was now a charred stump. These lakes and trails, the wizened cedars that had watched so many paddlers go by, are only preserved in memories.”
The resolution passed unanimously, adding Grand Marais to the community of 2000+ jurisdictions in 34 countries, including three previous leaders in Minnesota and 15 more Minnesota cities that declared a Climate Emergency last month. “We are hoping that this simultaneous action between cities and counties throughout the state will catch St. Paul’s attention, pressuring Minnesota to pass a Climate Emergency of its own,” said Naomi Tracy-Hegg.
The unanimous vote and the 84 signatures we gathered further underscores our community’s commitment to solving climate change. This was just a resolution, but now it is a launch pad to take meaningful action on Grand Marais’ Climate Action Plan. Plans are already underway.
“But we’re not stopping at the city level,” said Wright. “Currently, we are working with the County to draft their own Climate Emergency Resolution. We will formally present the resolution at the County Board meeting on February 22, and we want as many people as possible to show up for the public comment period and to generally show support in numbers.”
Naomi and Olya said there are two major ways to show support for this effort: The first is to sign our online petition: form.jotform.com/220097927884166. Signing only takes a minute or two, and every signature helps! The second way to show support is to come to the county board meeting. The meeting will take place at the County Courthouse at 8:30 a.m. on February 22, 2022. (Masks, of course, are required). Please show up. Every voice matters. Every presence matters. Only together can Cook County declare this emergency and move towards a more sustainable future.
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