Frank Moe of MoeTown Kennels in Colvill, pictured here in the 2011 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, is taking his dogs on a run to the State Capitol—snow or no snow. Special high-density plastic on the dog sled runners will allow passage over bare ground. Moe and fellow musher Adam Harju will be delivering petitions to the legislature in opposition to non-ferrous metals mining projects.
Alaskan mushers Monica Zappa and Tim Osmar, who dubbed themselves “mushers on a mission,” traveled to Minnesota to not only race in February’s Gunflint Mail Run in Cook County, but also to “spread a message about a massive gold/copper mine being proposed in Bristol Bay, Alaska.” In March, some Minnesota mushers, including locals Frank Moe, Adam Harju and David and Amy Freeman, are embarking on their own mission to share their concerns about the proposed PolyMet Mining Company non-ferrous metals mining project near Hoyt Lakes as well as other projects in the future. Organizers are determined that the sleds will go—with or without snow.
They are joined by Sue and Paul Schurke who are hosting an event in Ely on Wednesday, Feb. 29 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Shagawa Lake, Ely, to mark the start of a dog sled run that starts there and in Grand Marais and travels to the capitol in St. Paul to hand-deliver petitions collected “in support of clean water.”
The Ely event is billed as a familyfriendly gathering, which will include a chance to visit with the mushers and dogs and learn about and share perspectives on proposed mining projects and clean water. Brats and root beer will be served.
David and Amy Freeman will run their dog team from Ely to Finland where they will meet with Cook County mushers Frank Moe and Adam Harju to hand over their petitions to be brought the rest of the way to the Capitol for receipt on March 8.
On the event’s official webpage, www.sleddogstostpaul.org, Frank Moe explains that mushers will be making their trip snow or no snow, using high-density plastic on the runners that can travel over bare ground. “We’re going to do it regardless of the conditions. We’re going to get the word out and we hope to inform some Minnesotans, a lot of whom still don’t know about the potential impacts of acid drainage mining,” said Moe.
He added, “We’re already collecting petitions. We’re going to have thousands and thousands.”
There will be a send-off event for Moe and Harju and their sled dogs at Harbor Park in Grand Marais from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 1. Spokesperson Staci Drouillard said there will be guest speakers, including Bill Hansen of Sawbill Outfitters in Tofte. Drouillard said, “The focus of the rally will be the issue of mining in the Duluth Complex and its anticipated environmental impacts. Rumor has it that many woodland creatures will also be represented!”
There will be two events when the mushers reach Duluth. On Sunday, March 4 there will be a gathering at the Lester Park Pavilion at 61st Ave. East and Superior Street from 3 – 4 p.m. and another event at Munger Inn at 7408 Grand Avenue from 9 – 10 a.m.
Speakers at the Duluth events will include Duluth’s Will Munger; Karen Diver, Chairwoman of the Fond du Lac Tribe; Water Expert Nancy Schuldt and Bill Hansen of Sawbill Outfitters in Tofte.
According to event spokesperson Kristin Larsen, “All will speak about the issue of mining in the Duluth Complex and its anticipated impacts.”
According to an article by Dave Beal in Twin Cities Business, the PolyMet Mining Corporation proposal is a $602 million project. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Environmental Impact Draft Statement released in February 2010 was the most extensive EIS the agency has ever completed: 1,800 pages along with 100 technical studies that totaled another 14,000 pages.
According to Beal, the draft’s conclusion was that “the PolyMet mine would affect the quality of surface and ground water, with discharges in some cases exceeding water quality standards; these effects could be mitigated through actions identified by the DNR, however.”
Supporters of the proposed PolyMet project include Iron Range legislators Senator Dave Tomassoni, Senator Tom Bakk and Representative Tom Rukavina. They and other supporters say the project is a unique opportunity to produce a new industrial model for the future in Minnesota. Outspoken Representative Rukavina has expressed concerns about non-ferrous metal mining in other countries and said, “We can mine these metals here or stand back as they are mined elsewhere in high-polluting countries. Fortyseven percent of palladium and 19 percent of nickel is imported. These are the metals used in cell phones and computers.”
According to Twin Cities Business, five more mining companies have indicated they could follow PolyMet with their own nonferrous mines. Exploratory drilling has increased in the state.
The area of interest is the 1.1-billionyear old Duluth Complex, a crescentshaped territory north of Duluth and on the northern end of the Mesabi Iron Range. In 1979, the DNR estimated that the rocky formations of this region hold 4.4 billion tons of crude ore containing copper, nickel, and precious metals.
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