Cook County musher Frank Moe and his team on the final leg of their journey to the State Capitol to deliver petitions against non-ferrous metals mining in Minnesota.
About 100 people gathered in Grand Marais’s Harbor Park on March 1 to send off Cook County musher Frank Moe to St. Paul. Moe’s “Sled Dogs to St. Paul” journey was intended to call attention to the environmental concerns about non-ferrous metals mining.
Along the way, former DFL State Representative Moe collected signatures on petitions and attracted a lot of attention from the folks who met him along the trail and from numerous media outlets. The petitions ask state and federal officials to deny permits for non-ferrous metals—often referred to as sulfide mining because of potential sulfide discharge. Opponents fear that the proposals by PolyMet and other mining companies will harm the state’s natural resources because drilling into sulfide rock can release harmful chemicals.
When Moe arrived at the State Capitol on Thursday, March 8 the crowd was several hundred strong. As at the other stops along the way there was music, drumming, and speeches. And of course people lining up to pet the hardy sled dogs that pulled Moe on his 350-plus mile trek.
Governor Mark Dayton, who reportedly was not going to meet with Moe, apparently had a change of heart. “The governor came out and accepted the 13,000 petition signatures from me. He was cordial, thanked me and asked about the trip down. I was prepared to wait as long as it took to meet with him but after only a half hour he agreed to see me and I thanked him for that.”
Moe also spoke with Representative David Dill, the author of a “Prove it First” bill, Alice Housman and other legislators.
Asked if the reception at the Capitol was what he expected, Moe told the News-Herald, “Honestly I didn’t know what to expect. I was just so focused on getting there. The dogs’ determination the last few days and their ability to navigate the city streets in Saint Paul really blew me away. When we finished running up the walkway to the Capitol, watching the dogs, I couldn’t contain emotions anymore. They gave it everything they had,” said Moe
Moe said a lot of credit for maneuvering through St. Paul and also Duluth goes to Dave and Amy Freeman of Tofte. The Freemans ran their dog team from Ely to Finland to collect signatures to turn over to Moe.
Moe also said the trip wouldn’t have been possible without so much support from Cook County. “Teaming up with Grand Portage to take on sulfide mining pollution will make our work so much more effective. Marco Good, Jan Attridge, Staci Drouillard, Cathy Quinn and Stephan Hoglund made the event in Grand Marais happen. Bill Hansen put up a bunch of wayward mushers. Thanks to my friend Odin for leading me out of town on his snowmobile; Jerry Vanek DVM, for providing vet care to the dogs; my friend Mark Luttinen who was the primary dog handler; Adam Harju who watched my back and the dogs, the whole way to Saint Paul. And thank you Sherri for carrying all the weight at home and supporting the whole effort,” said Moe.
State and federal agencies are preparing environmental reviews of a proposed PolyMet mining project. Supporters argue that nonferrous metals mining can be done safely and that it is needed for the region’s economy.
After delivering his message by dogsled, Moe returned home to join another community event, the Mush for a Cure on Saturday, March 10. Moe wore a fish head mask made for the March 1 rally in Harbor Park—quietly continuing to spread his message.
Leave a Reply