According to Cook County Commissioner Bruce Martinson, several members of the Iron Range Resources Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) were angry after reading an editorial by Bill Hanna in the Mesabi Daily News on Sept 4.
Hanna wrote about the “anti-mining play” that was performed by the Good Harbor Hill Players at North House Folk School during its mid-June Wooden Boat Show and Solstice Pageant.
Martinson addressed the Tofte Town Board at its September 8 meeting. He had just come back from attending an IRRRB meeting, and said the tone toward Cook County was cool.
“Rep. Tom Rukavina said he was inclined to not give any more money to non-profit groups in Cook County,” said Martinson.
According to Hanna’s editorial, “The program for the play leaves no question of its viewpoint. Ducks are shown walking around wetlands with signs that read, ‘Quack’ while mining officials are depicted as foxes extracting minerals for profit from the duck’s water home.
‘The program also urges people to contact Water Legacy and Friends of the BWCA to join in their opposition to nonferrous mining. It reads in part:
“ ‘The proposed sulfide mining in both the Boundary Waters and St. Louis River watersheds is a serious threat to our northern Minnesota ecosystem and culture.
“ ‘All of us, including ducks, like our clean water and wild rice. It is unacceptable to think that a few international corporations may be permitted to remove precious metals, take our money, and leave us with toxic poisons to contaminate our water, destroy our wild rice, and kill insects, fish, and wildlife.
“ ‘Quack!’ ”
Hanna pointed out that since 2008 North House has received five grants from the IRRRB. Those grants total $59,500.
He wrote: “The financial irony of the production is that the anti-non-ferrous copper/nickel/precious metals play was performed on the grounds of a facility that has received nearly $60,000 in grants and wage subsidy program money the past couple of years from the Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Board’s mining generated funds.
“In addition, state taxpayer money from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council through the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, ‘the Legacy Amendment,’ which was approved by voters in 2008, helped finance the Solstice Puppet Pageant performance.”
Greg Wright, director of North House, said that the Good Harbor Hill Players presented the school with the information about the performance before putting it on, and while the board agreed to the performance, a separate request to distribute anti-nonferrous mining literature by the group was denied.
Betsy Bowen, co-director of the Good Harbor Hill Players, told Hanna that “the play had more of an opinion to it than is normal for her group, and that not everybody associated with the play agreed to its content.” She also said the play had a tone to it that was definitely not in favor of mining.
As for North House Director Greg Wright, he said there will be a meeting with the Good Harbor Hill Players and they will search for a common ground that meets each other’s agendas.
“We don’t believe in stifling someone’s rights to free speech,” said Wright, adding, “but we don’t want to offend anyone, either.”
The Good Harbor Hill Players have performed plays at North House during the summer solstice for the last 10 years and have a good relationship with the staff and community, noted Wright.
As for the IRRRB, while some of the board say while they weren’t happy with the contents of the play, they won’t hold it against non-profits located in Cook County.
In Wright’s defense, North House has been a role model for how a non-profit should be run and returns far more to the community than it takes. “We respect all of our partners in the community. We do our best. We try our best. We’re not here to hurt anyone,” said Wright.
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