Sled Dogs to St Paul Rally at the Capitol

Join us for the exciting conclusion to Frank Moe's Dog Sleds to St. Paul trip. 

The journey is meant to bring the attention of our elected officials in St. Paul to the dangerous sulfide mining pollution. 

The rally will celebrate the to Frank's seven day trip with his Dog Sled team from Grand Marais with the arrival of the team, special guest speakers, and the deliver of thousands of signatures to the Capitol.

The Dog's Life

Acorn is the smarted dog in the yard and has literally saved my life twice on the sled. She's the alpha female in the yard and lets everyone know it. Acorn will be the main leader for the trip to Saint Paul. She'll keep the team and me out of trouble.

When the dogs howl in the yard, it always starts with Acorn. On the second howl Ajax might chime in, then on the third the rest of the dogs sing. We got Acorn as a puppy from Matt Weik and she led our first race ever when she was only a year old.

Ajax is the photographers' favorite. His striking blue eyes and sleek build are only a part of the story. Ajax was born to a sprint kennel and didn't quite measure up there. He might not be the fasted dog in the yard but Ajax is all heart and will never ever give up. In the 2010 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon we were on the side of the trail between Sawbill and Finland on our way back to Duluth. The dogs and I were cold and tired after 300 miles on the trail. I sat in the snow in despair, thinking that this would be the end of our race when Ajax started to bark, barking and wagging his tail. He wanted to lead and get to Finland to have his dinner. I put him in the lead and the rest of the team followed. We finished the Beargrease Marathon on our first attempt thanks to Ajax.

Stops along the trail to St. Paul

BILL HANSEN OWNER SAWBILL OUTFITTERS:

Born in Duluth, Bill Runs Sawbill Outfitters on the Sawbill Trail in Northern Minnesota. He enjoys country skiing, playing dobro, politics. Sawbill Canoe Outfitters was started in 1957 by Frank and Mary Alice Hansen.They started with a few sleeping bags and six canoes.Today, in its 54th year, Sawbill Canoe Outfitters offers a full line of services and Bill and Cindy Hansen continue the family tradition of helping people enjoy the wilderness. Bill and his family depend upon the natural world for their livelihood.

Event 2

Monday March 5

9 to 10 AM Munger Inn

7408 GrandAvenue  Duluth

WILL MUNGER, ACTIVIST, BOARD MEMBER SAVE LAKE SUPERIOR, MOTEL OWNER Will is a board member of Save Lake Superior, and he owns a motel in Duluth that is both a well loved tourist destination and a center of progressive politics in the region. The Willard Munger hotel is located at the foot of The Spirit Mountain Ski Resort on the Willard Munger State Trail, the Historic Willard Munger Inn was established in 1954 and is the perfect spot for bikers, hikers, skiers, and birders coming to visit the area. Guest rooms, studios, and a suite are available.

Finland Event

SLED DOGS TO ST. PAUL

Clair Nelson Community Center March 3rd 9-11:00 AM.

MAP

From Duluth : Hwy 61 for aprox 60 miles, 7 miles past Silver Bay, to Illgin City, Hwy 1 North 6 Miles to Finland. Cross West Branch of the Baptism River) Turn at the second Right on County Road 7 / Cramer Road. Clair Nelson Center is on Right 1 Mile.

All are invited as mushers David and Amy Freeman from Ely and Frank Moe and Adam Harhu from Grand Marais arrive at the Finland Community Center on Saturday March 3rd for a pancake breakfast and rally. The event is part of a dog sled run to the State Capitol in St. Paul to hand-deliver petitions in support of clean water to the Governor and State Legislature. Frank Moe’s dogsled team will travel the rest of the journey to St. Paul. Other events are being held in Ely (February 29), Grand Marais (March 1), Duluth (March 4) and St. Paul (March 8).

The pancake breakfast is from 9-11:00 AM. There will be time to visit with the mushers and the dogs and to learn about and share perspectives on protecting Minnesota’s clean water from the impacts of proposed copper sulfide mines. At 11:00 AM there will be a rally and send-off for the mushers and their dogs. We welcome Jennifer Burnett, John Beargrease’s great-great granddaughter, and other speakers who will share their stories about Minnesota’s natural heritage and protecting our clean water. After the send-off for the dogsled teams there will be a film and discussion about the impacts of non-ferrous mining on local communities and natural resources.

Frank Moe says that the trip is a celebration of Minnesota’s natural heritage. The 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 sulfide mining pollution,” said Moe. “We’re already collecting petitions. We’re going to have thousands and thousands.”

Two bills are being considered at the State Capitol. One proposed bill would strengthen private property rights by limiting the eminent domain power of mining companies that want to explore and mine under private land. Another is modeled on Wisconsin’s Prove it First law which requires mining companies to demonstrate that copper sulfide mining has been done elsewhere without polluting water.

Copper sulfide mines elsewhere in the United States have produced sulfide mining pollution that pollutes local streams and rivers. A particular concern with sulfide mining pollution is the elevated levels of sulfates which are fed upon by mercury methylating bacteria, increasing the mercury content in fish. We currently have fish consumption advisories related to mercury for many of our northern lakes.

Grand Marais Event

PHOTOS FROM GRAND MARAIS CLICK HERE

Race to Protect Minnesota
from Copper Sulfide Mining and Acid Discharge Pollution

Sled Dogs To St. Paul the race to protect Minnesota from Acid Mine Drainage: Grand Marais Rally in Harbor Park, Downtown Grand Marais, MN Minnesota

The Grand Marais event was attended by over 100 individuals. The highlights included drumming by a youth drum group, costumes and masks representing the animals of the region.

Three area mushers, Frank Moe of Grand Marais and Dave and Amy Freeman of Ely will deliver signed petitions to the Capitol on March 8th with rallies planned along the route to St. Paul.

Signatures will be gathered from citizens of Northeastern Minnesota to request that State and Federal authorities deny any permits for sulfide mining that threaten Minnesota's water or natural resources.

The Ely team of Dave and Amy Freeman departs on Wednesday evening, March 29th. Frank Moe and his team will depart from Harbor Park in Grand Marais on Thursday March 1st. The teams will meet for an overnight in Finland on March 2nd with a pancake breakfast planned for the next morning and will continue on to Duluth for two events scheduled for March 4th and 5th. The mushers are scheduled to arrive at the State Capitol for a rally on Saturday morning, March 8th where signed petitions will be delivered to legislators.

This Grand Marais event was organized by PROTECT OUR NATURAL RESOURCES and CLEAN WATER LEGACY whose joint intent is to celebrate the vibrant tourism economy in Northern Minnesota, whose continued health and prosperity depends on clean water, air, and land. These essential vulnerable resources are directly threatened by the ongoing plans of multinational corporations to extract copper, nickel and other precious metals from sulfide ore located up to a mile below the surface and has never been accomplished anywhere without resulting sulfide mining pollution.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Staci Drouillard, Grand Marais, MN, lola@boreal.org,
or Sleddogstostpaul@gmail.com

Ely Event

View a slide show in full size on the ELY web album

Ely Kick-Off Event for the “Protecting Clean Water” Dog Sled Adventure

Photos of Ely Event :

Wednesday, February 29
4:00 - 5:30 PM
Shagawa Lake
Out from Semer’s Park

Local residents Sue and Paul Schurke and mushers David and Amy Freeman hosted an event Wednesday, February 29 from 4:00 to 5:30 PM on Shagawa Lake to mark the start of a dog sled run that starts in Ely and Grand Marais and heads the length of the state to St. Paul to hand-deliver petitions in support of clean water to the capitol.  David and Amy will run their dog team from Ely to Finland where they will meet with mushers Frank Moe and Adam Harhu to hand over their petitions to be brought the rest of the length.  Other events are being held Grand Marais (March 1), Finland (March 3), Duluth (March 4) and St. Paul (March 8).

Reports from the Trail

March 7, 2012

It's hard for me to believe that we'll arrive at the Capitol tomorrow.
The dogs have pulled me and the petitions about 340 miles already,
with just 19 to go tomorrow morning. Today was mostly on pavement,
gravel, grass with puddles up to my knees and their shoulders. But
they didn't stop. In fact the dogs were running as well today as they
were a week ago when we left Grand Marais. It was slow going though and it's good we only needed to go 40 miles today. The sled doesn't move as well on pavement and gravel. Running through the standing water had us all soaked but again the dogs were unfazed. They seem to be on the mission to get the petitions to the Governor more than I am.

It is so humbling to be carried by them. They ask for nothing but
good care, food, a dry place to sleep and some love. In return they
give their hearts and all they have. It's such a lesson for me and
nearing the end of this adventure, I know that we have succeeded just
by making the journey. We have changed and it seems like the debate
about whether we should allow sulfide mining pollution in Minnesota or
not is changing.

Time for me to climb into the truck and to sleep near the dogs. Now
that our trek is almost over, I don't want it to end.

March 6, 2012

300 plus miles down and about 65 to go. It's still 40 degrees here and the snow that's on the ground is turning to mud but the dogs don't seem to mind. By the time we got here the dogs, the sled and I were all soaked. It seemed like a scene out of Iron Will. Somehow they knew we were coming and many locals lined the street and trail as we came into town We got a similar reception in Harvey and Pine City.
In fact in Pine City the trail ended at a lake that was no longer frozen. Someone who showed up to greet us called the President of the local snowmobile club and he came down to give us directions out of town. That's really been the story of the trip.

Whenever we needed help, it came. The trail into Pine City was lined with large pines, some of the largest white pines I'd ever seen. In true Pine County fashion several had elaborate deer stands next to or in them.

As the day warmed the snow softened and turned to large puddles. The trail across farm fields exposed large areas of black soil. Enough of
it stuck to my boots to bring home home and add to our garden. The temperature topped out at 50 degrees in the afternoon and we rested the dogs for a couple of hours and fed them some soup for hydration.

The break did us all good and we finished the 60 plus miles by 5:00. We were wet, a little tired but will all be ready for the 45 miles that it looks like we have to make tomorrow. . The snow will continue to melt through the night so we're prepared for a muddy wet run tomorrow.

WCCO channel 4 was with us for a portion of the day. The link is below.

I'm not sure if I'll have internet tomorrow so this might be it until we arrive at the Capitol on Thursday at 11:00. Thank you all for the work you've put in to allow me to make this trip. Spending this time with the dogs, through new and difficult challenges, is a gift I'll treasure for the rest of my life.

Listen to the report by WCCO!!!

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/03/06/polymet-opponents-deliver-petitions-by-dog-sled/#.T1bNaE2zBRs.email

What will be Northern Minnesota’s Legacy?

By Frank Moe, Minnesota 2020

Sept 2011

For most Minnesotans, the northern part of the state means fishing, camping, hunting, canoeing and snowmobiling. Tens of thousands of Minnesotans are employed providing these outdoor opportunities.

Iron ore mining and forestry have also long been a part of Northern Minnesota and while significant conflicts have occurred between these industries and outdoor recreation, a relative balance has been achieved.

This balance may soon end. Several companies have applied for permits to mine other metals in Superior National Forest. Polymet’s is the furthest along in the permitting process. What’s most troubling is that its strategic partner and exclusive marketer for the metals it will mine (for at least the first five years of operation) is multinational mining giant Glencore.

The Swiss-based mining and commodities corporation has a legacy of human rights violations, massive environmental contamination, child labor atrocities, and leveraging political instability to maximize profits.

To punctuate that history, Glencore has just hired Tony Hayward, the BP CEO who presided over the Gulf Oil Spill, as its new environment and safety expert.

Glencore now has its sights set on northern Minnesota.

Sulfide Mining, a History of Polluted Water

Sulfide mining, the process used to extract the non-iron metals from the ore, has polluted Minnesota’s waterways and caused other environmental damage. No matter how much mine executives try to spin the idea that new mining technologies’ can limit sulfide’s environmental impact, how they’ve learned their lessons, or how they will restore the site to its natural state, history shows sulfide leaves a lasting negative legacy. 

Polymet/Glencore is most likely to drag out in court any efforts by the state or federal government to make them stop polluting the surrounding lakes, rivers and streams. When the mine is no longer profitable, it will be abandoned, leaving the state and Minnesota taxpayers with the impossible task of cleaning up the mess. And make no mistake, the mess will be massive and toxic. Sulfide pollution will have run off in both directions polluting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to the north and Lake Superior to the south and east.

Polymet and Glencore are saying if they’re required to put up a bond or get adequate insurance to cover the real cost of cleanup or restoration costs, it’s a deal breaker. They can’t afford it. If a huge multinational mining company can’t afford to clean up its mess, how will Minnesota taxpayers be able to afford it when they leave?

Human Rights Abuses

European NGOs have target Glencore's human rights and pollution violations for further investigation. Glencore’s worker exploitations and anti-environmental actions in Colombia earned it The Public Eye Award, given out during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.

This “counterpoint to the annual [economic] meeting” aims to show the corporate world that social and environmental misdeeds have consequences, according to Public Eye’s website. “Glencore has no scruples when it comes to mining raw materials,” the organization said when giving out the award in 2008.

Swiss NGO, Bread for All, reports that Glencore’s mining operation at Katanga in Congo often has no safety measures. Most notably, miners aren't protected from uranium radiation and often crawl into hand-excavated cavities which frequently cave in following days of rain.

Also in Congo, Bread for All reports Glencore uses intermediaries to buy minerals from so-called "artisanal mines" which employ about 30,000 children who are particularly valuable to the operation because their smaller sizes allow them to crawl into the smallest of crevices to extract minerals.

Legacy of Massive Environmental Contamination

The second chapter of Glencore's story is its abysmal environmental record. Glencore’s environmental practices have been described to be “In the dark ages” when compared with its rivals.

Glencore's subsidiary, Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) in Zambia has ignored environmental regulations and routinely has sulfur dioxide emissions over seventy times the legal limit.

Glencore’s history of environmental contamination has global investors wary.

Connecting the Dots

It’s tough to see how Mining Minnesota Executive Director Frank Ongarro is lauding Glencore’s investment in PolyMet as a "positive thing" and heaping praise on its ever increasing share ownership.

A simple Google search shows Glencore has the size and business practices to make enormous sums of money, but few of these online sources -- other than Glencore’s own website -- say anything positive about how the company amasses its wealth.

According to PolyMet Executive Vice President Brad Moore, Glencore is simply a minor player, a small investor, a bit part in the PolyMet story.

Let’s be clear though, Glencore has no track record of just throwing a few million into a project and then stepping back to let others run it. Glencore’s own website reveals that it eventually ends up owning over 75 percent of all of its initial mining investments, with only one exception, an aluminum plant in Russia.

In 2007, Glencore bought a 25 percent share of Nikanor, a mining company which was trying to revive mines next to the Katanga mines in Congo. The deal gave Glencore exclusive rights to all of Nikanor's output, similar to the deal it cut with PolyMet.

Fast forward six months, and Katanga merged with Nikanor, but was quickly running out of money. Desperate for cash, Katanga eventually gave sole control of its mine operations to Glencore. Katanga agreed to issue more than a billion new shares, giving Glencore a 74 percent stake. Glencore now runs Katanga.

It's worth noting that Polymet, a company venturing into new mining territory with little cash on hand, is partnering with a giant possessing "detailed knowledge of almost all the major mine development opportunities around the world," according to a Duluth tv news station quoting Polyment's CEO. Given the Swiss mining giant's track record, it’s easy to see who could eventually own and control Polymet's Northern Minnesota mining opperation: Glencore.

Frank Moe is a Conservation Minnesota Voter Center Board Member.Governor Dayton of the thousands anti sulfide mining pollution petitions Frank collected along his trip from Grand Marais.

The Petitions

Petition 1 " We are calling on Minnesota's state policymakers to follow neighboring Wisconsin's lead and enact a moratorium on sulfide mining activities in Minnesota."

"Prove It First" Sulfide Mining Petition - North Star Chapter of the

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Minnesota enact a "prove-it-first" law similar to Wisconsin's "mining moratorium" law, that requires metallic sulfide mine permit applicants to prove that they can operate safely by citing long-term operation and closure of similar mines, that did not pollute the ground or surface waters with Acid Mine Drainage or heavy metals.

Keep Sulfuric Acid Out of Minnesota's Waters - Center For Biological Diversity

Please, sign this petition to your elected officials today and tell them our state's waters and wetlands are not open to becoming an acid slurry so multinational mining companies can make a quick buck.

Water Legacy Petition

Whereas sulfide mining threatens Minnesota water resources and natural heritage and there is no evidence that mining for copper, nickel, and other non-ferrous (non-iron) metals from sulfide rock in Northern Minnesota can be done without harming Minnesota’s fresh water resources, fish, plants, wildlife and human health: 

We the undersigned request that State and Federal authorities deny any permits for sulfide mining that threaten Minnesota’s water or natural resources

Click Here For Petition 5

A hard copy to download, print get signatures and send in

MULTIMEDIA

Web Pages Focused On This Event

Center For Biological Diversity

SOS Blue Waters

WaterLegacy

Friends of the Cloquet Valley St Forest

Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness

Ely Minnesota ElyMinnesota.com

Conservation Minnesota

Related Facebook Pages

https://www.facebook.com/MNMiningWatch

WITP

Video Links

Friends of the Boundary Waters 5 Short Videos

Friends of the Boundary Waters

Links to 5 short videos

Frank Moe and Nathan Schroeder's (2010 Beargrease Champions)

teams sprinting to the finish. They edged us by a nose but

fun to be a part of.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OpBt6kRI_A

More Video:

Youtube One

Youtube Two

Youtube Three

More Video available - contact Sleddogstostpaul@gmail.com

for dropbox data Ask for format you need

Music

by Larry Long here : click here

http://www.sarathomsen.com/PreciousWater.mp3

Photo Links

Ace, Pony and Bart at Mail Run 2012.jpg

Acorn at UP 200.jpg

Beargrease 2010 Frank at Highway 2 with Esther.jpg

Beargreasen2011-Start.jpg

BOUNDARY WATERS FISHING_Duluth color lg.jpg

Down hill at end of UP 200 2012.jpg

Frank and Sherri at 2010 Beargrease.jpg

Frank_Moe_sled_dog_race.jpg

Me at mail run 2012.jpg

UP 200 2012 team at start.jpg

White Oak 2011 Start.jpg

White Oak Finish 2011.jpg

Wolf Tracks 2011.JPG

These events were sponsored by local area citizens in each area, with the encouragement of many individuals and groups including in no particular order,

Melinda Suelflow, Staci Drouillard, Lori Andresen, John Doberstein, Ian Kimmer, Diadra Decker, Dave and Amy Freeman, Frank and Sherri Moe, Steve and Jane Kashock, Marco Good, Adam Harju, Jan Attridge, Dr. Jerry Vanek, Mark Fink, Stephan Hoglund, Kristin Larsen, Patrik Knight, Robert des Jarlait, Sue Schurke Cathy Quinn, Mark Luttinen, Adam Harju, Jan Attridge, and hundreds of other people

Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness Save Our Sky Blue Blue Waters, Save Lake Superior Association,, Sierra Club North Star Chapter, Elyminnesota.com Fond du Lac, Center for Biological Diversity,Conservation Minnesota,WaterLegacy,Minnesota Environmental PartnershipClean Water NEMN, League of Women Voters, Friends of the Cloquet Valley State ForestProtect Our Manoomin Move to Amend Sawbill Outfitters, Munger Inn, Protect our Natural Resources - Grand Marais