News/Meeting Notes
MINUTES Wednesday, May 26, 2021 held at Veteran’s Park, GR
Meeting started at 7:20 PM
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Eben Spencer, Marcia Anderson, Rich Libbey, Perry Loegering, Rick Blake, Kathleen Blake
State Meeting update:
Held on May 1, 2021. Our chapter resolution encouraging solar energy, but more specifically the location of solar panels on rooftop locations when possible, raised some concerns. After discussion with Perry, Bob decided to withdraw the resolution this year, revise it, and re-submit it next year.
Chapter Survey:
President Bob Scheierl will complete and return.
Public Waters Inventory:
Our chapter has signed-on to an email in support of not changing the State public waters classification process and keeping current wording as is. This was done at the request of the State Division and other conservation organizations. Copy of email is shown below.
National Meeting:
The national Ikes meeting will be held July 20-22, 2021. It will be virtual, and anyone interested in attending should contact Bob Scheierl for instructions on how to sign up.
Election of Officers:
Motion by Marcia Anderson to nominate Bob Scheierl for president. Second by Rich Libbey. Unanimous. Motion by Marcia Anderson to nominate Perry Loegering for vice-president. Second by Rick Blake. Unanimous. Motion by Bob Scheierl to nominate Marcia Anderson for treasurer. Second by Perry Loegering. Unanimous. The position of secretary remains unfilled at the time. Marcia Anderson will contact Dave Hayes on whether he is interested.
Other News:
The Pope is getting a new car: All electric and interior made with recycled plastic bottles salvaged from the oceans.
Other News (cont’d):
Discussion on commercial deer farms in Beltrami County and the discovery of CWD there and other farms in the state.
Discussion about the Wabu Woods SNA. County Board opposed the addition of private land.
Discussion about the clean-cars-rules in the Minnesota Legislator.
Next Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday June 23rd, 7:00 PM. Location to be determined.
Email on revision of Public Waters Inventory Process:
To: Governor Walz, Speaker Hortman, Majority Leader Gazelka,
Cc: Rep. Hansen, Sen. Ingebrigtson, Commissioner Strommen
We write to request that SF 0959, Article 2, Sec. 85 not be included in this year’s Environment & Natural Resources Omnibus Bill. This is important to us because Minnesota’s public waters, including those listed on the Public Waters Inventory (PWI), belong to all Minnesotans. Their use and enjoyment provide drinking water supply, recreational use, wildlife habitat and flood damage mitigation to us all.
Decisions regarding listings on the PWI affect lives far beyond local jurisdictional boundaries. For this reason, current law provides the opportunity for all interested Minnesotans to participate equally in PWI decisions made by the Department of Natural Resources. This is good public policy.
It would be a great mistake to alter -- as this amendment would -- that process by putting the final decision in the hands of three separate local government units, whose constituent interests are not balanced by those of the many other interests across the State who value and benefit from clean drinking water, abundant hunting and fishing, swimming, boating, flood mitigation, and the many other activities Minnesotans pursue to use and enjoy their greatest natural heritage resource -- all of our public waters.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely
David Minge, Former Member of Congress and retired Judge
Peg Furshong, Clean Up Our River Environment
Scott Sparlin, Coalition for a Clean Minnesota River
Ted Suss, Friends of Minnesota River
David Zentner, Izaak Walton League - MN Division
Kathryn Hoffman, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
Karuna Ojanen, Minnesota Well Owners Organization
Mark Owens, Austin Izaak Walton League Chapter 10
Jerry Fitzgerald, Cass County Izaak Walton League
Paul Austin, Conservation Minnesota
Kristi Pursell, Clean River Partners
Trevor Russel, Friends of the Mississippi
Becky Siekmeier, Jacques Chapter Izaak Walton League
Rylee Hince, Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance
Brad Gausman, Minnesota Conservation Federation
Claudia Egelhoff, Minnesota Ornithologists Union
John Lenczewski, Minnesota Trout Unlimited
Scott Sparlin, New Ulm Area Sportsfishermen
Laurie Schneider, Pollinator Friendly Alliance
Bill Henke, Matthew Davis, Prairie Woods Chapter Izaak Walton League
Jan Joannides, Renewing the Countryside
Lori Andresen, Save Lake Superior Association
Lori Andresen, Save Our Sky Blue Water
Philip B. Solseng, Engineer
Bob Sheierl, Wes Libby Chapter Izaak Walton League
Rich and Carol Staffon, W.J. McCabe Chapter Izaak Walton League
MINUTES Wednesday, April 28, 2021 held via Zoom at 7:00 PM
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dave Hayes, Eben Spencer, Marcia Anderson, Rich Libbey, Art Norton, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Guest: Bill Schnell
Solar Energy: Bill Schnell and Art Norton, members of the Grand Rapids Clean Energy Team, gave a very informative presentation on the community solar garden being installed in Grand Rapids. After several years of research, and a positive partnering experience with the Grand Rapids PUC, an agreement was reached with Minnesota Power for a project in Grand Rapids. The solar array will be installed on River Road on a piece of property that cannot be developed for other purposes as it is in an airport runway zone. The final project will provide 2 megawatts, with lithium ion battery storage, enough to power 350 homes (about 8% of Grand Rapids PUC customer base) and should be completed by November of this year. Panels will be purchased from a Mt. Iron company. The panels have a life span of about 25-30 years and the batteries 10 years. There will be an additional educational benefit as the developer will provide tours of the site and presentations to local schools. Bill and Art have agreed to write up an article for the Ikes Waltonian newsletter.
Minnesota Power is required to buy back excess solar power generated to the grid, if the installation meets standards. Minnesota Power is also considering an installation of solar panels on the ash ponds at their location.
Another innovative project available in Minnesota is the Solar United Neighbors. It is a cooperative buying club that reduces cost for individual buyers. One does not need to be a neighbor to join. To-date there have been 75 of these projects in Minnesota with the goal of 30 million solar units.
Wabu Woods expansion was voted down by the County. It is the only public land on Deer Lake and a landowner wanted to sell to the DNR.
Proposed Cohasset hotel-marina project: Rich will monitor.
Ikes summer camp scholarship: Art Norton moved that we continue the scholarship of $350 for this year—2nd by Shirley Loegering—motion passed. Shirley will contact Shawn Linder again to see if he can recommend a student.
State Ikes Resolutions: All five resolutions were approved. They are:
Encourage preservation of aquatic ecosystems
Oppose wildlife killing contests
Encourage rooftop solar
Advocate for regionally diverse and healthy ecosystems
Encourage social justice in the production of renewal energy products
Other News:
Rich reported that the Fishing Springs area on Hwy 17 flooded again due to a beaver dam breaking.
The DNR is doing some gravel and rock spawning bed work on Smith Creek.
The DNR denied a citizen petition requesting an EAW on the B2B trail being proposed.
May Meeting: The meeting will be held outdoors at the Veterans Memorial Park at the corner of River Road and Hwy 2 at 7pm. Bring a lawn chair in the event the pavilion is being used by another group.
MINUTES February 24, 2021 at 7:00 PM (Meeting held via Zoom)
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Marcia Anderson, Eben Spencer, Rich Libbey, Rick & Kathleen Blake, Doug and Barb Veit, Perry and Shirley Loegering
A roof-top solar resolution to be presented at the State Ikes annual meeting in April was presented by Bob (see attached). A motion was made by Perry Leogering, 2nd by Rick Blake, to approve the Resolution—motion passed. Bob will submit to the State Ikes for consideration. This motion is meant to encourage roof-top solar installations where feasible but not to discourage them where not.
A solar presentation by Art Norton and Bill Schnell, members of the Clean Energy Team in Grand Rapids, is scheduled for the March meeting. A formal letter of invitation was sent to Rep. Spencer Igo to attend the meeting via Zoom.
The proposal by Governor Walz regarding critical habitat license fee money was discussed. Currently the money can only be spent for acquisition. The Governor is proposing and increase in the match from 1-to-1 to 2-to-1 and would expand the purpose to include research and inventory of habitat. The Bass Brook WMA near Grand Rapids was purchased with critical habitat funds.
Marcia reported that we received another donation to our camp scholarship fund. Shirley had checked with Deep Portage and plans for summer camp were still not determined.
Bob sent Representative Igo a copy of the letter we wrote on the “Clean Car Rule Change” (see letter in correspondence on our Chapter website. Rick Blake testified via zoom at the legislative hearing.
Rich Libbey wondered if we should follow up with Blandin Paper Mill as to whether they have developed plans for oversight of future beaver dam removals. No action was taken.
The State Ikes annual meeting will be held May 1st.
In the News:
· Land-O-Lakes has a carbon-trading program for farmers with payments for BMP to sequester carbon.
· The DNR is taking input on permit area deer population goals.
· A book recommended by Eben is “Wolf Island” by Dave Mech.
· The limit of sunfish and crappies has been reduced on some area lakes.
MINUTES January 27, 2021 (Meeting held via Zoom)
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Marcia Anderson, Dave Hayes, Eben Spencer, Rich Libbey, Rick Blake, Perry and Shirley Loegering
A discussion was held about the following issues on which the MN DNR is asking for citizen input. Comments can be made on their website up until the date listed below:
Outdoor Recreation Task Force - Closes February 15th
Minnesota Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) Master plan – Closes February 28th
DNR Deer Hunting and Management Survey – Closed February 5th
MPCA is proposing a “clean car rule” that would 1) lower emissions similar to the California standard, and 2) encourage the greater use of electric vehicles by 2025. Bob will draft a letter in support of the rule and route it to the members for their approval. Letter was routed to members post meeting and was approved to be sent (see letter in correspondence).
Minnesota Power is projecting their company will be “No Coal by 2035” and “100% Renewable by 2050”. Even though all energy production has an environmental impact, whether wind, solar or hydro, this is still a major step in the right direction. Marcia will draft a Letter to the Editor commending them on this effort to get off fossil fuels.
The 2021 National Ikes Convention will be held in Lincoln, Nebraska in July. Depending on input they receive from members, the event may be held via zoom.
Bob proposed that our chapter submit a resolution to the State Ikes at their annual meeting in April to encourage and support more solar panels on roofs instead of placing solar panels on ground better suited for other purposes. He will route a draft via email to the members.
Bob will invite Art Norton to attend our next meeting to talk about current solar energy options. Since our new Representative, Spencer Igo, is on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, Bob will invite him to attend our chapter meetings with two options: 1) to sit in and listen to what Art has to say and/or 2) attend a meeting where we can ask him what his environmental goals are, and we can share some of our concerns. For the first option, we would also invite other members of the Clean Energy Team and Earth Circle to attend so that Representative Igo would feel it worth his while to appear and so he would see how much support there is locally, and benefits of, solar.
Bob mentioned that Dave Wetzel, MN DNR Area Fisheries Manager, would be willing to speak to our group about the area fisheries and, specifically, the Sunfish limit. No action taken. Bob also mentioned that there were some tungsten lures available at L&M but would like to see many more.
In the News:
Governor Walz wants carbon reduction by 2140
Cohasset is proposing to develop a casino/hotel/marina complex on the Mississippi at the Cohasset lumber yard site
MINUTES December 2, 2020 (Meeting held via Zoom)
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dave Hayes, Dave Lick, Art Norton, Eben Spencer, Tom Nelson, Rick Blake, Rich Libbey, and Perry and Shirley Loegering
Grand Rapids Solar Garden: Chapter members Art Norton, member of the Itasca Clean Energy Team, and Rick Blake, Grand Rapids City Councilor and PUC Commissioner, reported on the community solar garden being established in Grand Rapids. The success of the project came after many years of research and, more recently, negotiations with Minnesota Power. Sufficient battery storage was one of the key factors in making this a cost-efficient project, and it is expected to lower the energy cost for all PUC customers. It is one of the first solar-plus-battery systems in the state and will use an algorithm to determine peak use making for a more efficient distribution of power. The solar garden is located in the airport flyway approach zone and, therefore, will not be using space that could be used for other development. It will produce 2 megawatts of energy and have pollinator-friendly native plantings in between the solar arrays. This is a great success story about a persistent and far-sighted grass-roots group, and we congratulate them.
City of Cohasset proposal to reduce minimum shoreland lot sizes: The City of Cohasset has proposed reducing the current minimum shoreline lot size that meets Itasca County standards to the lower DNR standard. However, the DNR shoreline standards are decades old and do not take into account recent science on lake ecology. Perry reported that the Mississippi River Watershed comprehensive draft plan should be final soon. They list Pokegama Lake as a Tier One “high priority” lake. It would not take much more phosphorus runoff or other degradation to turn Pokegama Lake waters more turbid, thus lowering property values and having a negative impact on fish and wildlife. A meeting originally set by the city to take public comment was cancelled due to Covid-19. Our Chapter will send a letter in opposition to the lowering of shoreline lot size. (See letter in Correspondence file.)
Barred Owl Presentation: Eben Spencer, who has a permit to own owl specimens, gave an interesting presentation on his latest acquisition-a Barred owl. One significant way to tell a Barred owl from others are their brown eyes, not yellow. They are a large owl, measuring about 18” tall. Eben has a federal and state permit that allows him to keep these specimens. A requirement of the permit is that he must give educational presentations to groups and is looking for opportunities to do so.
Treasurer’s Report: Marcia Anderson submitted the following report via email:
There is $1907.70 in our bank balance
$727.48 of that balance is in the scholarship fund
There are still several undeposited and unpaid memberships for this year
Marcia spent $55 to purchase stamps. Dave Hayes moved, second by Tom Nelson, to approve that purchase. Motion passed.
Summer Camp: A discussion was held about the potential for sending a student to summer camp next year. Shirley will first check with Deep Portage before contacting Shawn Linder to see if he has a recommendation for next year’s recipient.
Itasca Waters Donation: Our Chapter received a request for a membership donation to Itasca Waters. Rick Blake moved that we donate $50.00, second by Perry Loegering. Motion passed.
We denied a request for donations to the National Ikes Save Our Streams program.
In the News:
Discussed the latest local and national election results. Congratulations to chapter member, Tom Nelson, on his election to the Itasca County Soil and Water Conservation District Board.
Brewed Awakenings has a free vehicle charging station in their parking lot. There is also one at the Timberlake Motel and possibly one at the Fairgrounds.
The Conservation Fund has purchased 72,440 acres of Potlatch land, some of which is located in Itasca County. They usually turn their purchases over to local and State governmental agencies.
The Monarch butterflies may be placed on a threatened species list. The County has been informed about new regulations that would affect their roadside work if that should happen.
------
No meetings were held in September, October or November
------
MINUTES August 26, 2020 (Meeting held via Zoom)
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Marcia Anderson, Rich Libbey, Dave Hayes, Eben Spencer, Shirley & Perry Loegering
Chapter elections were held, and the same slate of officers were elected as last year: Bob Scheierl, President, Perry Loegering, Vice-President, Shirley Loegering, Secretary, and Marcia Anderson, Treasurer and Membership Chair. Our Bylaws state that we should hold elections in May. Shirley will review the Bylaws for other procedures and report at the next meeting. Marcia will report the new slate of officers to National.
We received a copy of the USDA Wildlife Services protocol for handling beaver dam blasting. While the protocol covered how they would handle dam removal in the field, it did not indicate what kind of training or credentials the employees had received to make the proper hydrology and watershed assessments. Bob will draft a letter to Wildlife Services citing the importance of training and asking what they are currently doing and if they have plans to enhance training in the future.
Rich Libbey reported that there was a subsequent runoff incident at the Fishing Springs location on Pokegama Lake. The restoration fill that had been stored on the road leading down to the lake washed into the lake during a heavy rain causing more sediment pollution. Litigation between responsible parties continues and restoration efforts may not be complete until 2021.
For those who might be interested, Eben Spencer shared the following link to subscribe to the Quetico Superior Newsletter. One of their recent articles was on the relationship between beaver and moose populations in Voyageurs National Park.
USDA Wildlife Services shared their timber wolf removal data for Minnesota. Members found the information very informative.
Unfortunately, the meeting was cut short about 7:45 because the Zoom time expired and people were unable to reenter the meeting.
MINUTES July 22, 2020 (Meeting held via Zoom)
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Rick Blake, Eben Spencer, Dave Hayes, Rich Libbey, Dennis Anderson, Perry and Shirley Loegering; Guests: Rita Albrecht and Pete Sahr
Rita Albrecht is a candidate for State Senate seat in District 5, which includes part of Itasca County. She is currently Mayor of Bemidji. Rita is from Big Falls, Minnesota, and her husband is from Northome. Rita has a strong background in planning and natural resources and, if she were elected, she would like to be on the Natural Resources & Environment Committee and a local government committee. She feels her experience in administration and local government has taught her how to cooperate with various opinions.
Running for District 5b, currently held by Representative Sandy Layman, is Democrate Joe Abeyta, currently a councilperson for the City of LaPrairie, and Republican Spencer Igo, a staff person for Rep. Stauber.
Pete Sahr, Biologist with USDA Wildlife Services in the Grand Rapids office, gave a little history about Wildlife Services. They began chiefly as wolf control, then moved into beaver control, wild rice monitoring and wildlife management on airports. For beaver control, their training has been primarily on dam removal and not on immediate damage downstream. That training seems to be gained mostly by experience. Since the disaster incident on Pokegama Lake, they have developed new policies to evaluate the downstream capability to handle water released by dam removal, one of which is to get a second opinion in situations that may damage other private lands or roads. Wildlife Services is hired under contract or cooperative agreement by both private and governmental agencies and the decision on which dams to be removed is made by the property owners. Their work is always paid for by the party that requests assistance. Wildlife Service work is well documented and open to the public upon request.
Our Chapter signed onto a joint letter to Representative Betty McCollum, Alaska, to thank her for her work on the Environmental Appropriations Bill for protection of Alaskan public lands, particularly in the proposed Pebble Mine area on Bristol Bay that is proposed for copper mining and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that is proposed for natural gas and oil development (see letter in correspondence folder).
The potential for copper-nickel mining in the Tamarack area (between McGregor and Cromwell, MN) was discussed. Apparently, the mineral deposits have a much higher percentage of copper than elsewhere in Minnesota and thus would be a more profitable operation. There are currently 30,000 acres of active mineral leases located on the convergence of the Mississippi River and St. Croix River watersheds and, therefore, would need strict oversight as to environmental degradation and financial assurance for cleanup.
Point of interest, Rick Blake reported that the Western Mesabi Mine Planning Board received a permit request to excavate a reservoir to create a water turbine system to produce electricity. Rich Libbey added that Minnesota Power explored a similar project years ago that entailed pumping water from one mine pit to another at a higher elevation, at night when power is cheap, and releasing it through a turbine during the day to produce electricity when demand and prices are higher.
Rich Libbey also reported that the hearing for the vacation of property on Moose Point is set for District Court on August 20. Rich and Perry will visit it from the lake sometime before the hearing in August. [NOTE: Post meeting, an email was received that the property owner dropped his request for vacation.]
MINUTES MAY 27, 2020 (Meeting held via Zoom)
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Marcia Anderson, Rick Blake, Eben Spencer, Dave Hayes, Rich Libbey, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Our Chapter received an award from the State Division for having the greatest percentage increase in membership.
A letter was received from USDA Wildlife Services in response to our inquiry about the damage done when a beaver dam was blown near Fishing Springs. They listed their plans for future dam removals in fairly broad terms. Bob will draft a letter thanking them for their response but asking for more clarification and details about those plans.
Regarding snow storage and possible salt contamination, upon a request from our Chapter, the City of Grand Rapids tested the levels of chloride at their snow disposal sites. Their conclusion was that the levels were within acceptable levels. A copy of the response is attached.
Bob shared a petition asking for signatures in support of an EAW for the Border-to-Border ORV trail. There are many concerns about the potential for environmental impacts, especially on water quality, if not managed properly. On the plus side, this would fill a niche for a large group of citizens who are asking for a trail and could, potentially, keep them on designated trails. No action was deemed necessary by our Chapter, but members can sign on as individuals if they desire.
Perry gave a report about his onsite visit to the Bigfork River Natural Area in early May. It is a unique stand of undisturbed spruce-fir forest, rarely found anymore. There was major blowdown of trees throughout with aspen-red maple regen and thick hazel understory. He found one trail about ¾ miles in that had not been used for a few years and was littered with blowdown trees. There is no good access point from the highway, and he would recommend that it be kept that way and that there not be a public parking area provided so as is to keep the area undisturbed. There was no signage anywhere that he saw. Bob mentioned that there is a small parcel of private land (an acre) along the Bigfork River which has structures and is accessed across the Natural Area by a trail under license with the Land Department. Bob thinks the licensed access trail may leave Highway 6 through private land.
Rich Libbey reported that the hearing for the vacation of property on Moose Point was postponed to August 20. Perry had made an onsite visit while still able to access the property while some of it was still frozen. Rich and Perry will visit it from the lake sometime before the hearing in August.
Marsha and Shirley will complete the annual Compliance Report for National.
MINUTES April 22, 2020
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Rick Blake, Meredith Bleifuss, Dave Hayes, Rich Libbey, Eben Spencer, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Bob reported that the Environmental Issues Committee (EIC) email list serve has been discontinued. It has been replaced by the Environmental Issues Alliance (EIA) that is not associated with the Ikes or any other specific organization. If you would like to be on that list, contact Howard Markus or Terry Houle. Bob can send you a link if you need one.
In regard to our Chapter’s letter to the USDA about the beaver dam removal disaster, John Hart with Wildlife Services said that they are in litigation over the issue and would respond after his draft is reviewed by internal attorneys.
Bob, Perry and Rick Blake attended the State Ikes Annual meeting via Zoom on April 18, with Bob and Perry as voting members. Since the National Ikes meeting has been cancelled for 2020, the resolutions will not move forward until 2021. There was a lot of discussion about the projected budget deficit at the State level and there is still an issue with officers leaving their positions. A total of about 54 members attended the meeting. All six resolutions were approved with minimal changes.
Eben routed a link to members about the Trump administration opening national wildlife refuges to expanded hunting and fishing. No chapter action was taken, but it was recommended that concerned individuals make a response within the 60-day comment period. Here is the link:
https://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ref=secretary-bernhardt-proposes-historic-expansion-of-hunting-and-fishing-&_ID=36541
Rich reported that County Commissioners voted in opposition to vacating the public access on Moose Point. The County Attorney will be defending that position in court on May 4. Rich and Perry will attend if that is requested. Perry visited the site and took a few pictures and reported that the 400+ feet of lakeshore would be valuable as boat access for a picnic/camping site. Rich stated that it could also be developed for winter trail access from the road.
Since some people were having trouble hearing everyone on the teleconference, we may try a Zoom meeting in May.
MINUTES March 25, 2020
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Meredith Bleifuss, Rich Libbey, Eben Spencer, Rick Blake, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Note: Teleconference meeting began about 7:00 p.m. and ended about 9 p.m.—It took about 10 minutes for everyone to connect. Shirley and Perry lost connection on their phones about 8:30 p.m. and Dave Hayes emailed to say that he was not able to connect.
A discussion was held about whether we had a quorum, which is 20% of the membership. Shirley’s most current member list indicated that we had 24 members, but Bob said the State had 26 members on record for our Chapter. We will ask Marcia for a copy of the most recent membership.
Joint letter to USDA re CRP Interim Final Rule:* This letter was signed jointly by five groups, including the Minnesota Division of the Izaak Walton League and was approved by our chapter’s Executive Committee via email on February 11th. The letter recommended three changes to the CRP Interim Final rule as follows: 1) restore incentive payments, 2) restore all State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement, and 3) promote State, local and tribal partnerships. Click here to view letter: 2020-March IWLA Joint Lttr CRP Interim Final Rule.pdf
Shirley thought Executive Committee decisions needed to be ratified at the next meeting but, upon reviewing the Bylaws, that is not necessary. However, all members present approved of this letter.
Draft letter to USDA Wildlife Services from our Chapter re beaver dam removal protocol:* This letter was in response to the immense damage done to road infrastructure and debris and nutrients washing into Pokegama Lake after a beaver dam was blown near Fishing Springs Road in the fall of 2019. Our letter of inquiry asked for answers to why the incident happened and how it can be prevented in the future. Perry moved, 2nd by Rich Libbey, that we send this letter—motion passed. All sediment has been removed by contractors hired by UPM Blandin and the DNR will follow-up in the spring with an inspection of the site. Click here to view letter: 2020-3-27 to USDA re Beaver Dam Removal.doc
Letter to Legislators from our chapter on Loon conservation sent 2-12-2020:* This letter was approved by our chapter’s Executive Committee via email on February 12th. The letter relayed our Chapter’s disappointment that the Legislature had delayed implementation of a $1.27M federal grant to MPCA for loon conservation. Part of the grant money was to be used to promote non-toxic fishing lures. All members present approved of the letter. Bob mentioned that the money was released a week or two after our letter was sent. Click here to view letter: 2020-2-12 Letter to Senate re Loons.doc
Note: In a discussion with a few members before the meeting started, Meredith suggested that we ask Rod Dimich to promote the use of non-toxic lures in his weekly column in the Grand Rapids Herald-Review. No action taken. This item will be put on the agenda for April.
Use of beet juice as an alternative to road salt: It appears that more research is needed to determine possible negative side effects to the use of beet juice. Several communities have tried it with less than positive results. MNPCA is offering free “smart salt” training sessions to any group that would like to sponsor a session. The sponsor would be responsible for any costs associated with providing a venue and meal. There is a calendar on the MNPCA website indicating the sessions planned so far. However, several have been cancelled or postponed due to Covid19. This is a possible opportunity for our chapter to provide a training session in the fall.
Rich discussed the issue of street snow which likely contains road salt being dumped in a gravel pit near Ice Lake which is also near the city well heads. There is also a street snow dumping area near the airport. Rick Blake will follow-up to see what precautions the city has, or need to be, taken to protect water resources from road salt and other street pollutants at these sites. It seems that the city is trying to avoid direct runoff into streams, rivers, and lakes by dumping in depressions(?) where the snow melt will soak in rather than run off.
Our Mississippi Our Future (OMOF) Forum Feedback: The purpose of the forum held January 23rd was to engage citizens in contacting their legislators about the importance of including conservation issues in the bonding bill this session. That was not made clear to the participants. However, Nature Conservancy staff did follow-up email surveys with all participants and are continuing the effort by organizing online meetings where participants will be given guidance in writing letters and/or emails to their legislators.
Itasca Waters’ ICTV Video Series: Rick Blake participated in a panel discussion at the OMOF Forum and in preparation for that discussion he viewed the videos and highly recommends them. The videos cover great information on the aquatic zone, best shoreline practices, a Shoreland Advisor Program, and septic systems. They can be found at www.itascawaters.org/itasca-tv
Bigfork River County Natural Area Update: There was some discussion at our last meeting about proposed trails through this area. Bob followed up with Kory Cease, Itasca County Land Commissioner. While there are a few legal trails, Kory assured Bob that there is no intent to allow development of others.
State Ikes Division Strategic Planning: There have been more resignations at the State office, including state volunteers who were working on this. State Chair Ted Suss sent out a survey for members to fill out. Bob lost the link so we did not fill it out. Bob thinks this effort may have stalled for now for lack of state volunteers.
Letter to County Board from our Chapter on vacating a Moose Point public access sent 3-16-2020:* This letter was approved by our chapter’s Executive Committee via email on March 16th. A petition by the neighboring landowner to vacate a public access corridor to Pokegama lake encompassing about 425 feet of shoreline will be going to District Court for a decision because it is located in an unorganized Township. Rich and Perry will follow-up and may attend the hearing if necessary. All members presented approved of the letter. Click here to view letter: 2020-3-16 Moose point beach.doc
Ikes Summer Camp Scholarship: It was agreed that our Chapter should not provide a scholarship for camp this year due to the Covid19 pandemic. However, members are encouraged to donate to our scholarship fund for future years. Please send your check to Marcia Anderson at 1010 NW 4th Ave., Grand Rapids, with a notation in the memo area that it is for the camp scholarship fund. Per the December 4, 2019 Minutes, our Chapter will match all donations to the dedicated scholarship fund.
State Ikes office looking for historical photos for the 2022 centennial: Rich Libbey has much information that was collected by his father that he can share.
State Ikes Annual Meeting and Resolutions Review: Due to Covid19, the meeting will be held by video conference on April 18th. The following resolutions were all approved by the members present and will be up for a vote at the annual meeting (see links):*
1. Supports planning for timber sales that would prioritize fish and wildlife habitat management instead of meeting timber harvest quotas on State Wildlife Management Areas and Aquatic Management Areas.
2. Supports a discussion regarding restrictions on the use of watercraft that create artificial wakes on Minnesota lakes and rivers.
3. Supports proposed Walk on the Wildside (WOW) program that would provide funding for the for the DNR through the sale of a stamp or decal. The money is meant to help replace reduced critical income from Pittman Robertson funds on hunting equipment and fishing tackle. WOW income could not be used for acquisitions, but instead would pay other DNR costs. Recreation retailers of non-hunting and fishing outdoor recreation equipment would not agree to a sur-tax on their products.
4. Supports a ban on the use neonictinoid pesticides and neonictinoid seeds.
5. Supports banning of sulfide-ore copper mining on all Federal and State lands in the Rainy River Headwaters.
6. Supports increasing water storage on the Minnesota River Basin landscape to reduce the flow in the Minnesota River and resulting increased erosion.
Shirley and Perry left the meeting early due to phone failure, but all the remaining five members approved all of these Resolutions.
MINUTES February 25, 2020 - No meeting held
MINUTES January 22, 2020
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Marcia Anderson, Rick Blake, Rich Libbey, Perry and Shirley Loegering. Guest: Kory Cease, Itasca County Land Commissioner
Itasca County Land Plan: Bob gave a brief history stating that the Land Department was created in 1940. Significant changes in management occurred since then: 1) when professional foresters were hired starting in about 1960 which lead to more consideration for other values such as wildlife, recreation, visual quality, etc., and 2) when the County opted to participate in forest certification in 2008. Kory Cease gave a review of the Land Department’s plan that currently manages about 300,000 acres and that follows the 10 principles of land management for certification by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Itasca County has met certification standards for about the last 10 years. The natural areas established through collaboration with the Izaak Walton League are considered a valuable resource and are maintained by agreement, but they are not a necessary element for certification.
Get the Lead Out Campaign: Our chapter sent 17 letters to tackle dealers in the county requesting that they provide lead-free tackle options. Rick Blake moved, 2nd by Dennis Anderson, to reimburse Perry Loegering in the amount of $46.80 to cover the cost of postage, envelopes and poster printing—motion passed. There may be an opportunity to partner with the MPCA on “Get the lead out” efforts as the MPCA will be receiving $1M in settlement from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Some of the settlement money will be spent on loon nesting platforms and for permanent easements in loon territory. The State will be purchasing lead-free tackle to re-sell at a discount to dealers and they will also be offering a tackle exchange at 50 sites across Minnesota.
Click link to view: Lead-free letter to tackle dealers 2020.doc (78k
State Ikes Annual Meeting will be held April 18-19 in Duluth. Resolutions need to be submitted by February 18—our chapter is not submitting any resolutions this year.
National Ikes “Salt Watch Initiative”: If individual Ikes wish to monitor a body of water for its salt content, the National Ikes will provide them with the necessary test kits. Tests should be made prior to spring snowmelt and during or after snowmelt to assess rate of increase. More information and kits should be available through the National Ikes website.
Report on beaver dam blowout incident: Even though UPM Blandin hired the USDA Wildlife Services to remove the beaver dam near Hwy 47 that carried tons of debris and nutrients into Pokegama Lake, the Courts determined that Itasca County was responsible for the damage. Perry will speak with Rian Reed at the DNR to get further details. Bob will draft a letter to USDA Wildlife Services who did the dam removal to ask what went wrong and what is being done to prevent such mishaps in the future.
National report on attitudes toward hunting, fishing, shooting and trapping: Rather surprisingly, attitudes of Americans have increased slightly over the last few years. A few statistics: 1) 80% approve of legal hunting (an increase from 1975); Approval is higher for hunting for utilitarian reasons such as meat—very low for trophy hunting; 2) 93% approve of legal fishing; 3) 81% approve of legal recreational shooting; and 52% approve of legal trapping for population control (less for fur).
Recommended reading by Bob, if interested in learning more about the science behind global warming: “The Uninhabitable Earth—Life After Warming” by David Wallace-Wells. The book is available at the Library.
MINUTES December 4, 2019
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Meredith Bleifuss, Marcia Anderson, Rich Libbey, Eben Spencer, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Treasurer’s Report: We have $1,768.00 in the bank.
Ikes Summer Camp Scholarship Fund: The Libbey family and Rod and Meredith Bleifuss have been making donations to allow our chapter to send a student to camp, and that has been truly appreciated. Since the cost of camp currently is $425 (and our chapter pays all but $100), Shirley proposed that we set up a dedicated Scholarship Fund whereby all members could participate. Marcia Anderson moved, 2nd by Shirley, that our chapter would match any donations members make to the fund--motion passed. If you send a check to Marcia, please indicate that it is for the Scholarship Fund. Her address is: 1010 NW 4th Ave, Grand Rapids.
Campaign to ban lead fishing tackle: Meredith once again encouraged us to take on this project. Perry will draft a letter to local sporting goods and bait stores requesting that they stock non-toxic tackle. Shirley will follow up with a Letter to the Editor from our chapter. A rough draft of both will be routed to members for their approval
Forest resiliency in the face of climate change: Meredith shared information from a Nature Conservancy article and suggested that we follow up by sponsoring a speaker on the subject.
Our Mississippi Our Future Community Forum, January 13, Cohasset Community Center 5-7:30pm:
This forum is sponsored by The Nature Conservancy with the goal of encouraging a grassroots movement to advocate for clean water in the 2020 Legislature. Legislators will be invited to attend. Stories will be shared, input will be gathered from the attendees, and steps outlined on how to make our concerns heard. The event is free and open to the public and there will be a light meal served. They hope to have 100 participants. Shirley asked if our chapter would be willing to donate towards the meal and requested that members volunteer to assist with logistics that night. Marcia moved, 2nd by Perry, that our chapter donate $100.00--motion passed.
Bigfork River County Natural Area: Perry reported that the DNR Area Assistant Wildlife Manager was contacted by a field forester wondering if a parking access could be developed for this natural area. The reason being that there are already so many well-developed ATV trails on that site. Our Ikes chapter has worked with the County Land Department on management of these areas. We would not recommend a parking area and have recommended no trail development in the past. Bob will contact Cory Cease at the Land Department and discuss the matter with him.
National Ikes Save Our Streams Appeal: Due to our limited funds, it was agreed not to donate to this appeal this year.
State Division:
· Annual 2020 Meeting: The meeting will be sponsored by the McCabe Chapter in Duluth on April 18th next year, one week earlier than normal. The annual State Division meeting will be combined with a special event, “Song of the Wild” by Big Top Chautauqua, that is also being sponsored by the McCabe Chapter on that same weekend.
· State Division Office: They will be moving to the MN Valley Chapter building, rent free, and have hired a half(?)-time office staff person. Otherwise, it is currently run by volunteers. This change is in response to a large budget shortfall at the State Division this year.
· State Division EIC Committee: Bob reported that this valuable communication tool among Ikes members may change. EIC committee leaders are considering moving the EIC committee to another organization, such as the Center of Biological Diversity, Sierra Club or the Audubon Society. Our chapter prefers that EIC stay within the Ikes. Bob is not sure why EIC leaders feel the committee should leave the Ikes. It seems to be related to State Division turmoil this year.
North Country Trail: North Country Trail Chairman and Prairie Woods Chapter Ikes member Matthew Davis is asking northern Minnesota Ikes to ask Representative Stauber to co-sponsor the National Scenic Trail Parity Act. The act would give the trail “unit” status, thereby making funding and other support more available. Rich Libbey moved, 2nd by Perry, that we would sign onto a letter to Representative Stauber requesting such. Matthew Davis will give us a draft letter that we can use--motion passed. Bob will arrange this.
Climate change program by Paul Douglas: Several of our members attended. Mr. Douglas did an excellent job of highlighting the importance of acting now. Bob stated that the State Division has $1,000 grants available to local chapters for energy and/or climate change projects.
National Ikes Conservation Policy Manual: Bob has this manual. It is a great reference that states National Ikes policies based on resolutions passed at National meetings.
In the news presented by Rich Libbey:Essar Land Exchange: Rich was wondering if there was a Reversion Clause included with the land exchange agreement. Bob said there were reversion clauses and will get copies of the deeds so we can check on the details.
Lynx Lawsuit: The Center for Biological Diversity wants to ban snares in northeast Minnesota and require devices on conibear traps to protect the lynx. They have contacted the Minnesota DNR in this regard.
Dam blowout and Fish Springs area washout: The dam removal was done by USDA APHIS Wildlife Services who were contracted by Blandin Paper Co. The blowout caused immense damage to the surrounding area, Hwy 17, the Fish Springs Campground and dumped tons of debris and its associate nutrients into Pokegama Lake. Our chapter may want to take action to help reduce the chance that such blunders occur in the future.
Land Donation refusal by Lac qui parle County: Lac qui parle County Commissioners refused sale of two farms to DNR. One landowner is taking them to Court. The MN DNR prefers to work with the County Board to work out a solution rather than partake in a lawsuit.
Quetico Foundation: Eben Spencer suggested we check out this interesting foundation.
MINUTES October 23, 2019
Members present: Dennis Anderson, Eben Spencer, David Hayes, Rick Blake, Meredith & Rod Bleifuss, Bob Scheierl
Others present: Katelyn Dorry
1. Katelyn Dorry report on her Ikes summer camp experience: Katelynn spoke on her experience at Deep Portage Ikes camp. She did an excellent job and gave a very detailed description of her experience . She was a very composed and enthusiastic speaker. She met people from Poland, England, and Florida as well as Minnesota and enjoyed many outdoor activities. She also mentioned that parents could attend as well as campers, of which one did. Campers were required to turn in cell phones during camp so they could focus on camp activities during their experience.
2. Big fork River County Natural Area – Tabled until Perry Loegering can attend to present the issue.
3. Alternatives to lead hunting shot pose their own hazards: Meredith submitted information that warned of concerns with using non-toxic shot alternatives that contain copper and zinc, which can adversely affect aquatic organisms such as daphnia. Further investigation into the trade-offs of some “non-toxic” lead alternatives seems warranted.
4. Choose date for joint November/December meeting: We decided that the December meeting will be on December 4 at the same time and place. We ask that Shirley arrange such with KAXE.
5. News items:
Incorporating plastic bags into concrete is being tested in road construction, apparently with some good results. Hopefully this will be a good use for this huge waste item.
A barge with long booms is being tested for cleaning of the garbage patch in the ocean. It uses ocean currents to funnel the garbage to the barge. Apparently this technology has the potential to remove half of the ocean patch within the next 5 years. Hopefully this will work out.
6. Northern Minnesota Climate Crisis Coalition: We agreed to join this coalition at our last meeting. Bob drafted an email in this regard for others to review. We plan to finalize this at our December meeting.
7. Potential use for low grade ore stockpiles: Rick Blake mentioned that Tom Anzelc was speaking as a spokesperson for Prairie River Minerals on interest in utilizing the hematite in these stockpiles. The aggregate by-product may be of interest for use in the Twin Cities areas, where an aggregate shortage is expected in the near future.
8. Meredith suggested that the State Division initiate an out-reach program where they visit Minnesota chapters, rather than rely only on the mailing we all received recently.
9. Announcements:
Paul Douglas will be speaking on “Caring for Creation” at 12:00-1:30 PM on Saturday, October 6, 2019, at St. Andrews Church in Grand Rapids. [Cancelled]
DNR will be speaking on Chronic Wasting Disease at the Grand Rapids Library at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, October 29, 2019.
MINUTES September 25, 2019
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Dave Hayes, Rich Libbey, Marcia Anderson, Dave Lick, Perry and Shirley Loegering; Guest: Tim Scherkenbach
Tim Scherkenbach presented information about a Northern Minnesota Climate Crisis Coalition that he is organizing. He pointed out that Minnesota has been rated as the 5th highest at-risk state for climate change impacts and that northern Minnesota is warming even faster than the rest of the state. Tim feels that the most effective way to work towards public policy change is through a coalition of like-minded organizations—there is power in numbers. Organizations that join the coalition are not committed to specific tasks, duties or time involved. Rather they could participate at their comfort level such as developing and implementing a shared policy agenda, coordinating efforts for specific issue campaigns, sharing information or resources and/or by providing mutual support by signing onto each other’s campaigns. There was general agreement among the members present that this fits in with the goals and past actions of our Chapter. Bob will draft a formal letter stating that we agree to join the coalition. The letter will be routed to our members before the October meeting and will be voted on at that time. Tim will be presenting a “Climate Vulnerability Assessment” to the Grand Rapids City Council on October 14 and has received a favorable response from those that he contacted to-date.
Dave Hayes reported on happenings at the National Ikes Convention that he attended in Des Moines. The theme was “Saving Soil and Water”. One big concern was the drop in national Ikes memberships. Our Chapter was awarded a “Defenders Chapter Achievement Award”, one of 47 awarded out of 220 chapters. Next years’ national convention will be held July 19-22 in Cambridge, MD on the Chesapeake Bay. Dave said there were many great speakers. You can go online at www.iwla.org to read their speeches and, also, to read about the resolutions that passed. Here is a brief list of those resolutions:
1. Called on the US Army Corps of Engineers to fully evaluate impacts of permits and construction projects involving natural resource related systems.
2. Supports the continued operation and expansion of technologies as deemed necessary, and maintenance of a barrier system [for Asian Carp].
3. Calls Congress to fulfill its obligations under the agreement with Florida established in the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 and promptly provide the approximately $1 billion in funding that it has fallen behind for its half of the costs for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration plan; to provide sufficient annual funding for the plan; and to provide annual funding to acquire land or conservation easements of acute conservation importance there.
4. Supports passage of legislation that would prohibit the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on all public lands.
5. Opposes any seismic exploration, leasing for, or development of, oil or natural gas resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
6. Encourages every unit of government to enact legislation and regulations to curtail and, where possible, ban the use of single-use plastics. Further, urges the United States to ratify the 1989 Basel Convention on the control of hazardous waste, including plastic.
A resolution about reducing greenhouse gases did not pass in its current form and was going to be rewritten. However, on the national Ikes page it says it passed.
The “Lawns to Legumes” grant program by BWSR was discussed as a possible issue our Chapter could encourage. The program focus is to plant residential lawns with native vegetation and pollinator friendly forbs and legumes. The funding is slated to be distributed to conservation partners later in 2019 so they can be distributed to individual landowners in 2020. Funding will be targeted in three priority areas benefitting the Rusty Patched Bumblebee and other at-risk species. A very small portion of Itasca County is in Priority One and another half of the county in Priority Two. No action taken.
Regarding a possible campaign to ban lead in hunting and fishing items, Meredith Bleifuss would be interested in working with another member on the issue. She felt the first step would be to do research and to find reasons for opposition and, possibly, to join forces with other organizations. Dave Lick suggested that a good way to start might be by sending letters to local outdoor sports retailers from our Chapter asking them to offer non-lead items, to repeat the letters annually, and to publicly thank any retailer that did so via a newspaper ad. No action taken.
Dave Lick presented information about The Trust for Public Lands. They are a nonprofit who work with partners on such issues as protecting water quality and preventing forest fragmentation (not to be confused with State School Trust lands). Dave suggested that it might be a good organization for our Chapter to partner with.
Rich Libbey reported that towers appear to all be installed along the Great Northern Transmission Line.
Bob plans to attend the next State Division Board of Directors meeting on November 2nd.
MINUTES August 28, 2019
Present: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Eben Spencer, Art Norton, Rich Libbey, Marcia Anderson, Tim Wotzka, Perry and Shirley Loegering
New member, Eben Spencer, gave a presentation about owls. Eben has both a Federal and State permit to have dead/salvage owls in his possession, but with the permit comes the obligation to do some public education every year. Eben had three stuffed owls for display—a Saw-whet, Great Horned and a Snowy—plus a couple owl and red-tailed hawk wings for identification. His presentation was very informative and included audio recordings of owls. Eben welcomes suggestions for other venues where he might give his talk.
Two items on the Agenda were tabled until the September meeting—Tim Scherkenbach on the Climate Reality Project and a discussion about our chapter conducting a lead ban campaign.
Our Chapter received a request from Luke Adam, a Nashwauk teacher, who is looking for help raising funds for his angling class as his current grant is running out. Luke has been doing an impressive job with his students (most have never had a chance to fish). With an earlier grant, he purchased all the necessary fishing equipment to have available on loan, including fish locators and ice shelters. His curriculum includes fish ID, habitat, migratory patterns, rules & regulations, slot limits, conservation, reading gill net surveys, invasive species, shoreline management and clean water preservation. In addition, he has taken the students on field trips (e.g. to Rainy River). While we felt his project was worthy of our support, our chapter does not have enough funds to be able to donate. We did make several recommendations to him (e.g. looking for a business sponsor). We also informed him about the current call for grant applications by the Grand Rapids Area Community Foundation and that there might be grants available through the Northland Foundation out of Duluth. Ikes members could make personal donations to the project.
Bob reported on internal issues at the Minnesota Division office. Ted Suss was elected President. The Minnesota Division office is asking chapters to submit recommendations for what role the Division office should play. Options run the gamut from hiring only one clerical staff person, possibly part time, to hiring three or four staff who would run the division office plus act as liaison with the chapters, other environmental partners, in addition to working with legislators. After much discussion, it was agreed that the Minnesota Division office should, at a minimum, hire a staff person to manage the office. However, as funds are available, it would be important to hire more leadership staff, such as someone with Don Arnosti’s ability to reach out to chapter members as well network with other organizations and negotiate with legislators. It would be imperative to have someone in the leadership position who could include and motivate chapters from a grassroots level rather than someone who is a paid lobbyist who would not interact with membership. Bob will send our recommendations to the Division office (see attached)
Rich and Bob met with Spencer Igo, Rep. Stauber’s staff person. They expressed our Chapter’s concerns about protecting clean water, maintaining public land, minimizing the use of fossil fuels, alternatives to “the wall” that would have less impact on wildlife, the farm bill, copper-nickel mining and a lead ban. Mr. Igo stated that his job was not to debate issues but to take notes on constituent concerns and positions and pass them on to Rep. Stauber. Rich also talked with Senator Eichorn during the Tall Timber Days parade about some of those same issues.
Rich gave an update on the most recent attempt to vacate a public access—this one on Sugar Lake. The District Court Judge ruled that it was in the best interest to keep the access in public ownership and that the small amount of tax revenue if owned privately would not offset the benefits to the public. However, there was an access in Harris Township that was vacated on the Wendigo arm of Pokegama Lake. That case was handled by the township, whereas the case on Sugar Lake was addressed in District Court because the property is in an unorganized township.
Art reported on the status of the North Country Hiking Trail. The trail is complete from North Dakota to Remer and recently received official Federal permit to complete the trail to Ely, a move that was supported by Rep. Stauber. They are in the planning process and would like input from our group, as well has any physical help members could give.
Shirley reminded everyone about upcoming We Are Water events, including Paul Radomski, MN Water Scientist, at the Chamber Luncheon on September 9th, the Nibi Water Walk on September 13-14 and the continuing exhibit at the Reif until September 16th.
Attachment #1 to 8/28/19 Meeting:
Letter to Ted Suss, Mn Division President – Sent August 31. 2019
Ted,
You asked for feedback on the proposed options for staffing of the State Division. First of all, Wes Libbey Chapter wants to commend you for taking this issue head-on and getting the air cleared as to what the majority of Minnesota Ikes want regarding State Division staffing. This is exactly what is needed. Our state staffing preferences are as follows. Obviously the State Division can only have as much staff as it can afford. Therefore, Wes Libbey Chapter’s preferences will be prioritized based on how much money is available.
At a minimum our chapter feels we need to fund Option 1. This seems necessary just to exist, and I believe can be paid for pretty much from current dues.
In addition, our chapter felt that bringing Don Arnosti on as an advocate leader on legislative issues was a tremendous benefit to the Ikes. We think that position should be re-instated (and hopefully filled by Don again) if the Division can secure sufficient funding. We feel it is important that the position be one of advocate leader, as was done by Don, and not just a lobbyist. The position should include continuing the communication now being provided through the environmental issues committee. That being said, we feel it is important that this position not support or promote positions on behalf of the Ikes that are not approved and supported by the State Board of Directors. Likewise the State Executive Committee should be held to the same requirements. We do not know if Don Arnosti blurred those lines at all, but feel that these limitations should be made clear to any appointee.
Regarding providing of additional support for chapters, Wes Libbey sees that as a lesser priority for us. Other chapters may feel different.
Prior to the recent resignations, I believe that the State Division was making a significant investment in trying to recruit new members. We know that our chapter sure needs new members and have not come up with an effective way to do so. Wes Libbey Chapter sees such member increase pursuits as a lower priority than our first two priorities (i.e. state administrator and advocacy leader) not because membership increase is not important, but because we do not know how effective it will be. We believe any investments in that area must be coupled with annual re-evaluation of results on its effectiveness.
Thanks again for raising the state role issue. Wes Libbey Chapter looks forward to seeing how it plays out.
Bob Scheierl, President
Wes Libbey Northern Lakes Chapter
JULY 2019 - NO MEETING
MINUTES June 26, 2019
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Rich Libbey, Marcia Anderson, Dave Hayes, Perry and Shirley Loegering - GUESTS: Sydney Arens, Nature Conservancy, and Eben Spencer
Sydney Arens, Nature Conservancy rep for this area, gave an update on their “Our Mississippi, Our Future” initiative. The Nature Conservancy’s goal is to get $500M from the legislature over the next 10 years for restoration and protection of the Mississippi River from the headwaters to St. Paul. They are looking for partners to help spread the word about this important project--to friends and neighbors and legislators. Sydney handed out post cards that that could be signed by chapter members that the Nature Conservancy would then send to our respective legislators asking for their support. Members also could sign up to receive future emails with project updates.
Katelyn Dorry, this year’s scholarship recipient, has registered for the Ikes summer camp at Deep Portage. Rod and Meredith Bleifuss have graciously agreed to once again pay for the scholarship in the amount of $325.00. Marcia will send a check to the camp. If members would like to donate towards future scholarships, please send a check to Marcia with a note designating it for that purpose.
Mississippi River Watershed Plan, as reported by Perry, will be holding public meetings in July in Grand Rapids to get input on priorities. This will replace all current county water plans. They have also set up a website at: www.headwatershed.org
Attitudes about public land. A short discussion was held about an article from Outdoor News routed by Rich Libbey. This is a long-time, ongoing issue about the disconnect between people wanting to do as they please on their own land but not wanting others to sell their land if it is going to be purchased for the public—basically not understanding the value of public lands.
The annual report to National about chapter activities is due August 16. Marcia will complete the portion about tax forms and Shirley will complete the activities portion.
Election of officers: All of the current officers were willing to serve another term as follows: Bob Scheierl, President, Perry Loegering, Vice President, Marcia Anderson, Treasurer and Membership Chair, Shirley Loegering, Secretary. Bob Scheierl will be the State Director with Perry Loegering as an alternative. Dave Hayes moved that the slate of officers be endorsed, 2nd by Rich Libbey—motion passed.
Historical chapter minutes: Rich has the original minutes for our chapter from 1925-1929, 1934-1951 and 1961-66, plus large scrapbook from 1950’s thru 1979. The Itasca County Historical Society would be interested in copying the minutes for their archives. Marcia had contacted the Archivist at the Iron Range Research Center in Chisholm and they would also be willing to take the minutes. Marcia and Rich will follow-up on how to handle the matter.
Legislative summary: Bob gave a short summary of the legislation from the last session, as it related to the environment (see copy attached).MN Division Ikes leadership: Election of officers for State offices recently vacated will be voted on at the August 3rd Board of Directors meeting. If any chapter member is interested in running for President, 1st and 2nd Vice President or Director at Large, please contact John Rust by July 7th or 8th at 763-202-3346.
Meeting with a staff person for Representative Pete Stauber: Rich Libbey is meeting with Rep. Stauber’s staff member on July 11th. If other chapter members would like to join him, please call Rich first to talk about the issues to be discussed.
Attachment to June 26, 2019 meeting minutes:
2019: Endless Session, Izaak Walton Priority Issues
Overview: No Meaningful Progress on Most Critically Important Challenges Facing MinnesotaAt a time when the alarm bells are going off – about our changing climate, about pollinator declines, about insect and species extinction, about agricultural run-off impacting drinking water in communities across the state – the results from the 2019 state legislature short- change the seriousness of the issues on almost every count. Fortunately, the severe budget cuts to environmental protections proposed by the Minnesota Senate were avoided. But fighting to keep the status quo means we aren’t making the needed forward progress. (MEP summary)
Good~
Agricultural Land Conservation
- Forever Green got $4.3 million over two years, more than triple the amount from 2017, and double the previous highest investment. In addition, LCCMR funded two Forever Green-related field demonstration programs:
- $741,000 for Central Lakes College to demonstrate conservation benefits of using camelina and kura clover as continuous living cover with corn-soybean rotations and to develop secondary markets to increase farmer adoption of this practice for protecting water quality in vulnerable wellhead protection areas.
- $440,000 for Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District to reduce nitrate leaching on sandy soils of central Minnesota by developing water-efficient production methods, supply chains, and end-use markets for three perennial crops: Kernza, prairie species, and alfalfa
- CREP – received $17.5 million. Nearing the full match over several years.
Pollinators
- Proper labeling of pollinator plants is to be “studied.”
- The Minnesota Department of Agriculture “may” increase penalties (up to double) for “pesticide drift” on to certain public recreation lands.
- We have a state bee – Rusty Patch, but not the language that spoke of doing something to actually protect it. However, a photo of the bee “must be preserved in the office of the Secretary of State.” (Article 3, Section 1)
- Lawns to Legumes – cost-share grant program from BWSR to convert residential lawns to native plants and legumes; up to 75% grant, with up to 90% in areas designated as likely to host the Rusty Patch bumble bee.
- A $600,000 LCCMR grant to U of M to further study of native bees.
- A $630,000 grant from LCCMR to the Minnesota Zoological Garden and $170,000 to DNR to reestablish populations of Minnesota's imperiled butterflies through reintroductions and prairie restorations and by developing foundational habitat recommendations for preventing future extinctions.
Sulfate Control Research
- NRRI was given $300,000 from LCCMR to further this research.
Chronic Wasting Disease
-Tightened regulation of farmed Cervidea, including:
- Mandatory annual inspections of facility including fencing and animals.
- Improved fencing required.
- Mandatory tagging of all animals.
- License revocation and herd destruction if more than one escape/6 months or failure to repair fencing or tag animals as directed.
- If CWD found in a herd, mandatory depopulation; required fencing must be maintained for five years (to exclude wild Cervidea from area.) Five year requirement is less than what science indicates as necessary for exclosure…
Wildlife and Habitat
-Nongame wildlife program got an unexpected $513,000 infusion for its work!
- Scientific and Natural Areas received $3.5 million from LCCMR.
Dedicated Funds Integrity
- The legislature reversed the raid on the Environmental Trust Fund from last year, and issued bonds paid for from general revenues to replace the funding.
Bad!
School Trust Lands
- DNR future designations of School Trust lands which restrict revenue must be compensated. (pp 102-3)
- Compensation must take the form of land exchange, leasing or buy-out. (With what funds?) Leases are cancellable with six months-notice if mineral leasing or development is desired! (pp 123-4)
- School Trust Land compensation via “surplus sweep” bill stalled mid-process. Senate has it in the Finance Committee, the House didn’t really get going. (SF 1988/HF 1880)
Endangered Species
- The DNR approved an expansion of an exemption from the state Endangered Species Act for all public road right-of-ways. Previously, the exemption was for the road itself, and associated ditches. This is important, as a very high percentage of known locations of state listed plants are in road right-of-ways. (p 103)
Border to Border OHV on-road Trail
- A total of $1 million was provided to DNR to plan, develop and promote OHV Trails on roads and trails. $200,000 of this was available to local jurisdictions to repair road damage.
Pollinators
- HF 2553, a bill directing MNDOT to manage roadsides for pollinators stalled in the House in the face of ag commodity lobbyist opposition. Leaders were afraid.
Water Pollution
- MPCA approved relaxing regulation of “inter-basin” transfer of waters – allowing pumping out polluted mining pits without a NPDES (water pollution discharge) permit. (p 151) DNR and MPCA testified in support, as “they have all the authorities necessary to protect waters” – even giving up a required NPDES permit under the Clean Water Act.
Wetlands
- BWSR is authorized and funded to develop a “framework” for in-lieu fee payment in place of actual wetland replacement. Such a program would need to be authorized by federal officials in the future.
- BWSR received $200,000 to keep pursuing adoption of the Clean Water Act 404 wetland permitting authority from the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Dedicated Funds Integrity
· The legislature took $24 million from the Clean Water fund to pay for SWCD staffing over the next two years. This is the third time such funds have been taken from Clean Water funds which are supposed to provide project support – for the water actually to be cleaned up. We support funding these important “boots on the ground” conservation workers…but they should receive the assurance that their jobs are part of “regular” government funding via general revenue support. This diversion reduces by 10% funds available for clean water projects.
Bad/Ugly!!
Mining
- DNR and MPCA will get $2.7 million to pay mining industry-associated attorneys to represent the state, defending the issued PolyMet permits. (A prior year unspent allocation of $1 million was revoked.)
- Bullying of our authors in the Senate and House by mining industry supporters resulted in the bill to separate mineral promotion from DNR to reduce their conflict of interest as a regulatory agency never getting the hearings promised. (SF 783/HF 1202)
Clean Water
· The Senate refused to accept a “goal” of fishable, swimmable waters by 2040. (This goal was voted into federal law, on a bipartisan basis, overriding a Presidential veto, in 1972 – with a goal of achieving it by 1983.) Apparently, too radical for Minnesota in 2019. UGLY.
Clean Energy
- The Senate refused to consider, much less accept a goal of 100% carbon-free energy by 2050. Considering the imperative of global climate change… SUPERUGLY!
- Senate shut down any investment in electric energy charging stations.
- Senate stopped all improvements to solar energy programs and incentives.
Pollinators
· The Senate declined to include a ban on neo-nics in WMAs, despite passing this provision unanimously.
Public Participation
· Senate refused to consider re-instatement of the MPCA Citizens Board
Lead Shot Ban
· The House proposed, and the Senate refused to consider, legislatively implementing a ban on lead shot for hunting on WMAs in southern and western Minnesota. This was the identical proposal the DNR had taken most of the way through rule making several years ago, before abandoning the effort.
MINUTES May 22, 2019
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Marcia Anderson, Meredith Bleifuss, Dennis Anderson, Dave Hayes, Rich Libbey, Perry and Shirley Loegering, and Guest, Eben Spencer
State Ikes meeting report: Bob attended the State Ikes meeting on April 26-28th. All the proposed resolutions passed with only minor changes from the originals (final versions not posted yet on the State website). The ban on lead ammunition was revised from original to allow for a 10-year phase-in period. The resolution regarding chronic wasting disease in deer was revised to recommend lowering deer populations in infected areas only and not state-wide. Bob recommended, and it was accepted by the resolutions committee that, in the future, resolutions be sent to chapters 60 days in advance so that chapters have enough time to meet and discuss the issues before voting.
State Ikes officers and Executive Director resign: The Minnesota Division office is in a state of transition because of the resignation of the President, 1st VP, Secretary and Treasurer. Also, Don Arnosti, the Executive Director has resigned.
National Ikes Convention, July 16-19th in Des Moines, Iowa: Chapter member Dave Hayes plans to attend the National meeting. Marcia Anderson moved, 2nd by Meredith Bleifuss, to approve Dave as a voting delegate to represent our chapter at the National Convention—motion approved.
Ikes summer camp at Deep Portage: Katelyn Dorry, student at the Northern Lights School in Warba has accepted our scholarship in the amount of $325.00 to attend camp. Shirley will confirm the registration deadline date and will contact Katelyn’s family to see if she has registered yet.
Mississippi River Watershed Plan: Perry reported on the planning sessions to date. There are 80 sub-watersheds in the state with about $110 million from the Legacy fund available for projects under this “One watershed/one plan” initiative. This will replace any current County water plans. MNPCA has completed their diagnostic study on the Upper Mississippi Watershed that includes Itasca County (WRAPS). Major lakes in the Upper Mississippi watershed within Itasca County are Winnie, Deer, Bass, Sugar, and Pokegama. Deer and Pokegama are two of the lakes where money might best be spent to keep those lakes from any further eutrophication—Deer would be especially sensitive to any increase in phosphorus. The committee is working on developing an action plan that should be ready by next year. Itasca County is part of five sub-watersheds so there will be a similar planning process for these other sub watersheds as well.
Twin Metals copper/nickel mining: Meredith shared information about the proposed Twin Metals copper/nickel mining operation near Ely. Some of their printed material is not accurate and does not show that they intend to mine underneath the Kawishiwi River. Meredith would like to see our chapter become more involved, possibly by joining forces with other concerned environmental groups.
Chapter documentation of letters signed by our Chapter: Bob requested that the letters be included with the Minutes on our website.
NRDC: Dave shared information about a petition he received from the Natural Resources Defense Counsel asking people to protest Trump’s trophy hunting council called “International Wildlife Conservation Council”. Conservation groups are suing the Administration stating that it is illegal to establish such a council that is stacked with members who favor one position (trophy hunting).
Great Northern Transmission Line: Rich Libbey has been checking on the progress of the new corridor and found that at least 250 feet is being cleared for the line in many places when the license is for only 200 feet. Private landowners, such as Blandin, can obviously allow whatever they want. Rich spoke with a State of MN employee and they said they were checking their property and Rich plans on speaking with the County Land Dept. to see what they are doing.
Sugar Lake Public Access Vacation: No decision has been handed down by the Judge yet.
ICTV video of “How climate change affects our local forests”: This program, that our chapter sponsored, was videotaped by both Dave Hayes and Rich Libbey. ICTV has been running the edited version and, according to those that have seen it, they did an excellent job and it turned out to be a high-quality video.
Ikes archival material: Rich has been going through a lot of his Father’s archived Ikes material and wondering about the best way to save it. Marcia said she would check with the Discovery Research Center in Chisholm to see if they archive material from organizations like ours.
MINUTES April 24, 2019
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Meredith Bleifuss, Marcia Anderson, Dave Hayes, Dennis Anderson, Rick Blake, Perry and Shirley Loegering
The program on climate effects on forests presented by Brian Palik on April 22nd was a great success. There were about 80 people in attendance. The program was videotaped to be rerun on ICTV and Rich Libbey also videotaped the presentation. In addition, Brian was interviewed by KAXE radio prior to the program.
Shirley reported that the Warba student had not responded yet as to whether she wanted to attend the Ikes summer camp. Shirley will contact her once more before asking Shawn Linder to recommend a student.
Cindy Libbey Gilpin has donated $100 to our chapter. Marcia will send her a thank you.
Bob signed our chapter onto a letter that supported the Clean Waters Act (copy of letter attached). Click link to view: Letter to EPA re Water 2019.docx
(32k)
Bob spoke with Representative Sandy Layman and Senator Justin Eichorn about the school trust land issue. They were not ready to make a decision until they knew where Aaron Vandelinde stood on the issue. Aaron liked the idea to allow some of the rental income to go directly to the schools instead of into the permanent school trust fund (PSF), so schools would receive more income sooner from the PSF. It would take a constitutional amendment to do so, but he thought that may be difficult to get passed.
Bob Scheierl will be attending the state Ikes annual meeting held in Wabasha this year on April 26-28th. Below is a summary of some of the resolutions that they will be voting on this year:
1. Ban on lead fishing tackle and hunting ammo: There was much discussion on this issue, with some members feeling a total ban would be the most effective, while others felt that a phased-out approach would be more successful in the end.
2. Chronic wasting disease (CWD): Resolution asks for a ban on mineral blocks, deer feeding, food plots, new wild cervid farm permits and immediate depopulation of cervid farms. Again, some members felt that a total ban was appropriate, others felt that a more strategic approach would be more likely to get support.
3. Border-to-border 4W truck trail: The resolution would oppose funding for the trail that has already been approved and runs from east to west across the state. It crosses through the northern third of Itasca County. Most members present did not support this resolution as most of the designated route is on hard surface roads and there is value in recognizing the various recreational pursuits of others. However, it would be important to have a plan for maintenance and enforcement.
4. Ban on neonicotinoids on State WMA’s: This resolution is unnecessary since there is already a ban on WMA’s.
5. Resolution to encourage MNPCA to develop guidelines for the use of conductivity meters for measuring pollution: While the meters do not give values for specific pollutants, it would be baseline data to show trends in overall nutrient loads.
6. Support for a carbon dividend act: Our members submitted a resolution on this several years ago that we believe was approved at the state level, but not the national level.
MINUTES March 27, 2019
No meeting
MINUTES February 27, 2019
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Meredith Bleifuss, Marcia Anderson, Dave Hayes, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Plans for the program on climate effects on forests scheduled for April 22nd, Earth Day, are almost complete. Dave Hayes will distribute some flyers around town about the 1st of April. Perry will write a news release and a Letter to the Editor. Dave Hayes will videotape the program for ICTV and letters of invitation will be sent to the County Commissioners and Bud Stone at the Chamber. Outreach to interested groups will be done via email in April.
Rod and Meredith Bleifuss have once again generously offered to fund a scholarship to Ikes summer camp at Deep Portage. It was recommended that we offer the scholarship to the Northern Lights Community School student who organized a program on climate change last year. If she is not available or eligible, we will again ask Shawn Linder at the High School to recommend one of his students. Shirley will follow-up on this.
Bills are being introduced at the State legislature to address the issue of school trust lands being sold. Bob has been working on this issue on his own, and not as a representative of the Ikes. He has contacted our legislators and written a couple of Letters-to-the-Editor proposing that the State could lease these lands as a win-win situation—the school trust would still receive funds and the land would still remain in public ownership. However, there needs to be more publicity to generate citizen support for the idea because it would need a constitutional amendment to make it happen.
There is growing concern about the rising incidents of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in wild deer in Minnesota. This is getting more and more attention nationally and the UofM has asked for funding from the legislature to conduct research on ways to test live animals. There are currently bills being introduced in our State legislature to address this problem and our Chapter could write a letter of support. No action was taken at this meeting.
Bob reported that Governor Walz’s proposed budget contained the following nine environmental items:
1. Buffer tax credit for farmers
2. Funding for solar for schools
3. Two environmental studies: 1) nitrate pollution in SE MN and 2) impact of converting forest to agriculture
4. Developing community involvement in climate change issues
5. Funding for drinking water testing
6. Focus on waste and recycling programs, including food wastes
7. Giving levy authority to soil and water conservation districts
8. Fund electric vehicle infrastructure
9. Develop road salt solutions
Rich Libbey informed Bob by telephone about a lake access on Sugar Lake that someone was requesting be vacated. However, Bob said the county was in favor of keeping the access for public use. The matter will be addressed at a follow-up vacation meeting. Rich will follow up.
In the News:
Amazon is launching a new 2020 electric pickup
MINUTES January 23, 2019
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Meredith Bleifuss, Rick Blake, Marcia Anderson, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Program on climate change effects on forests: Perry reported that no date has been set yet. There has been no recent contact with the presenter because of the Federal government partial shutdown.
2019 Legislative Priorities set by the Minnesota State Ikes: Bob reported the following issues are ones where the State Ikes will be focusing their energy:
· Support clean water
· Conservation Reserve Program (CREP)
· Forever Green Initiative (building healthy soil)
· Fix errors in allocations from the Environmental Trust Fund
· DNR oversight re minerals (separate management from DNR)
· School Trust Land compensation by the State
· Pollinator issue
· Combat climate change
Legislative Updates: The State Ikes office will be putting out a weekly update on selected legislative issues. Bob will send the link to those interested.
The Chapter website needs updating: Shirley will get it done.
Resolutions for the State Ikes annual meeting in April: A discussion was held as to whether our Chapter should present a resolution regarding rank choice voting (as talked about at a previous meeting). It was generally felt that it did not fall within our mission and was dropped.
Petition re Amen Lake sent by Tom Nelson: A discussion was held as to whether our Chapter should support the petition. The issue is currently being discussed at the County level with the County Land Department and Bob felt that was all that necessary. However, Meredith, would like more detailed information from Tom Nelson and asked Bob to pursue the matter.
National Ikes awards are open for nomination.
In the News: Presented by Bob
· A sustainable flooring article looked at life-cycle costs and recommended the following: 1) buy either wood, cork or linoleum, 2) buy tile or vinyl with recycled content, and 3) avoid carpet, especially wool (wool not recommended due to the substantial amount of methane emitted by sheep).
· DNR enrolls state-owned cropland into water quality certification program
· We don’t mine enough minerals needed for renewal energy
· Trump signs ballast water discharge regulation bill under the Clean Water Act, with enforcement by the Coast Guard
· Trump signs Save Our Seas legislation with one goal being to recycle and/or reduce plastics
· Soybean aphids require buckthorn for an alternate host
· Wolves are utilizing beaver and blueberries, not moose, in Voyageurs National Park
MINUTES December 5, 2018
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Dave Hayes, Art Norton, Rich Libbey, Marcia Anderson, Perry and Shirley Loegering
GUESTS: Glenna and Levi Tolrud and Jack Connelly
Levi Tolrud, scholarship recipient to the Ikes summer camp at Deep Portage, gave a glowing report about his experience at the camp. He learned new outdoor skills, made new friends and plans to attend again next year. Levi gave heartfelt thanks to our Chapter for the opportunity to attend the camp. Cindy Libbey Gilpin has indicated that she intends to make a donation to our Chapter to help fund future scholarships.
Jack Connelly, President of the student chapter of the Society of American Foresters (SAF) confirmed that their group at Itasca Community College, as well as the Natural Resource Club, have agreed to co-sponsor the program our chapter is initiating about the effects of climate change on our local forests. The program will be presented by Brian Palik, USFS. It was agreed that early April would be a good time to hold the meeting and Jack will check with the college to determine available dates. Shirley will check for other scheduled activities that may conflict, i.e. Reif programs. Earth Circle is also willing to participate. They are planning a climate change program featuring Paul Douglas, retired meteorologist. Meredith Bleifuss was not able to attend but sent word that Chris Fulton with the Grand Rapids Area Community Foundation would like to be kept informed about the event and might have funds available if they were needed. However, the estimated budget is only about $70.00 so outside funds will not be necessary.
News and Events:
Bob reported that EPIC brand meats is among the growing list of corporations moving towards requiring more sustainable agriculture practices. They are starting to require their meat suppliers to participate in a third-party verification that their lands show improved organic matter, soil carbon retention, water infiltration rates, soil microbiology and plant biodiversity each year. Their Spicy Sriracha Beef Bites in EPIC brands is the first product to be certified under the Ecological Outcomes Verification (EOV) seal.
The Minnesota Ikes Division has joined other environmental groups to sue the State legislature for misuse of the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) in violation of the State Constitution, (i.e. using ENRTF to pay bonding principle and interest for solid waste disposal and municipal wastewater treatment). Their goal is to get next year’s legislative leaders to reverse the legislation.
The mid-term elections were discussed and it was noted that Amy Klobuchar was the only DFL candidate that won in Itasca County.
The national Ikes sent out a petition to “Save Our Streams”, along with a request for donations. Their concern is that the Environmental Protection Agency might roll back, rather than maintain, the current Clean Water Act protections for streams. Marcia Anderson moved, 2nd by Perry Loegering, that our chapter should sign the petition but not to send a donation to the national office—motion passed.
Bob brought up an article about “colony traps” that he read in Outdoor News. The writer was promoting colony traps (live-trap type) as a safer trapping method as it allows for the release of non-target species.
The Grand Rapids Herald-Review recently ran an editorial about the benefits of rank choice voting. Some states (i.e. Maine) and some cities (i.e. Minneapolis) already use rank choice voting. That system allows voters to state their choice of first, second, third, etc. candidates. Possible benefits include allows voters to vote for third party candidates without feeling their vote is being wasted or is helping the opposition win, discourages negative campaigning since candidates must seek second place voters as well as first place votes, reduces the influence of big money in campaigns, etc. Dave Hayes suggested that our chapter draw up a resolution to submit to the State Ikes in support rank choice voting. This will be put on the agenda for January.
CWD in Minnesota deer has made the news again with a positive test in a wild deer in Houston County outside of the CWD management zone. Senator Klobuchar has introduced legislation to try and address this issue at the national level. Some factors that may contribute to the higher incidence in southeastern Minnesota are the high deer densities, private land owner’s managing for trophy deer, proximity to Wisconsin and deer Farms in the area.
Canada has adopted a nation-wide carbon “fee and dividend” program. Our chapter submitted a resolution in support of such a program back in 2012 and that Resolution passed at the State level. Post-meeting I checked the State website and a carbon fee and dividend resolution by other chapters passed in both 2016 and 2017. Not sure where the National stands on this issue.
Bob passed around a sample of youth activity books that are available from the national office.
Art Norton reported on the substantial progress that is being made towards a community solar project in Grand Rapids. The Grand Rapids PUC hired a consultant whose report indicates that a 1-megawatt array (needing about 7-8 acres) would likely save the city $100,000 in the first year and up to $25Million over the 25-year life span of the array. A potential site for the array would be in the airport landing zone. The system would rely on an extensive battery back-up. An RFP is likely to be offered to builders in the near future. Residents of Grand Rapids need to sign up to purchase shares in order to participate in a savings on their bill. Minnesota Power has been part of the ongoing discussion, but they have brought some objections to the table as to whether the contract violates their contract with the City.
The MPCA and other agencies will be holding a meeting for the public on Thursday, December 7th at the Blandin Foundation from 6 to 8:00pm to discuss area water quality findings. The meeting will discuss the initial TMDL study results that include nutrient impairments on King Lake, Eagle Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Upper Lake North Island and Lower Lake South Island, Little Cowhorn, Split Hand and Tamarack Lakes in Aitkin, Itasca and Carlton counties. The TMDL also includes bacteria impairments on Split Hand Creek, Hasty Brook, Willow River, Swan River and Tamarack River. Input on restoration project goals will also be sought.
The Nature Conservancy will be holding a meeting on Tuesday, December 11th at 6:30 to inform people about their upper Mississippi River watershed initiative. They will be working to obtain conservation easements in critical areas of the watershed. The public is welcome.
MINUTES October 24, 2018
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dave Hayes, Marcia Anderson, Perry and Shirley Loegering
A news release was printed in the Grand Rapids Herald-Review about Levi Tolrud, the chapter’s scholarship recipient to Ikes Summer Camp at Deep Portage. Levi will attend one of the next meetings to report on his camp experience. Shirley will submit this information to the Waltonian.
Perry reported that the ICC Student Chapter of the Society of American Foresters (SAF) has agreed to co-sponsor a program about how climate change affects our forests. Jack Connelly is the student representative. Brad Jones, ICC Instructor and Natural Resources Program Coordinator, agreed that the program would be a beneficial one for the forestry students to attend. Perry will check with Brian Palik to see what date works best for him, but we are tentatively thinking early April. Shirley presented some ideas from Meredith Bleifuss, who was not able to attend, about expanding the number of presenters to include other research, but it was decided to keep it at just one speaker with about a half hour presentation and time for Q&A. The SAF Club is willing to provide the refreshments. Several ideas for promoting the event were discussed. One of them would be to have Perry and Jack, and possibly Brian Palik, do an interview on KAXE. It would also be promoted through other groups such as the High School Natural Resource Club and Earth Circle.
Bob presented information about new research that has linked an enzyme in Glyphosate to death in bees. Further research needs to be done to see how it may affect humans, but it is an issue we should be monitoring.
The joint November-December meeting has been set for December 5th and the room has been reserved at KAXE.
MINUTES September 26, 2018
Present: Bob Scheierl, Dave Hayes, Marsha Anderson, Rich Libbey, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Our chapter hosted the Fall Ikes Board of Directors meeting at the Marcell Experimental Forest Field Laboratory on August 11. About 13 people attended—eight from out of town and five of our members. They toured the SPRUCE project and found it very interesting. Our costs came in at about $20 under what we had budgeted.
Our chapter signed on to a letter in support of closing loopholes in the national “sodsaver” American Prairie Conservation Act (see attached).
Click link to view: 2018 Sodsaver Letter.pdf (230k)
Shirley represented the chapter on a conference call from the Minnesota Ikes office to discuss setting up committees for an energy-climate initiative. Their goal is to have as many chapters participate as possible. Two actions that came out of the calls were to 1) send a letter from the State Division to all Ikes members outlining steps they can take to reduce their energy use, and 2) send a letter to all Minnesota governor candidates. A total of about 16 members took part in the calls. Many participants have had extensive experience in energy/climate issues and they will be meeting again to set further priorities and strategies. The book, “Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming” was recommended. It can be obtained through Inter-library loan. The Grand Rapids Area Library has Kw meters that individuals can borrow to check how much power their appliances are using.
Perry reported that he spoke with Brian Palik, Forest Ecologist USFS, and Brian is willing to present a program to the public about the effects of climate change on the local plant communities. Perry will check with ICC to see if the Natural Resource Club will sponsor the program in the hopes that forestry students will attend the program—possibly mid-winter some time.
Perry reported on the “We Are Waters” program that is being promoted by the Minnesota Humanities along with several local sponsors include Itasca Waters and the Reif Center. The theme is “Water is Life” and their goal is to get non-concerned citizens involved. There will be several events/displays in Grand Rapids through 2019. The first event called Aquanesia, an outdoor fun interactive game to increase people’s awareness of water, was held September 29-20 and about 80 people participated. A display about water will be at the Reif Center from August 14-16, 2019.
Bob presented the Judge John W. Tobin Chapter Award to Rich Libbey in appreciation for his continued conservation efforts, particularly with the Great Northern Transmission Line reroute. Congratulations to Rich!
Marsha reported that our chapter received a donation of $100 from Dave Alban in appreciation for the efforts our chapter has made towards conservation issues.
In the News:
Mr. Offitt has backed away from trying to convert forested land to irrigated potato production and has decided to go out of state because of too many regulations in Minnesota.
A nitrogen-fixing bacteria has been found in a corn variety in Mexico.
A German automobile company has developed an electric car that integrates solar panels that recharge the car while driving and when parked. They add less cost than a paint job.
A bottled water study shows that bottled water uses 11 to 90 times more energy to produce than tap water. The cost range mostly depends on how far the bottled water is transported from its bottling location.
Excel plans to replace two coal-fired power plants in Colorado with renewable energy.
A Swiss company has developed a more efficient renewable energy storage.
Hydro power in Canada may be stalled due to public pressure objecting to the project.
Zebra mussels have been found at the Blandin Reservoir.
Rich reported that he attended a City Council meeting to object to the vacation of a public access on Forest Lake. He also reported that a very rural road in northeast Itasca County (near Antlers Lodge) (County Road 45?) is being widened considerably because Federal funds are being used.
No meetings held in July or August
MINUTES June 27, 2018
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Rick Blake, Marcia Anderson, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Discussed the State Resolution that passed called “Preserving Moose—The Monarch of Minnesota’s North Woods”. Bob was wondering what was meant by the statement “due to many actions of humans”. Perry attended the State meeting and thought they possibly may have meant human impacts due to climate change and landscape/habitat changes due to logging, etc. He also stated that other states, including Maine, are having similar problems with low moose numbers, although they lag what is happening in Minnesota.
Also, our Chapter was presented the “Dave Zentner Minnesota Division Defenders Award” at the State meeting in April. This award is an annual, non-competitive award to any chapter that completes various conservation or environmental activities, contributes to a scholarship program, increased its chapter membership and/or produced a regular newsletter for members.
The summer Ikes Board of Directors meeting sponsored by our Chapter will be held at the Marcell Experimental Forest Field Laboratory on August 11th. There will be a social hour on Friday night the 10th in the meeting room at the Dutch Room in Grand Rapids. Chapter members should register if they plan to attend either day. A registration form can be found in the latest Waltonian and will be sent to members. Rick and Dennis volunteered to help on Saturday by making sure that the box lunches get delivered to Marcell.
Reviewed a letter signed by our Chapter to members of Congress asking them to oppose S2877 that attempts to undermine the Wilderness Act by allowing mountain bikes. A copy of the letter is attached.
Click link to view letter: 2018-6-6 Mtn bike sign-on.docx
(28k)
Possible program on climate change effects on forests: Perry spoke with Brian Palik and he is willing to do such a presentation. He has presented to students but not to the general public in the Grand Rapids area. There was some discussion as to whether we should include broader issues such as how climate change affects fish and wildlife. Dennis would like to see the effects on fish, i.e. tullibee, addressed since that issue is often associated with changes in nearby forests. Possibly get Dave Weitzel, DNR Fisheries Manager involved. Marcia suggested that there are two ways we could approach the issue: 1) have a more technical presentation at ICC, possibly co-sponsored by the Natural Resource Club; and 2) a more populist approach that would explain the changes that people may already be noticing in their own locales. Question is, should we focus on one issue or make it broader? Should we keep it a simple program at the Library with one presenter or attempt to get other groups/co-sponsors involved? Should it be a panel discussion or just one presenter? An email survey will be sent out to the members.
It is time to once again fill out the annual 50l(c) report for the National office. Marcia will complete the report and submit it, once she receives the 2017 activities report from Shirley.
Bob shared the National Chapter listing that lists all the chapters in the United States, their membership numbers and delegate count. It will be scanned and sent to the members for their information.
Election of officers: Bob, Shirley and Marcia were all willing to serve another term and there were no other nominations for their positions. Rick Blake moved that the slate of officers be as follows: President, Bob Scheierl; Vice-President Perry Loegering; Secretary Shirley Loegering; Treasurer Marcia Anderson with Bob Scheierl the designated State Director and Perry Loegering the alternate. The motion was seconded by Dennis Anderson and passed unanimously.
Bob shared a news release about a water quality study that the Austin Chapter was doing regarding E. coli and other pollutants from humans and animals found in the Cedar River. They are working with the Mower County staff to enforce and improve septic systems. It may be a model for our chapter to use, possibly in cooperation with other groups. A news article on the project is attached.
Rick started a discussion on neonicotinoids and their harm to pollinators. He had read in a report from Conservation Minnesota that Representative Sandy Layman had voted against SF3656 that would ban the chemical.
Meeting Room: There was a mix up and another group had already reserved the Blandin meeting room that we have used every 4th Monday since December 2014. Apparently, the new management at Central Square Mall did not have us on the schedule and the maintenance crew said that we need to be out of the Mall by 8pm and cannot stay until 9pm as before. Shirley will call the manager and see what can be worked out. We may have to find another location or change our meeting time.
MINUTES May 23, 2018
Present: Bob Scheierl, Perry Loegering, Rick Blake, Marcia Anderson, Meredith Bleifuss,
Dave Hayes and Dennis Anderson
Annual Ikes State Division meeting update – Perry Loegering did an overview of the meeting. The resolution on support for lower deer numbers passed on a 15 to 6 vote at the State meeting.
Reviewed the climate change program presented by Northern Lights School at the Eagles Club on May 11th.
Discussed plans for the Ikes Board of Directors meeting that our chapter is hosting at the Marcell Experimental Forest Field Laboratory on August 11.
There was a discussion about climate change and its affect on forests and how to move forward. Perry will contact Brian Palik and see if he has made any presentations on the issue locally to a general public audience and would he be willing to do so. There was discussion on whether to do it at the college or as a library program. Dennis stated that he has a contact that is doing work on how forests impact fisheries as it relates to climate change.
Election of officers is to be put on the agenda for the June meeting.
MINUTES April 25, 2018
Present: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Marcia Anderson, Meredith Bleifuss, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Possible program re climate effects on forests: A power point about the effects of climate change on forests by Brian Palik, USFS Ecologist, had been routed to members prior to the meeting. However, only a few members had a chance to review it before the meeting. It will be sent to members again along with a short video by The Nature Conservancy that can be viewed at “The Nature Conservancy, Minnesota: Preparing the Northwoods for an Uncertain Future on Vimeo”. The possibility of presenting this topic to the public will be discussed at the May meeting. One question was should this be broadened to include the effects of forests changes on water?
Upper Mississippi River (UMR) Project: Dave Zentner would like to share information about the Ikes UMR project. UMR is designed to encourage farmers along the Mississippi to follow “Best Practices” for protecting water resources. Since we have so few farmers in our area, it might not be the best use of Dave Zentner’s time to come to Grand Rapids and may not be the most important focus for our chapter. Bob will contact Dave to see what he thinks. Perry is going to check out what information might be available at the USDA Research Station in Grand Rapids that might compliment a program about UMR. Since there has been some conversion to ag land in Itasca County, and certainly the possibility for more in the future, this may be an appropriate program. However, could we generate enough interest to draw a crowd for a public program?
Tobin Award: Bob Scheierl, on behalf of our chapter, nominated Rich Libbey to receive the Tobin Award for his outstanding conservation efforts, especially regarding the Great Northern Transmission Route proposed by Minnesota Power.
The State Ikes Division annual meeting will be held April 28th. Perry plans to attend. The two resolutions being considered this year are 1) to reduce the deer population in the northeast Minnesota moose range to lessen the mortality effect of the deer-transmitted brain worm on moose, and 2) to encourage more regulation to protect the wetland habitat surrounding the Mississippi River from harmful watercraft behavior.
Headlines and Announcements:
· Bob reported that Apple Computer is now run 100% with renewable energy and that more and more companies, i.e. Patagonia, are putting pressure on the Trump administration to protect public lands.
· “Water Action Day at the Capital” is set for May 2nd
· Climate change program sponsored by Northern Lights Community School set for May 11th at the Eagles in Grand Rapids
MINUTES March 28, 2018
Present: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Marcia Anderson, Dave Hayes, Rick Blake, Perry & Shirley Loegering
Minnesota Lake Surveys: Bob asked if anyone knew who in the DNR was managing the water level data. Perry suggested that Rian Reed, DNR Hydrologist, would be the person to contact. The DNR does routine staff gauge readings to measure water level and they also have volunteers who send in the data. Water levels by lake can be found on the DNR Lake Finder website. Perry does secchi disc readings on Little Splithand, Smith and Cowhorn. Those readings are submitted to the MNPCA through their citizen science program.
Ikes Summer Camp Scholarship: For the second time, Rod and Meredith Bleifuss have offered to fund the scholarship for one Grand Rapids High School student to attend Ikes summer camp at Deep Portage. The cost for 2018 is $425.00. Dave Hayes moved, 2nd by Perry Loegering, that Shirley should contact Shawn Linder at the High School to ask for his assistance in recommending a student—motion passed. There was some discussion about possibly offering the scholarship to a student at the Northern Lights Community School next year.
Ikes National Scholarship: There is a $2,500 scholarship available on the National Ikes level. A person could go online to their website for details.
National Forest Roadless Letter: Bob received a request from the MN Division Office asking that our chapter consider signing on to the letter that opposed any legislative effort to weaken or eliminate roadless forest protection under the Roadless Rule and roadless area riders attached to the FY 2018 Interior Appropriations B. This includes National Forest areas in Minnesota as well as the Alaska-based Tongass National Forest. Since the deadline for submission was before this regularly scheduled meeting, Bob routed the letter to the Executive Committee and asked for their input. The vote was “yes” that Bob should sign on to the letter for our chapter, so our chapter signed on. Attached for your information is an unsigned copy of the letter.
Click link to view: 2018-3-17 MN Roadless Area Support Letter (1).doc (37k)
Minnesota State Ikes Convention April 27-28th: This will be held at the Audubon Center near Sandstone, MN. Our chapter is allowed 3 total votes (2 delegates and 1 State Chairman) out of a total of 57. Marcia moved, 2nd by Rick, to appoint Shirley & Perry as delegates—motion passed. Bob mentioned that our chapter would have one vote at the National convention.
State Ikes Legislative Priorities for 2018: (Bob will send out a copy by email to members)
1. School Land Trust Compensation
a. BWCA State/Federal Land exchange & federal purchase of BWCA lands within the BWCA. (Apparently the exchange portion was pulled from the Federal budget bill but $4 million was included for purchase of State school trust lands within the BWCA.)
b. Timber harvest management
c. Purchase of SNA lands by DNR
2. Pollinators – better management of road right-of-ways to encourage pollinator friendly habitat
3. Clean Water
a. CREP support
b. Forever Green – project by the UofM to do research, demonstration and market development on cover crops and perennial crops to improve water quality and ag sustainability.
4. Pollution Prevention
a. Enforcement of current laws and maintain public input
b. No roll-back of environmental standards
Upper Mississippi River Project (UMR): Dave Zentner has offered to present information about this project to chapters if they are interested. It covers the four-state area of Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Their goal is to maintain fishable, swimmable waters and to eliminate the “Dead Zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. Their main focus is to concentrate on educating farmers and non-resident landowners about best practices, to monitor violations, analyze reasons for wetland destruction, and to give economic incentives to farmers who practice conservation. They have developed a toolkit for chapters to use. While we are located along the Mississippi River, there is very little ag land in this area and most of the local efforts focus on lakeshores. Bob will contact Dave Zentner to see if he feels it would be worth his time to do a presentation in Grand Rapids.
Announcements:
April 3rd –Pipeline Abandonment Hearing at St. Andrews Church– 4-6:00pm - Free with wild rice dinner
April 5th – Redrock Wilderness Area Southern Utah presentation at Grand Rapids Area Library - 6pm
April 10th – American Politics: Coming Together to Move Forward at Grand Rapids Library - 6pm
April 11th – Fundraiser for Let’s Go Fishing with Seniors – Noon to 7pm at the Eagles
April 21st – Earth Day Event at Central Square Mall, Grand Rapids – 10-4:00pm
May 11th – Climate Change Convening by Northern Lights Community School at Eagles – 5-8:30pm
Itasca Waters (formerly Itasca Water Legacy Partnership) has a new website featuring guidelines for shoreline owners as well as a comprehensive publication. www.itascawaters.org
MINUTES February 28, 2018
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Dave Hayes, Jay Janecek, Marcia Anderson, Perry and Shirley Loegering
GUESTS: Donna Hanson-Kaasa, Northern Lights Community School, Jeff Hines, MN DNR, and Pam Coy
Donna Hanson-Kaasa, a teacher from Northern Lights Community School in Warba, gave a brief overview of the school and shared information about a climate change program scheduled for May 11 (see attached flyer). They currently have 105 students in grades 6-12. They are an alternative school focused on hands-on project-based learning. One of the 8th grade students has chosen to organize an event about climate change and they asked if our chapter would be willing to help publicize the event. Donna also mentioned that the students are required to do 25 hours of community service per year and might be available to work with our chapter if we had the need.
Shirley reported that Brian Palik, USDA Forestry Northern Research Station, has agreed to attend our April meeting to talk about their research on climate change and impacts on local forests. There has been no response yet from John Almendinger or John Latimer. This would just be a brainstorming meeting to talk about the potential of our chapter hosting a program on climate change and effects on local plant communities.
Jeff Hines, Assistant Area Wildlife Manager with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in Grand Rapids, talked about the sustainable timber harvest proposal that is currently being debated. Industry wants the State to harvest 1.1 million cords and many people feel that amount is not sustainable. The decision by the DNR Commissioner will be announced this next week [Post meeting note: This week the DNR announced harvest would increase to 870,000 cords per year.] On another issue, the local DNR Wildlife office is currently in the process of purchasing land that would add about 200 acres to the current 2,000-acre Prairie Lake Deer Yard WMA. Jeff mentioned that there may be opportunities in the future for our chapter to lend its support in similar efforts to purchase land for public use.
Rich Libbey and Perry attended a hearing before a Judge about a request by a land owner to vacate a public access adjacent to his property on Pokegama Lake. Rich cited earlier Supreme Court rulings that stated that such accesses should remain in public ownership. Perry testified that this access, while being very steep and rugged, would still offer access for local residents, especially for the second-tier of development nearby.
As a follow-up to earlier discussions at chapter meetings, Bob mentioned that Walmart has both 12ga and 20ga non-toxic shot in size 6 and 7 target loads available at a very reasonable price.
A discussion was held as to whether our chapter wants to once again sponsor a student to the Ikes Summer Camp at Deep Portage. The cost this year has increased to $425 and, if we did as in past years and asked the student to pay $50, there would be a $375 cost to our chapter. Shirley suggested that we could maybe raise those funds by requesting donations from our members. There was also a discussion about how to choose a student--if we wanted to go through Shawn Linder at the Grand Rapids High School again or contact other schools. It was tabled until the March meeting.
News/Events
Earth Circle is sponsoring events for Earth Day at Central Square Mall on Saturday and Sunday, April 21st and 22nd
Our chapter will be hosting the State Ikes Board of Directors meeting on August 11th. We will meet at the Northern Forest Research Station in Marcel.
MINUTES January 24, 2018
Present: Bob Scheierl, Meredith Bleifuss, Doug Veit, Dennis Anderson, Jay Janecek, Rich Libbey, Perry and Shirley Loegering. Guest: Barb Veit for last half of meeting
A motion was made by Shirley Loegering, 2nd by Perry Loegering, to authorize Treasurer to purchase 100 stamps for $49.00 to be used for chapter membership and other business—motion passed.
A draft letter to Itasca County Land Commissioner regarding our chapter recommendations re continued management of Itasca County Natural Areas was routed via email to chapter members prior to the meeting (see link to letter on correspondence page). There were no major objections expressed. A motion was made by Dennis Anderson, 2nd by Rich Libbey, to approve the letter—motion passed. Shirley will prepare the letter on the appropriate letterhead and send to Bob who will attach it to an email to Kory Cease.
Click link to view letter: 2018 Letter to Itasca Co Land Commissioner.doc (90k)
Attached is a letter to legislators on sodsaver protection proposed for 2018 Farm Bill. Since it seemed to fall in line with what our chapter members usually expressed on the subject, Bob Scheierl took the liberty to sign our chapter on as a supporter (see link to letter on correspondence page). Click link to view letter: 2018 Sodsaver Letter.pdf (230k)
The August 11, 2018 State Ikes Board of Directors meeting will be hosted by our Chapter. We will meet at the Northern Forest Research Station in Marcel and have a guided tour of the SPRUCE project in the afternoon by Randy Kolka. The agenda, food and transportation still need to be planned. The Jan-Feb. issue of the Minnesota Volunteer included a great article on the SPRUCE Project and Meredith suggested we get extra copies to handout to the participants at the meeting. Shirley will make those arrangements.
Since the impact of climate change on our local forests and plant communities might be a topic of concern and interest, it was decided that we would first invite a few local experts in the field to attend one of our chapter meetings (we will try for April). If it seems appropriate, we can then decide how to move forward with outreach to the public. Shirley will contact John Almendinger, DNR Forest Ecologist, John Latimer, Minnesota Phenologist, and Brian Palik, USDA Forestry Northern Research Station and invite them to attend one of our chapter meetings for an informal discussion.
Why don’t all hunters use copper bullets? Rich Libbey brought his issue up for discussion. Some of the possible reasons why hunters have not switched to copper bullets for hunting big game are 1) toxicity not readily evident, 2) tradition hard to change, 3) may have a life-time supply of bullets, 4) think the cost is prohibitive, 5) feel the bullets are not as accurate, and 6) not aware of the scientific evidence of toxicity. Steps our chapter could take before the hunting seasons start in the fall are 1) develop PSA announcements for local radio stations, 2) write letters to the editor, and 3) write news article for the local papers. Emphasis could be put on human health impacts, especially on children. This will be put on the July Agenda.
Nonferrous metallic mineral exploration leases in Itasca County are ongoing. Rich Libbey noted that new areas where leases have been granted are west of Bigfork and in the Effie area. While there are strict regulations to control the impacts of mineral exploration, we should keep aware of any possible move to begin a mining operation.
Karen Noyce has developed a program about the pre-settlement history of our area. Rather than ask her to come talk to our small group, Rich Libbey will see if she is interested in presenting the information to the Greater Pokegama Lake Association with the intent to invite Ikes members to attend as well.
Proposed 2018 State Legislature Priorities for State Division of the Izaak Walton League
Standing Priorities:
- Wetlands and Water
- Sulfide Ore and Silica Sand Mining
- Renewable Energy
Primary Concerns:
- School Trust Lands
- Pollinators
Support Issues
- RIM/CREP III Easements
- Separation of mineral promotion duties from the DNR
- Sustainable timber harvest – The 1,000,000 cords being requested by industry is not sustainable.
- Defend existing environmental laws
o Renewable requirements for utilities
o Pipeline issues
o Water quality standards
Our Chapter 501c3 group income tax exemption has been approved for another year.
Vacating undeveloped public access corridors on area lakes. Rich Libbey noted that Harris Twp is in the process of vacating a couple of sites on Pokegama Lake. One on Sunny Beach already done but there is time for input on an access on Gamma Beach Road. If a petition to vacate by an adjacent land owner is approved, the adjoining landowner(s) acquire the land without paying for it, but will have to start paying real estate taxes on the added land. Arguments to keep in public ownership are: 1) gives access to the local citizens, especially the nearby second-tier homes, for swimming or kayak/canoe access and 2) even though a small area, it would still be a section of undeveloped shoreline that might foster better riparian habitat for birds and animals. A motion was made by Doug Veit, 2nd by Meredith Bleifuss, to authorize Perry Loegering to contact the appropriate DNR departments to state that our Chapter opposes vacating the public access sites—motion passed. Addition to Minutes by Rich Libbey: Harris Township already voted to vacate the Sunny Beach Access to Pokegama. The North Gama Beach Road access is in an unorganized township and is going to District Court on Feb 26th for a hearing on vacation or retention by the public. I think the DNR will be represented by the Minnesota Attorney Generals Office if the Regional Headquarters recommends it be retained in the public’s interest.
Doug and Barb Veit shared an invitation from Earth Circle to join them on Feb. 17th at 2pm at the Grand Rapids Area Library to plan activities for Earth Day on April 22nd.
News/Facts/Announcements
1. Feb. 5th – Grand Rapids Solar Garden Meeting, 7-9pm, Grand Rapids Area Library
2. Feb. 6th Minnesota Political Caucus Night – attend and bring your Resolutions
3. Feb. 7th – MPCA public input meeting in Aurora re permit to mine to Polymet
4. Feb. 8th – MPCA public input meeting in Duluth re permit to mine to Polymet
MINUTES December 6, 2017
Present: Bob Scheierl, Jay Janecek, Marcia Anderson, Rich Libbey, Meredith Bleifuss, Dennis Anderson, Perry and Shirley Loegering. Guests: Barb and Eric Linder
Ikes Summer Camp Scholarship: Eric Linder, 10 years old, was the 2017 recipient of the $350 scholarship to the Ikes summer camp at Deep Portage provided by Meredith and Rod Bleifuss. Eric gave a glowing report about his experience at the camp and said he wants to go again and would highly recommend it to others. In his written thank you note, Eric said “I had so much fun and can’t wait to go back next year with a friend.”
Treasurer Marcia Anderson reported that we have $1,211.42 in our chapter account.
National Ikes Issues: Bob presented two items for discussion that he received from the National office. First was a request for donations towards their “Save Our Streams” campaign. It was decided not to send a donation. Second was a “Clean Water Challenge” survey, also with a request for financial support. We completed the survey but, again, decided not to send a donation to the National office. It was generally felt that our chapter’s effort would have more of an impact if we worked towards shaping public policy rather than a “boots on the ground” water monitoring project. There are many agencies in the area already doing that work.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USF&WS) has proposed changes to the swan season whereby one trumpeter swan could legally be taken as an “incidental” bird during a tundra swan season. The Minnesota Ikes responded with their decision to oppose the change. Bob expressed his personal concern to the Minnesota Ikes division via email that he felt that the tone of the letter was that Minnesota Ikes would never support a trumpeter swan season, in spite of rapidly increasing trumpeter swan populations. Currently this proposed change would not affect Minnesota because we do not have a tundra swan season. Minnesota Ikes responded because they felt this was a first step toward allowing a trumpeter swan season in Minnesota. Since Bob believes that support of responsible sport hunting, fishing and trapping is a core belief of the Ikes organization, he felt this was an issue our chapter members should watch.
The Fall 2018 State Ikes Board Meeting will be hosted by our chapter on August 11th. The meeting is open to all members and is usually attended by about a dozen or so voting board members, with an attendance of 25-30 people. The plan is to meet near Marcell at the U.S Forest Service Northern Research Station for a meeting in the morning and a tour of their climate change research project in the afternoon. Our chapter would be responsible for providing rolls and coffee for the morning and a catered lunch for noon. A fee to attend would cover our costs. Bob has already talked with the someone at the site but he will contact them again to confirm the date. It would also be nice to provide a location where there could be an informal mixer on Friday evening—possibly at one of our member’s homes.
Itasca County Natural Areas: Kory Cease and other staff from the Itasca County Land Department had visited our chapter meeting several months ago to inquire if our chapter was content with how the natural areas were being managed or if we would be open to any changes. In light of that discussion, four of our members (Bob Scheierl, Perry Loegering, Jay Janecek and Dave Hayes) took a field trip on Monday, November 20th to visit a few sites. They toured the Deer Lake (154.3 acres) and Crooked Lake (480.95 acres) Natural Areas. They also visited a county site adjacent to the Wabu Woods SNA--that site might be a potential site for a swap. Not visited, but discussed at this meeting, was the Bigfork Natural Area (724.2 acres).
Members suggested that one forty and some adjoining land in the Deer Lake site (SWSE and that part of SESE lying west of County Road 256) might be best exchanged for a more suitable area since it has been fragmented by roads, power lines, gravel pit, and a boat access. The downed trees in the rest of the Deer Lake site have been happening over an extended period and for various reasons and there is already some regeneration with hazel brush currently the prevalent plant community. It is predominantly a pine site (sandy soil) but currently has much red oak and aspen and little pine. The advantage to keeping this site would be to showcase long-term natural succession, without logging, in spite of the natural and man-made disturbances. The County Land Department staff commented that the current downed timber might pose a fire hazard. A tour of the county site adjacent to the Wabu Woods SNA left the group feeling that it was not the most suitable site for a swap since it is predominantly balsam-fir. A better alternative might be in the Pancake Lake area near Wawina, County land adjoining Boltuck-Rice Forever Wild SNA on the west side of Sugar Lake, or another site that the County might suggest.
The Crooked Lake area has large, old aspen with white pine regeneration and appears to be serving its purpose. Access trails might be a potential upgrade but control of ATV’s would be important. While the Bigfork area was not visited, it was felt that it was one of the more critical parcels to maintain in its natural state since it is one of the very few rare parcels of untouched, undeveloped land of its size in the county.
Bob will draft a letter to Kory Cease and will route it to our members before sending it. The basic agreement among the members present at this meeting was that the original reasons for maintaining these natural areas are still important and that the sites should remain in their natural state and not be logged or management practices changed.
Possible Climate Change Program: Meredith proposed that our Chapter plan a program for the public concerning the effects of climate change on area forests and plant communities. Many new questions are being asked, i.e. 1) What are our public agencies doing or not doing, 2) will transplanting (invasive?) species from a warmer climate be helpful or harmful, 3) what should the private landowner do, and 3) how will Itasca County Natural Areas play a role? Before taking on such a program, it might be helpful to ask an expert in the field to attend one of our Chapter meetings, such as John Almendinger, DNR Forest Ecologist, or John Latimer, Minnesota Phenologist. Perry suggested that Brain Palik, USDA Forestry Northern Research Station, would be another good resource since they are doing just such research already. This item was tabled until the January 24th meeting.
Copper bullets for deer hunting: Rich Libbey will contact the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association to find out their stance on this issue.
Before we could finish the discussion on the last two items above, we were told that the Mall was closing and we had to end the meeting at 9pm. Those items and the following items on the Agenda were not addressed and will be put on the Agenda for the next meeting.
1. Proposed presentation by Karen Noyce on pre-settlement history of area
2. Our 501c3 group income tax exemption has been approved
3. Authorize Treasurer to purchase 100 stamps for $49.00 to be used for chapter membership and other business
News/Facts
1. Cover crops reduce need for tiling
2. 1/3 of corn produced in US goes to making ethanol(?)
3. Tesla is taking orders for electric semi-trucks to be available in 2019
MINUTES JUNE 28, 2017
Present: Bob Scheierl, Meredith Bleifuss, Dennis Anderson, Art Norton, Dave Hayes, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Guests: Kory Cease, Itasca County Land Commissioner, Mike Gibbons, Assistant Itasca County Land Commissioner, Bob Rother, District 1 Forester, Perry Leone, District 3 Forester, and Ben West, District 6 Forester
Report on the May 4th “What’s in our Water? Does it Matter?” program held at Itasca Community College. There were 64 attendees, many of whom were college students. Art Norton moved, 2nd by Meredith Bleifuss, to pay the two outstanding invoices as follows: 1) to ISD318 in the amount of $60.10 for printing and $62.64 to Shirley for an ink cartridge and snacks for the program—motion passed. The total cost for the program was $482.64. Donations in the amount of $200 each came from the Grand Rapids Public Utilities and Itasca Water Legacy Partnership, leaving a cost of $82.64 for our Chapter.
The annual chapter activities report is due to be sent to the National Ikes office. Shirley will send a rough draft o Bob for his review and Shirley and Marcia will complete and submit the report.
50th Anniverary of Itasca County Natural Areas established by Ikes on Trust Fund Land
Kory Cease and the other Itasca County staff listed above requested attendance at our meeting to review past co-operative projects with our Chapter (see summary attached). Since it has been 50+ years since the establishment of the first site, they felt it was important to review the management practices and are specifically looking for input from our Chapter to 1) review whether the land is being managed as originally set out in their Board actions, as per agreements with our Chapter, and 2) whether there are parcels that should have a change in management practices, including the possibility of removing some of the timber.
Most of the parcels were chosen to preserve specific and unique vegetative and geological types in Itasca County with the long-term goal of no disturbance and to make them available as historical/educational sites. Obviously, over time, all sites have, or will have, significant changes in cover types. Most of the members present felt that change is part of the natural succession and would not warrant a change in management practices. In fact, that is part of the value of these sites and, with global climate change, maybe more so. One value to having large, undisturbed tracts of land such as the 758-acre Bigfork River site and 650-acre Blackberry site, is the unique opportunity for wildlife habitat not found elsewhere.
However, one example where different management practices might be considered is on the Deer Lake site (156 acres). According to Ben West, this site saw a 30% blow-down in 2012 and an additional 50% blow-down since then, mostly in the pine segment. In some areas, the blow-down is 12’ high and, obviously, a fire danger. In addition, the site has been fragmented by two power lines, a county road and a boat access. One suggestion was that this site might be a good candidate for a swap with a more desirable site.
One other issue that the Land Department is considering for review on these parcels is to document which areas and trails are non-motorized and to get that into a formal plan.
Our Chapter will discuss these issues in the coming meetings and will respond to the Land Department in writing on our recommendations.
A matching gift request was received for the Minnesota Division Upper Mississippi River Initiative. The pilot project would be on the Minnesota River with a second site on the Upper Cedar River near Austin. Our Chapter will not be sending a donation but, in the event individual members would like to donate, a copy of the donation form is attached. If you would like more information, contact Shirley.
Governor Dayton is kicking off a new “25 by 25” Water Quality Goal Initiative. Currently, Minnesota’s water quality is expected to improve by only 6-8% by the year 2025. Governor Dayton wants to increase that to 25% by 2025. He will be holding several public meetings throughout Minnesota. The closest one to us will be in Bemidji on Wednesday, Sept. 13th at 6:30 pm. In addition, he is asking local community groups to host additional conversations on the topic. Our Chapter would like to learn more about what is involved before we commit to planning a meeting, i.e. is the criteria based on impaired water data. We could possibly tie the discussion in with a review of the Itasca County Water Plan up for review next year. Shirley will forward the information to ICOLA and GPLA.
Enbridge Line 3 abandonment/reroute was briefly discussed. Shirley attended the public input meeting held in Grand Rapids and asked the question, if abandoned and chemical solutions were used to clean out the pipe, was Enbridge obligated to disclose information about those. She also reported that there was an article in the Grand Rapids Herald-Review about the City of Grand Rapids writing a letter of concern to the MN Dept. of Commerce about the potential for contamination if the pipeline developed problems where it crosses the city’s well-head site. Also, in a Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce survey of their members, a majority of those responding were concerned about abandonment. There was a mixture of opinions as to whether the pipeline should be replaced in the existing line or rerouted in a new location. Many supported Enbridge but a few questioned the need at all.
Regarding sulfide mining, Meredith shared an editorial about Rep. Nolan agreeing with anti-public land politicians on sulfide mining that ran on June 25 issue of the Herald-Review. Please contact him if you are concerned about his stance on this issue. Another chance to have your voice heard will be at a public meeting in Virginia on July 25th.
MINUTES MAY 24, 2017
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Dave Hayes, Perry Loegering and Marcia Anderson (no quorum)
A sponsorship check in the amount of $200 was received from Grand Rapids Public Utilities for the May 4th “What’s in our water?” program. $200 still pending from IWLP. 64 people attended the program. Although no quorum, it was agreed to approve payment of the following invoices since up to $200 for the program was approved at a previous meeting:
a. KOZY/KMFY/KBAJ radio ads - $204.00
b. Mines and Pines ad - $150
[Note: Day after this meeting and before Minutes were completed, the $200 check from Itasca Water Legacy Partnership was received.]
A representative from the Red Rock Wilderness lands in Utah made a request to have our Chapter sponsor a presentation in Grand Rapids. Apparently, President Trump is attempting to reverse an Obama order that designated this wilderness area. It was decided not to follow up. [Post meeting correction: It seems that this site has not been designated as a wilderness yet, but instead is trying to get support for such.]
Report about Representative Layman’s town hall meeting tabled since Rich Libbey is the only member who attended and he was not present at this meeting to make a report.
The Natural Resources bill passed the Legislature but no specifics were known at meeting time.
The State Ikes Division asked if our Chapter could sponsor the Board of Director’s meeting in August with proposed dates of either August 5th or 12th. It would include a Friday night social gathering, meeting on Saturday and a field trip, possibly to the climate change research facility near Marcell. Several things would make it difficult for our Chapter to host in August, including Tall Timber Days on the 5th and Shirley not available to assist on either of those dates. We could possibly host in 2018.
Also discussed the following news stories:
· Germany’s use of renewable fuel at 60% on April 30, 2017 and at 85% during 10 AM to 6 PM that day. They will phase out nuclear power by 2030.
· UK does not burn any coal starting last month.
· Tesla is taking orders for solar shingles for houses. These can be used in place of regular shingles and eliminates need for installing a separate panel on roof.
· Burning biomass costs up to 10 times as much as new wind power.
· A futurist predicts that electric cars will take over the market soon, within 8 years? Timeline seems off but efficiencies are apparently substantial enough to possibly make it inevitable.
MINUTES APRIL 26, 2017
Present: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Meredith Bleifuss, Rich Libbey, Perry and Shirley Loegering and Marcia Anderson stopped in briefly
Shirley gave an update on the May 4th water program. All advertising and PR has been completed. A final accounting for income and expenses will be presented at the May meeting.
Ikes summer camp scholarship has been awarded to Eric Linder, 11-year-old son of Shawn Linder. Shirley will let Marcia know as soon as Eric has registered for camp so that she can send the scholarship money directly to Deep Portage Learning Center.
National Ikes have put out a request for donations for a Boy Scout Jamboree to be held in West Virginia.
Lead ban discussion: Bob reported that both the House and Senate have passed bills to ban the DNR from restricting lead shot. Possibly this will be used as a negotiating point for other issues. Bob did a literature search and found several credible articles indicating adverse effects of lead shot for doves, pheasants and other wildlife. There was a discussion about the availability of non-lead shot and fishing equipment. Gremlin Green does produce non-lead sinkers. Whether or not legislation gets passed to ban lead shot, citizens can make that change on their own. Buying power definitely changes manufacturing trends.
DNR fee increase update is still being negotiated.
Representative Layman’s position on buffer bill, according to discussions and correspondence with Bob Scheierl, is that she agrees buffers are important for protecting water quality but she is in favor of giving farmer’s more time to comply.
Representative Layman co-signed a letter that requested that the Legacy committee recommend less land acquisition. This was subsequently made part of the Legacy financing bill passed by the House.
Bob developed a summary about School Trust lands and sent it to Rep. Layman. He will also send it out to our chapter members. Bob has also contacted Senator Eichorn about these issues but has not received a response.
Rich Libbey attended a meeting at the Sawmill Inn when three State DFL legislators were in town for a public meeting. They stated that, since northeastern Minnesota does not have DFL representation right now, they are more than willing to listen to concerns from this region. Rich shared his concerns about School Trust lands with them. The meeting was videotaped by ICTV and can be viewed there.
Blandin conservation easement lawsuit with Itasca County is still ongoing. Blandin is looking to reduce their forestry lands property tax to 14% of what is currently assessed. They would like to see their parcels taxed as one large entity instead of in 40-acre blocks. Bob understands that a settlement was reached subject to the State paying for reductions in County property tax revenue. Fallout from this lawsuit, unfortunately, seems to be that conservation easements are getting a bad name, even though it seems the primary issue is how large properties are taxed in Minnesota (by the 40 rather than as one large unit), regardless of conservation easements.
Enbridge Line 3 replacement is an issue that still needs watching. According to information received through ICOLA, the first draft of the Environmental Impact Statement has been delayed until May 15 which will trigger a series of public input meetings and comment periods. A discussion was held that replacing the current line 3 with an upgrade may have less environmental impact than leaving the current line in place and creating a new corridor on the Sandpiper line route.
Ikes State Convention will be Sunday, April 30th at Hormel Nature Center, Austin, MN. It appears none of our chapter members will be attending.
In the News:
Bob reported that McDonald's has advertised using sustainable Pollock fish from Alaska in sandwiches. [Note added by Bob post meeting: An internet check indicates that Pollock are very common in the Bering Sea by Alaska. Using sustainability of harvest as a selling point seems like a positive step toward promoting wise natural resource use. Kudos to McDonalds’s!]
Big business is pushing coal friendly Kentucky to embrace renewables. Also, Great Britain has a goal to be coal-free within the next few decades.
Rich reported about President Trump’s order to review all National Monuments. He also suggested that a good group to support is the Center for Biological Diversity. Another good group in Minnesota is the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA).
Rich also reported on the Harris Township comprehensive plan meeting. Water quality was one of the hot topics since Pokegama Lake is the greatest asset in the township. Among other things, it was agreed that 1) any new commercial development must have a storm water retention plan, 2) they will retain all designated public accesses, and 3) Hwy. 169 south of the causeway will not be designated as commercial—only the area along the highway north of the causeway. There will be another public meeting to discuss the changes.
MINUTES MARCH 22, 2017
Present: Bob Scheierl, Rick Blake, Dave Hayes, Marcia Anderson, Rich Libbey, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Update on May 4th program about chemicals of emerging concern was given by Shirley. The good news is that the Itasca Community College Natural Resource Club will help sponsor the event. That means there will be no cost to rent the auditorium. Also, Grand Rapids Public Utilities Commission has agreed to donate $200. Therefore, all the expected expenses should be covered. Shirley moved, 2nd by Marcia, that the income and expenses can be run through the Ikes checking account—motion passed.
Ikes summer camp scholarship: Marcia reported that there is only $150 left of the amount donated towards the scholarship fund from the Wes Libbey family. The cost again this year is $400 and our chapter has provided $350 of that in past years. Meredith and Rod Bleifuss have generously volunteered to donate $350 towards the scholarship for this year. Bob moved, 2nd by Perry, that members will be notified that any donation they may wish to make in the future towards the scholarship will be kept in a dedicated fund for that purpose and that the scholarship will be offered to Shawn Linder’s son for this year—motion passed. Shawn Linder, Advisor to the High School FFA Club, has nominated a student for the scholarship in the past and his willingness to provide that service to our chapter has been greatly appreciated.
Ikes State Convention will be held on Sunday, April 30th at the Hormel Nature Center in Austin, MN. Our chapter is allowed a total of 3 votes—2 members plus Bob Scheierl, our State Director. All members are welcome to attend, whether voting or not, and can register online.
Our chapter does not have a resolution to present this year. Bob suggested that he would like to see a resolution for next year to encourage rooftop solar. Rick added that there is an active group in Grand Rapids working on community solar.
School Trust lands: Bob reported that he had a brief conversation with Representative Sandy Layman about the issue. He may follow-up with written information to further define the problem. It was also suggested that we write a Letter to the Editor for “Outdoor News” but this was not voted on.
Legislative Update:
1. Lead ammunition ban: A bill was introduced into the Legislature that would not allow the DNR to do any “rule making” to ban lead use. Senator Eichorn is one of the authors. DU and other groups supported Secretary Zinke’s revoking of the lead ban in wildlife refuges by 2020 citing lack of scientific evidence—which is a puzzle to those members present since there does seem to be ample evidence of the damage done to wildlife from lead ammunition, especially to eagles and doves.
2. Legacy Fund bill was introduced whereby the State could take a lump sum to pay for the future cost of “in lieu of taxes” for land purchased by the State. If that was unlawful, then the State would not be allowed to purchase more land. House will probably pass--unsure about Senate response.
3. Mowing of State ditches bill introduced whereby adjoining farmers could hay at any time at their discretion. Another bill, or part of this bill, would place a moratorium on any MN DOT enforcement of ditch mowing requirements on State highways.
4. A buffer bill was introduced to delay implementation for two years and to reduce buffer widths on “non-shoreland”. Dayton strongly opposes these changes.
5. Game violation penalty increase bill introduced. Seems to be much bipartisan support.
6. DNR license fee increase: Our chapter hosted a meeting of invited stakeholders encouraging them to support the license fee increase.
All members are encouraged to contact their legislators about these issues as they see fit.
Rich mentioned a couple of news items: 1) The Bigfork School has the go ahead to start a “school forest” on tax forfeit land. This might be a good possibility for other schools on School Trust Fund land. 2) The Federal government has been buying land—maybe they would be interested in purchasing the School Trust Fund land near Wabana. 3) Itasca County is considering whether to allow ATV’s on all county roads. Some things to consider might be an age restriction and establishing a speed limit. ATV’s might do less damage if riding on the roadway and not in the ditch.
Announcements:
Ikes Water Action Day April 19th with a rally, lobbying and identifying buttons. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/minnesota-water-action-day-registration-31483505011. Volunteer help needed.Event will be at Christ Lutheran Church, 105 University Ave W, across from the Capitol. Food will be served downstairs and presentations will be upstairs in the main sanctuary. Please register early to make it easier to get appointments with legislators. Transportation will be available from northern MN. Speakers include the Governor, Winona LaDuke; Walter Mondale, and David Durenberger.
DFL Legislators will be in Grand Rapids on Saturday, March 25th at 10:00 at the Sawmill Inn for a listening session.
Note: Prior to the meeting a discussion was held with those present about the Comprehensive Plan being updated in Harris Township. A large portion of Pokegama Lake lies in Harris Township and it would be important to protect its water quality—an issue Ikes members may want to pay attention to. There will be a public meeting on April 24th.
MINUTES FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Present: Bob Scheierl, Art Norton, Dennis Anderson, Dave Hayes, Jay Janecek, Rich Libbey, Marcia Anderson, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Meeting with new legislators Rep. Sandy Layman and Sen. Justin Eichorn: It was decided that we should try to meet with them separately and to do so with just a few representatives from our Chapter (rather than including other local organizations). Besides asking them what their priorities are, we could bring up a few of the issues that are of concern to our chapter, i.e. banning lead shot on WMA’s, legacy funding, DNR license fee increase and the school trust fund issue. Since Art Norton lives in a different district, he may try to contact his legislators.
Program about chemicals of emerging concern in our water on Thursday, May 4th: Shirley reported that planning for the program is going well. We have three confirmed speakers and have reserved Chucker Auditorium in Davies Hall at ICC. IWLP has agreed to be a financial sponsor and we can use their liability insurance, but we are still waiting to hear whether the Natural Resource Club at ICC and others will sponsor the event.
Drug Disposal Day will be February 25th at Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital, sponsored by them and the Itasca County Sheriff’s Department. Dave Hayes will attend and ask if there is a possibility to make that a permanent drop-off site.
Chapter “Accomplishments” handout: This was worked on last year but it will be routed to the members with these Minutes for a review before it is used as a handout at the May 4th program.
Ikes summer camp scholarship: It was decided that we should not give out more in scholarship money than was donated by the Wes Libbey family as a memorial for their Father. We have sent four students to camp at $350 each for a total of $1400. Marcia will check the records for the original memorial amount. If there is not enough to cover more scholarships, we could possibly ask for donations from our members. Our chapter does not bring in very much money each year through membership dues.
DNR License Fee Increase Meeting to be hosted by our chapter on Monday, February 27th in the meeting room at DNR Regional Headquarters. Bob will do the introductions. This meeting is for Fish and Wildlife fee increases. Parks and Trails are conducting separate meetings. Participation is by invitation to specific stakeholders. Attendees will be asked to contact their legislators about the issue and let them know where they stand. Possibly our chapter could do a position statement on the issue at our March meeting.
Enbridge Pipeline: While not on the Agenda, there was a lengthy discussion about the Enbridge pipelines that run through Grand Rapids. They currently have a total of 7 or 8 pipes in a group and it is the #3 pipe in the middle that they are considering for abandonment. The pipe will be filled with an inert gas but will not be removed, possibly causing problems as the pipe deteriorates.
There will be a chance to speak out against their pipeline plans at a public meeting in Bemidji on March 7th from 4:30-7:00, The Sanford Center, 1111 Event Center Dr. NE, Bemidji. The meeting is the only public meeting to be held by the U.S. State Department on the proposed international tar sands pipeline expansion.
The Freeman’s will be sponsored by the Library Program Committee, possibly in June, about their year-long stay in the BWCA and their desire to protect it from copper-nickel mining.
Mississippi Watershed Restoration and Protection Study (WRAPS): Several chapter members attended this meeting. Rich reported that the report shows water quality is, for the most part, still very good in this area. However, attendees broke up into small groups to discuss possible problem areas and shared those with the group. Rich highlighted the problem with runoff at the Pokegama Lake causeway on Hwy. 169 and Perry wanted people to be aware of the potential to lose public lakeshore (about 200 miles in Itasca County) if those School Trust Fund lands are sold. There are potential solutions to both keep the land in public ownership and still pay monies into the School Trust Fund.
School Trust Fund: Rich suggested that we try to obtain the exact figures on how much land could be up for sale in Itasca County so that our chapter can follow-up with a letter to “Outdoor News” about the potential loss of public land.
Announcements:
a. Steve's Outdoor Adventures aired a program about the possibility of closing the Caribou season in Quebec. The refreshing part of the program was that he not only talked about the carrying capacity of Caribou but, also, asked the question “what is human carrying capacity of the planet”.
b. Ikes Watershed Summit will be held on March 11th at Normandale College, 8:50am – 4pm. Register at www.minnesotaikes.org
c. Ikes Water Action Day April 19th with a rally, lobbying and identifying buttons. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/minnesota-water-action-day-registration-31483505011. Volunteer help needed. Event will be at Christ Lutheran Church, 105 University Ave W, across from the Capitol. Food will be served downstairs and presentations will be upstairs in the main sanctuary. Please register early to make it easier to get appointments with legislators. Transportation will be available from northern MN. Speakers include the Governor, Winona LaDuke; Walter Mondale, and David Durenberger. Sportsmen will be invited. Other sponsors include LWV and Pollinators. Although event is late in the session, only 5 to 10% of the work will be accomplished one month before the end of the session.
MINUTES JANUARY 25, 2017
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Doug Veit, Barb Veit, Jay Janecek, Dave Alban, Marcia Anderson, Dave Hayes, Rich Libbey, Rick Blake, Dennis Anderson, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Human sustainability draft resolution prepared by Bob was reviewed. Online voting for the resolution resulted in an 8 to 6 vote against the resolution as written. Discussion that followed concluded that our efforts might have better outcomes if we tackle some of the specific environmental issues of current concern and not divide our membership with a potential controversial subject. Several of the members present felt that overpopulation and use of our natural resources and climate change are more critical and should be dealt with first. However, the matter was tabled indefinitely. An option for members is to become members of groups whose sole focus is on human populations such as “Population Connection” and “World Population Balance”.
Water Quality Committee
A tentative program about chemicals of emerging concern in our water is planned for Thursday, April 27th (the week after Earth Day) at ICC. Itasca Water Legacy Partnership will donate up to $500 for the event. Both Earth Circle and Free Range Food Co-op are helping with the planning. The committee is seeking funding from local businesses to cover the estimated cost of $1,200. Doug Veit moved, 2nd by Rick Blake, that our Chapter donate up to $200, as necessary, to cover expenses—motion passed.
Pharmaceutical disposal bill passed allowing pharmacies to take back medications and became effective May of 2016. However, pharmacies must meet several regulations before they can do so. Law enforcement is still allowed to dispose of unwanted drugs. Shirley will check with some of the local pharmacies to get their take on the issue.
National Ikes stream monitoring program – Shirley reported on the national “Clean Water Challenge” asking chapters to get involved in stream monitoring. The national office would provide training for chapters serious about following through with the program. Some members are already doing stream monitoring or lake secchi disk readings for MPCA. In addition, Itasca SWCD is doing stream monitoring on two of Itasca County lakes, MPCA has been doing monitoring on the Mississippi River and the DNR does monitoring. No action was taken by our chapter. However, there may be an opportunity to get involved with this issue when the County water plan is reviewed next time.
Proposed rooftop solar resolution – This item will be dropped from the agenda for the time being.
Year in the Wilderness talk by Dave and Amy Freeman - Bpb was approached to see if our chapter might be willing to sponsor the presentation. The Freeman’s spent a year in the BWCA and have been on speaking tours to highlight the importance of the BWCA and the potential dangers of sulphide mining. Marcia will check with the library program committee to see if they would be interested in sponsoring the program. We will follow up at our February meeting. Rich mentioned that legislators are asking President Trump to revisit the issue of the Forest Service decision not to sell land adjacent to the BWCA. The Forest Service has opened the issue for a 90-day public comment period.
University of MN/USDA Forever Green program – As a point of interest, Bob noted that there is research being done to use cover crops on ag lands during the off-season and to develop perennial crops.
Chapter Award – Our chapter received a “100% Retention Membership Recognition Award” from the National office
DNR funding from the general fund – The DNR is in the process of requesting a fee increase to cover a budget shortfall. A discussion was held as to whether the Ikes should get involved in encouraging funding from the general fund for the DNR. There are many things the DNR does that benefit the general public, not just those who hunt and fish. Doug Veit moved, 2nd by Rich Libbey that our chapter would support a letter being written by the State Division in support of the DNR request for a fee increase and to restore some State general revenue funds—motion passed.
Meet and greet with new legislators – Bob suggested that it might be nice to get a few of the other environmental groups to collaborate with us on a meeting with our new legislators—Representative Sandy Layman and Senator Justin Eichorn. Shirley will send a request to ICOLA, IWLP, and Earth Circle to see if they would be interested. A Friday or Saturday gathering might be possible during the session when the legislators might be home for the weekend.
Announcement: There will be a WRAPS meeting on Thursday, January 26th from 6-8:00 p.m. at the Cohasset Community Center about the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy just completed on the section of the Mississippi River in Itasca County.
MINUTES DECEMBER 7, 2016 (Joint November/December meeting)
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Meredith Bleifuss, Dave Hayes and Shirley Loegering (not a quorum that needs to be 20% of our 28 paid members for 2016)
Water Quality Committee - Shirley reported that Kathy Lee, USGS Grand Rapids, has indicated a willingness to present a program on their research “Chemicals of emerging concern in water and bottom sediment in the Great Lakes Basin, 2012”. She would only be able to present their findings and not make recommendations. It would be helpful to find another speaker or two who would be able to talk about what actions can be taken by individuals to reduce human exposure to these chemicals. It was suggested that this might make a good Library program and that, possibly, IWLP might be interested in co-sponsoring. Meredith will check with Natural Research Resources Institute (NRRI) to see what type of research they have done. Shirley will email Don Arnosti to see if this is an issue the State Ikes Environmental Issues Committee (EIC) might be willing to take on.
Meredith shared several pieces of information relating to the environment and water quality.
· There is a new commercial product being sold that purports to being able to “neutralize virtually all drugs” before disposing in the trash by using a carbon filter. We should consult with a pharmacist or some other expert to see if that is truly the case before we would promote its use.
· The Itasca County Sheriff’s office has business size cards that give information about their prescription drug take back program.
· A Duluth News Tribune editorial dated November 25, 2016 tells about Canada who has now passed a law banning microbeads similar to the one passed in the U.S. to become effective in 2018 here. Just goes to prove that positive change for the environment can happen.
· Both the North Star Chapter of the Sierra Club based out of Duluth and the Mississippi Headwaters Audubon Society out of Bemidji have active chapters working on environmental issues.
· National Geographic published an amazing map of the U.S. showing areas of unique habitats that need saving. You can view the map at: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/interactive-assets/greenspaces/v13/assets/PDF/NG-Green-Spaces-Supplement_2016_5.pdf
National Ikes Ag Initiative – Bob reported that the National Ikes staff is following the ag program and checking whether past recipients have installed the measures they were paid for. Results have been disappointing. In addition to pushing for better enforcement of such contracts, National Ikes are pushing for more targeting of priority areas so taxpayers get more benefit for each dollar spent.
National Ikes Stream Monitoring Program – Bob reported that National Ikes have started the “Clean Water Challenge” which strives to monitor 100,000 more streams by 2022. Shirley will check with the National office to see what is involved in the stream monitoring program and how much support they give Chapters who want to participate. This might be something that our Chapter could collaborate with others, i.e. IWLP or the school districts. If the school districts had insurance to cover students for such a project, it might be feasible.
Human Population Sustainability Draft Resolution – A robust discussion was held about Bob’s resolution. Since we did not have a quorum at this meeting, he will send it out to the membership asking for their input and vote (see attached). If a quorum of the Chapter members approves the resolution, Bob would present it to the State Ikes for their consideration. He would like to see this resolution used as an educational vehicle to initiate discussions about the subject. Dennis would like to see our Chapter break it down into a few priority areas we might be able to work on.
Proposed Rooftop Solar Resolution – A discussion was held about the potential benefits of rooftop solar vs. large ground installations. Bob thinks our chapter should pass a resolution that encourages development and implementation of rooftop solar over ground arrays due to land and wildlife habitat conservation benefits. Bob reported that the Red Lake Band has an initiative to go completely solar. They will start by installing solar on commercial buildings, then individual rooftops and, lastly, ground solar arrays.
Pollinators – General Mills has made a $2 million commitment towards protecting pollinators.
Smile.Amazon.com – Bob routed an email indicating that Amazon has a program called “Amazon-Smile” whereby they will donate .5% of your order to your favorite charity each time you order. The Ikes have registered to accept donations. If you were like me, you may have deleted his email thinking it was a scam but it is a legitimate offer.
MINUTES OCTOBER 26, 2016
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Rick Blake, Rich Libbey, Meredith Bleifuss, Marcia Anderson, Dave Hayes, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Rick Blake moved, 2nd by Perry Loegering to approve the Minutes from September 28th meeting. M/S/U
Bob reported that he received a letter from the National Ikes office that our Chapter does, in fact, continue to qualify for non-profit status for 2016 (see attached). Chapters will receive an annual questionnaire to confirm their non-profit status.
None of our Chapter members attended the fall Board of Director’s meeting in Duluth on October 21-22nd.
The initiative by the Grand Rapids PUC to investigate the potential for renewal energy for their customers through either biomass or community solar gardens was discussed. The public informational meeting was videotaped by ICTV and can be viewed there. You can check for the schedule on their website. This is an issue our Chapter will continue to follow.
A discussion was held about our Chapter’s resolution submitted last year to the State Division about the proper disposal of pharmaceuticals and legislation that had been introduced to the House and Senate. The Water Quality Committee will follow-up by contacting Don Arnosti first to see whether this is an issue that can be but on the EIC agenda and/or if he has suggestions about other agencies that might be of assistance, such as Conservation Minnesota, Minnesota Environmental Conservation Advocacy, etc.
Bob Scheierl presented a working draft of a “Resolution on Human Sustainability Awareness”. He will be sending it out to chapter members for their review. Please review carefully and either submit your suggestions to Bob by email or bring your suggestions to the next meeting for discussion. Obviously, this is a rough draft that needs to be condensed and statistics and references added, but is being presented here to generate a robust discussion.
Rich Libbey shared information about plans for vegetative management on the Great Northern Transmission Line right-of-way (ROW). He has been in touch with Minnesota Power and the County to encourage them to follow the State recommendations for minimal spraying and allowing for appropriate shrub growth on the edges to minimize the impacts to wildlife and wetlands. He also suggested that they consider including pollinator-friendly plants such as milkweed.
Rich also shared information that there will be a Mississippi River Headwaters Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) public informational meeting in January. The dates and locations are:
Thursday, January 12th, 5:30-7:30pm – Bemidji City Hall, Bemidji, MN
Thursday, January 26th, 6:00-8:00pm – Cohasset Community Center, Cohasset, MN
NOTICE: The joint November-December meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 7th.
MINUTES SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Rich Libbey, Jay Janecek, Doug Veit, Dave Hayes, Rick Blake, Marcia Anderson, Art Norton, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Guests: Bev Taylor, Dave Roerick and Corrina Kuechle
1. Bev Taylor and Dave Roerick, Let’s Go Fishing with Seniors Itasca County Chapter, gave a brief overview of their chapter’s activities and talked about the potential for partnering with our chapter to take kids fishing. They just completed their 9th season and did 144 trips this last summer. They already have a very active children’s program but would definitely be interested in expanding it to reach more kids. They are a nonprofit and receive all of their funding from the generous support of local business, corporate and individual donations. Specific information is as follows:
· They are covered with liability insurance through the State Let’s Go Fishing umbrella policy.
· They complete background checks on all volunteers who captain/co-captain the pontoons.
· Our chapter would be liable for any transportation and/or activities before boarding the pontoon.
· Fishing tours are completely free of charge.
· Most tours are held on Pokegama Lake where the pontoon is located, but they are more than willing to transport the pontoon to other locations.
· They are available Monday through Saturday, May-September, and can do up to 4 trips per day.
· They provide all the necessary equipment, i.e. fishing rods, bait, and life jackets.
· They recommend small groups (5-8 kids) for 2-4 hours.
· They are willing to assist with educational programs while on the pontoon, i.e. secchi disk reading, aquatic invasive species identification, fish identification, ethics, healthy water, etc.—anything our chapter might want to focus on.
· One only needs to go to their website to sign up for a tour on their calendar. However, it would be to our chapter’s benefit to meet with them prior to a summer season with any specific plans we might have, i.e. repetitive trips on specific days each month and program ideas. Shirley & Dave Hayes will meet the first of the year to discuss a possible program.
· They are always looking for new volunteers. For more information, go to their website at:
2. Corrina Kuechle, our Chapter’s 2016 scholarship recipient to Ikes summer camp at Deep Portage, gave a report about her camp experience. Corrina was a very poised young lady and was very enthusiastic about her camp experience. She learned many new outdoor skills and made new friends who came from all around the U.S. It was suggested that maybe our chapter should hold one of its summer meetings at Deep Portage.
3. Our regular business meeting began about 7:30 pm. Doug Veit moved, 2nd by Jay Janecek to approve the Minutes from August 24. M/S/U
4. Marcia Anderson, Treasurer, reported that our checking account balance is still at about $1,463.00.
i. There was some discussion about our Chapter’s non-profit status and multiply EIN numbers. Marcia has been in contact with the national office and is working on the issue. It appears that the IRS mistakenly gave our chapter a second EIN number during one of our name changes for the chapter.
5. Bob Scheierl is working on a “Planned Natural Resource Limits Awareness Resolution”. The matter was tabled for now. Dave Hayes shared a newsletter he receives that included information about David Paxson. David Paxson travels and speaks about population stabilization. He has delivered his message in many Minnesota cities and other states. More information can be seen on his website at: www.worldpopulationbalance.org/presentations_paxson
6. Shirley reported that Grand Rapids PUC will be holding a public meeting Oct. 25th regarding a proposed community solar project. They are considering such a program and they will be sending out a survey to their customers soon.
Bill Berg emailed to say that Lake Country Power in St. Louis County is also considering such a program and they have already sent out requests for interested subscribers. Art Norton will contact the local Lake Country Power office in Itasca County to see if there is interest here.
7. Bob Scheierl has been in touch with other chapters to see what they do for liability insurance. It appears it is only necessary if a chapter owns or rents property and/or if they hold any special events. For our chapter, we would need to consider taking out a temporary policy on an event-by-event case.
8. Bob Scheierl reported that the MN State Ikes took issue with MPCA’s “Impaired Waters List” because it did not include waters with sulfide readings outside the current standard.
9. Doug Veit shared information about a film to be shown on September 29th titled “Doctrine of Discovery: Unmasking the Domination Code”. The film examines how the views of ancient Christians continue to shape relationships between Indigenous Peoples and descendants of European settlers to this day. Copies on DVD are available at the Grand Rapids Area Library and, also, several books will be available soon.
Announcements:
Fall Gathering & Board of Director’s Meeting, Oct. 21-22 – Hosted by the W. J. McCabe Chapter, Duluth
MINUTES AUGUST 24, 2016
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Rick Blake, Dave Hayes, Marcia Anderson, Perry and Shirley Loegering
A motion was made by Rick Blake, 2nd by Dave Hayes, to accept the Minutes from the May 25th meeting. M/S/U There were no meetings held in June and July.
Treasurer Marcia Anderson reported that the checking account balance was the same as reported in May at about $1,463.00.
The possible necessity for our Chapter to carry liability insurance was discussed, either just in general or for specific events. The State Division does not carry insurance coverage for individual chapters. Bob will bring up the issue at the next State Board of Director’s meeting to see what other chapters are doing. Shirley will check with the “Let’s Go Fishing with Seniors Itasca Chapter” to see how they handle the liability issue.
Both Bob and Shirley met with a representative from Conservation Minnesota earlier this summer. One of their initiatives is to push for “Clean Water by 2050” and they are encouraging environmental groups to pass resolutions in support of that issue. Conservation Minnesota also drafted “The Clean Water Promise” that they are asking organizations to sign (see attached). Dave moved, 2nd by Perry, that our Chapter sign the promise. M/S/U. If desired, our Chapter could continue this effort by presenting Resolutions to the State Ikes meeting in the spring of 2017 and at local political caucuses.
Bob brought up the issue of natural resource sustainability in relation to world population growth. He will draft a “Planned Natural Resource Limits Awareness Resolution” and route it around to our membership for their input. Some initial suggestions that came out of our discussion was that the U.S. government should support family planning programs at home. U.S. aid to other countries could include requirements to address long-term natural resource sustainability, including supporting family planning and educating and empowering women. Education and awareness about our own use of natural resources would also be beneficial. We should do diligent research to get statistics to back up any resolution we propose.
Shirley reported that Corrina Kuechle, 12 years old, was the recipient of our $350.00 scholarship to Deep Portage Ikes Summer Camp. Shirley will contact Corrina and ask her to attend one of our next meetings to tell us about her experience.
Bob reported that 2017 National dues have increased by $10 to $67.50 for an individual ($12 of that goes to the State Division and $5 to our chapter). The Minnesota Division office opposed the increase.
It was suggested that our Chapter have a presence at the County Fair next year. There might be an opportunity to share booth space with other environmental organizations. It would be necessary to do some planning beforehand and staffing can be an issue.
News note: The Netherlands is considering a ban on petro cars by the year 2025.
Chapter members noted that they have been finding many fewer monarchs this year.
The Fall Board meeting will be held on October 22nd in Duluth at the Hartley Center.
NO MEETINGS WERE HELD IN JUNE AND JULY
MINUTES MAY 25, 2016
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Rich Libbey, Meredith Bleifuss, Dave Hayes, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Motion to approve the April 27, 2016 Minutes. (Perry Loegering, Meredith Bleifuss) M/S/U
Treasurer, Marcia Anderson, sent the checking account balance via email as $1,463.00.
Motion to approve the Bylaws revision (Dave Hayes, Shirley Loegering) M/S/U. Shirley and Marcia will notify all of the necessary entities.
In accordance with the Bylaws, election of officers is to take place at the May meeting. Bob Scheierl (President, State Director), Rich Libbey (Vice President) and Shirley Loegering (Secretary) said they were willing to serve in their respective positions for another year. Motion to approve the slate of officers as stated above, and to include Marcia Anderson (Treasurer) who was absent (Perry Loegering, Meredith Bleifuss) M/S/U
The accomplishment handout for our Chapter was discussed. Shirley will make the suggested changes and route to Bill Berg asking for his input regarding some of the historical facts. A revised version will be presented at the June meeting.
Dennis Anderson brought up an issue about how to report fish kills of concern in a timely fashion. When there is a significant fish kill due to a chemical spill or sudden runoff of hazardous substances, it is necessary to have the water tested asap before the causative agent has dissipated. One option is to call the Minnesota Duty Officer with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at 651-649-5451 or 800-422-0798. It is part of their responsibility to respond to these issues and they monitor their phone 24/7. Our Chapter might be instrumental in educating the public about this problem but, first of all, Dennis will do some research with the MN PCA and others about the proper protocol.
Shawn Linder reported that he was still working on finding an appropriate recipient for our Chapter’s scholarship to the Ikes summer camp at Deep Portage. In the event none of his possible candidates were able to attend, Shawn’s 10-year old son would be very interested. Since Shawn has been so willing to find scholarship candidates from the Grand Rapids FFA and Natural Resources Club for the past three years, it was agreed that our Chapter would be willing to offer his son a scholarship, either this year or in the future, if we continue the scholarship.
Shirley reported that, according to Andy Arens with the Itasca SWCD, the Itasca County Water Plan update and public input has been postponed to 2019. They voted to extend the current plan until December 31, 2018. The reason for the extension was to allow for the completion of the three Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies (WRAPS) projects currently being conducted in Itasca County and to be able to incorporate the data collected in those projects into the water plan.
Shirley suggested a couple of ideas for community projects for our Chapter.
· “Take a child fishing” – There appears to be a need for mentors to help young people get outdoors and, since most of our members enjoy fishing, this may be an easy fit. There was general agreement that this might be a good idea, but the project would need someone to take the lead. The Grand Rapids Area Library has fishing gear available so that might be one location that would be appropriate. Liability and insurance are issues that would need to be addressed.
· “Adopt a River” – This is a State of Minnesota program but it was generally agreed this was not a feasible project due to accessibility issues.
It was announced that the Itasca SWCD and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will be convening a local work group meeting on June 7th to provide guidance and discuss local conservation concerns and priorities regarding land use. Cost-share funds are available for private land owners. Members of the public are encouraged to attend.
Meredith reported that the bills introduced in the Legislature regarding the take-back of drugs by pharmacies did not pass due to some wording differences between the House and Senate versions.
Bob gave an update on recent legislation that was of concern to the Ikes as follows:
· The DNR was awarded $200,000 to complete a “total value” appraisal for 11,000 parcels of School Trust lands avoiding individual transactions and facilitating a lower cost for a future buy-out by the State.
· Some progress was made to protect pollinators: $2.2 million awarded to MDOT to establish habitat along I-35 and several LCCMR projects relating to pollinators were approved—more work needs to be done.
· Upon acquisition, the White Earth Nation agreed to keep the 2,034 acres of Potlatch land on the tax role and to keep it open to public hunting, fishing and gathering.
· The LCCMR bill contained funding for an elk reintroduction study but it also prohibited the DNR from adopting or implementing a plan that would increase an elk herd unless damage to crops or fences from elk declined two years in a row.
· Some progress was made on buffers of rivers, streams and ditches but the Governor retreated from requiring buffers on private ditches. The bill includes permanent annual increases in local aide ranging from $45,000-$200,000 per county.
· For now, the DNR retains its rulemaking authority to require non-toxic shot on WMA’s in southern and western Minnesota’s farmland region.
Rich reported that some landowners are appealing the Effie route for the Great Northern Transmission Line. Minnesota Power staff will be working with the landowners directly and there are no more public meetings scheduled. Rich also related some news stories about the positive effect some companies are having on the environment, e.g. requiring their providers (farmers, etc.) to be more sustainable.
· Dannon Yogurt has committed to offering products using sustainable agricultural practices. Farmer suppliers must follow sustainable practices.
· Land-O-Lakes has signed a memorandum with Governor Dayton stating that they will promote farmer participation in Minnesota’s Agriculture Water Quality Certification Program.
MINUTES April 27, 2016
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Rick Blake, Meredith Bleifuss, Rich Libbey, Dave Alban, Dave Hayes, Marcia Anderson, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Minutes from the March 23, 2016 meeting were accepted as written.
Treasurer’s Report – Marcia Anderson reported that there had been no expenditures since January.
· A motion was made by Rick Blake, 2nd by Rich Libbey, to approve a request for ink cartridge reimbursement for Shirley in the amount of $64.91—motion passed.
A draft of the Bylaws revision was sent to the membership prior to the meeting. Major changes were the Chapter name from “Grand Rapids Wes Libbey Chapter” to “Wes Libbey Northern Lakes Chapter” and to clarify language about election of officers and State Director. Shirley Loegering moved, 2nd by Perry Loegering, to accept the revision—motion passed. It was agreed that the approved version should be emailed to the membership for a final vote at the June meeting. We cannot make changes with the Secretary of State until our Bylaws have been officially approved.
· Bob Scheierl has a letter listing all of the items necessary to take care of when a Chapter changes its name. He will email the list to Marcia and Shirley
National dues increase of $10 was discussed. Most people in attendance felt that the Ikes dues were already higher than most other similar organizations. The National office indicated that total revenue has been steadily declining. They have already cut staff from 24 to 13 but feel they need increased revenue to continue with their services and programs. Some questioned the amount that went towards “Conservation/Advocacy” compared to “Administration”.
Two national scholarships are available from the Ikes in the amount of $2,500 and they are looking for applicants.
Resolutions accepted for further discussion at the State Ikes Annual Meeting April 22-23 were (Bob was unable to attend but provided a report):
· Collection and disposal of unused prescription drugs (submitted by our Chapter)
· Place a moratorium on sulfide-ore mining in Minnesota
· Water issues—one resolution to reduce runoff and one resolution to store excess runoff
· Support for DNR ban of lead shot on WMA’s in Minnesota’s farmland zone
· Recognize the urgent need to implement mitigative actions to reduce risk of climate change to sustain our natural resources.
· Carbon fee and dividend
· Repeal of all statutory exemptions from environmental laws extended to the oil and gas industry in the 2005 National Energy Policy Act (NEPA)
· Support for a Minnesota Valley basin wide-river watch governing body
· Support for a Minnesota Valley basin wide-river, high-school based, river watch program
Membership growth was discussed. Dave Zentner and Rich Staffon with the Duluth McCabe Chapter would be willing to provide a training session for our Chapter. One way that has worked in the past is to be more active in the community by providing educational programs on current environmental issues.
Water Quality Committee Update
· A handout about proper medication disposal was provided on Earth Day at the Mall at the IWLP booth on April 22-23rd. Rowe Funeral Home has agreed to insert information in the funeral packets.
· Our Chapter’s resolution to support H.F. 1503 and S.F. 1425 about collection and disposal of unwanted medications was accepted at the State Ikes annual meeting.
· Meredith shared information from a pharmacy in Texas where envelopes are provided, at a cost, so that consumers can mail back unused meds.
Itasca County Water Plan Update: The first public meeting is scheduled for May 10th in Marcel. Dave Hayes moved, 2nd by Marcia Anderson, to appoint Shirley as the Chapter representative—motion passed.
Itasca County Extension Committee: Dave Hayes is on an advisory committee to make recommendations regarding a job description for the Itasca County Extension Educator position and he requested suggestions about what our members felt would be important aspects of the job. It was generally felt that, since forestry is such an important part of the economy here (about 50% of Itasca County land is forested and about half of that is in private ownership), the person in this position should be knowledgeable and available to advise landowners on best management practices. Stewardship of our forests and water resources, rural and urban, should be a priority. Dave will email members asking for their more specific input.
Chapter Accomplishments: Per a request at a prior meeting, Shirley is drawing up a list of accomplishments for our Chapter. She will route it around to the membership for their review when it is complete
Announcements:
· Ikes National Convention will be July 19-22nd at Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
MINUTES March 23, 2016
Present: Bob Scheierl, Jay Janecek, Rich Libbey, Meredith Bleifuss, Doug Veit, Dennis Anderson, Art Norton, Perry and Shirley Loegering
1. Water Quality Committee Report - Shirley reported that the committee has:
a. Submitted a resolution that passed at a couple of local DFL caucuses requesting that they support allowing pharmacies to be collection sites for unused medications. If there is enough interest, it may go to the floor for a vote at the County DFL Convention in April.
b. Wrote an article for the three county newspapers about the proper disposal of medications and advising people to take their unused meds to the Itasca County Sheriff’s Office and to not flush them. The goal is to keep some of the potentially dangerous chemicals from reaching our waters.
c. Next steps will be:
i. Prepare a statement to be included in funeral packets and handed out by Hospice on the proper disposal of unused meds.
ii. Prepare a message on bookmarks that can be inserted in bags when items are purchased at a pharmacy.
iii. Prepare posters about proper disposal of meds to be distributed to appropriate locations.
iv. Contact Julie Kennedy at Grand Rapids PUC to see if they would insert a notice about the proper disposal of meds in utility bills.
v. Write our legislators to encourage them to support H.F. 1503 and S.F. 1425 that allows pharmacies to be collection sites for unused meds. Art Norton moved, 2nd by Meredith Bleifuss, that an email from the Chapter should be sent to our local legislators and those on the legislative committee—motion passed.
vi. Dennis Anderson moved, 2nd by Jay Janecek, that our Chapter should submit a Resolution to the Minnesota Division encouraging them to support H.F. 1503 and S.F. 1425 that allows pharmacies to be collection sites for unused meds—motion passed.
vii. Dennis Anderson and Shirley may write articles for the newspaper on the effects of endocrine disruptors on aquatic species and to humans through our personal care products, respectively.
2. Bylaws revision were tabled until the April meeting. Bob will do a little research about whether or not the State Director is elected or appointed.
3. Doug Veit passed around a petition to ban plastic bags in Grand Rapids. This effort is spearheaded by Earth Circle. They will be presenting the petitions to the Grand Rapids City Council on April 11th and Ikes members are encouraged to attend to lend their support.
4. Art Norton reported that there is a local committee working with Grand Rapids PUC to develop a local community solar garden that would produce 1mw of energy. They will be presenting their request to the City Council on April 11th. The City of LaPrairie has already passed a resolution to support a community solar garden. Estimated space needed is anywhere from 2-15 acres. Perry Loegering moved, 2nd by Rich Libbey, that Art be appointed as the official representative from our Chapter on that committee—motion passed. There might be a possibility to coordinate a project with Eric Jensen through the MN Division of the Ikes.
5. State Ag tile resolution – Bob mentioned that State Division will likely submit a resolution that works towards closing open tile inlets, bioreactor filters, and flow control valves along with other measures that reduce rain and stormwater runoff and associated nutrient pollution.
6. Bob reported that:
a. He spoke with Senator Saxhaug about the school trust lands issue. Saxhaug was going to check to see if a constitutional amendment would be needed to allow school trust rent payments to be paid directly to the schools instead of into the permanent school fund. No response as of meeting time. In the meantime, lands continue to be sold on an occasional but steady basis.
b. There is a resistance from Federal Ammunition, Pheasants Forever and National Turkey Federation to a ban on lead shot on Wildlife Management Areas. Bob suggested that ammunition users email Federal to express their disappointment and intent to buy their ammunition elsewhere.
c. Bent Paddle Beer, a Duluth brewery, came out publicly against sulphuric ore mining and that action caused some backlash (i.e. City of Silver Bay voted to remove Bent Paddle beer from their Municipal Liquor Store). Ikes are encouraged to buy the beer to show their support for the company.
7. Itasca County water plan update may be looking for an extension—no public meetings have been held to date.
8. Rich Libbey reported that the Great Northern Transmission Line will follow the existing powerline corridor in the Effie area, as we hoped for. The issue now is how far the new line will be located from the existing lines. The width of the cleared line corridor will be 200 feet. MP is proposing a 500-foot separation. The DNR would like it as close as possible and still allow for maintenance. Possibly as close as 50 feet. A construction and vegetative management plan needs to be worked out along with permits to cross State lands and waterways. We suggested using pollinator friendly plants including milkweed on cleared areas. Minimizing pesticide use. Use mechanical clearing when possible and have a feathered effect of lower shrubs on the outer edges or the corridor. Scattering woody debris rather than have burn piles.
9. Shirley will develop a list of past and current activities/accomplishments for the Chapter.
News of interest:
Some farmers are complaining about Retailer response to consumer demands for sustainable practices—proves that consumer pressure is effective.
MDHA and RGS are partnering to buy Potlatch lands and turn over to Counties.
McNamara introduced bill to hire roadside coordinator to address ditch mowing. Ikes are concerned because of pollinator habitat and Pheasants Forever are concerned also.
Dayton and Mondale promote mining ban in BWCA watershed.
Oregon governor has banned coal power plants in Oregon by 2030.
Scientists are testing a cure for white nose fungus in bats—it has already been found at Tower-Soudan.
EPA is investigating MPCA enforcement of clean water act (e.g. sulfur limits in mining discharge, etc.).
LCCMR will do $1.5 million study on RDO potato expansion on sandy soils in Park Rapids area.
Legislative Auditor has come down on IRRRB on make-up of board and some expenditures (e.g. Giant’s Ridge) and questioning its constitutionality.
Announcements:
MN DNR is holding a public meeting on Polymet permitting process at Mesabi East High School on April 19, 6-8:30 PM
Ikes Day at Capitol is April 6TH
State Annual meeting will be April 22-24th at Owatonna. Anyone is welcome to attend. Our Chapter is allowed two votes.
Ikes National Convention will be July 19-22nd at Stevens Point, Wisconsin
MINUTES February 24, 2016
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Rich Libbey, Doug Veit, Dave Alban, Jay Janecek, Art Norton, Rod and Meredith Bleifuss, Perry and Shirley Loegering, and guests, Sheriff Vic Williams, Grand Rapids Police Chief Scott Johnson, and Kelly Chandler, Itasca County Public Health
Medication drop boxes: Sheriff Williams and Police Chief Johnson attended to give their perspective on the possibilities for setting up medication drop boxes in the County. There are already about 170 such drop boxes in the State and they collect many tons of medications that are incinerated and, thus, kept out of the environment and out of the hands of drug abusers. Current law states that law enforcement must be the entity to control and empty the drop box contents. Since the Sheriff’s Department already collects medications on a “no-questions-asked” policy between the hours of 8-4:30 and, since they feel the logistics to locate drop boxes safely somewhere else is questionable, they would prefer that the Ikes put their efforts into:
Promoting the current program at the Sheriff’s Department; Sheriff Williams plans to promote the program through a few radio spots
Contacting our legislators to promote allowing pharmacies to be collection sites and asking pharmaceutical companies to take back their own drugs.
The current requirement by MN PCA is that collected drugs be incinerated. One question posed is how much chemical residue is left in the smoke stream after incineration?
Shirley will draw up a Resolution to be presented to the DFL caucus on March 1st that calls for pharmaceutical producers to take back their own drugs and to allow pharmacies to be drop box collection sites. That effort will be continued with the Minnesota legislature during the next session.
State Ikes Board of Directors Meeting on January 30th: Bob attended and reported as follows:
The State Ikes receive 25% of their funding through Minnesota Environmental Fund (MEF). Therefore, they are looking for employers who might be willing to offer that charity as an option on their employee giving programs. They also work closely with Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA) and Minnesota Environmental Partnership (MEP).
Seven Ikes are registered to attend the Governor’s Water Summit on Feb. 27th.
State Ikes energy initiative team is working with the Austin and Owatonna chapters on their projects.
For those who may not be aware of it, Walmart now sells some organic foods.
The Board passed an environmental agenda as proposed by the Environmental Initiative Committee with school trust lands and pollinators being the two top issues and mining, clean water and energy supporting issues.
On the State level, the Board supports the Mississippi River Initiative that has a 3-prong approach:
Require that irrigation permits only be given to certified applicants
Make fertilizer “best practices” mandatory
Fund invasive species work
On the National level, fund Upper Mississippi Restoration Project, support full CRP funding, and require that erodible land not be able to get crop insurance.
On a Regional level, develop local farmer awards, encourage citizen science education, and take legal action where necessary to get compliance with State permits required under the Federal Clean Water Act.
School Trust Lands: The Ikes have a couple of proposals to try and protect environmentally important lands from being sold. One is that the State could rent such lands from the school trust with proceeds to go directly to the schools rather than into the permanent school trust. This would provide more income to schools from school trust lands and provide a means for the State to rent large acreages of school trust land for environmental protection without increasing costs to taxpayers.
Status of chapter name change to Wes Libbey Northern Lakes Chapter: Bob received an email from the National Ikes office approving our chapter name change. Marcia can now complete the filing with the State of Minnesota. The name change will be reflected in the amended Bylaws to be voted on at the March meeting.
Library “Celebration of Solar Energy” Open House: Art reported that about 60 people attended the open house. There were three solar companies present who are interested in building a solar garden in the Grand Rapids area in cooperation with the Grand Rapids Public Utility.
Great Northern Transmission Line: Rich Libbey reported that the PUC ruled in favor of the Effie Route. The Effie route is longer but follows an existing power line right-of-way. Thanks to Rich Libbey for his work in following this issue.
2016 IKES Summer Camp Scholarship to Deep Portage: A motion was made by Perry, 2nd by Jay, that our Chapter should once again offer a $350 scholarship to a High School student to the Ikes summer camp at Deep Portage—motion passed. Shirley will contact Shawn Linder to see if he wants to nominate a student. In the future, we might want to look for candidates throughout Itasca County and not just from the Grand Rapids area
Announcements:
Ikes sponsored Water Summit will be held March 12th at Normandale College
State Annual meeting will be April 22-24th at Owatonna. Anyone is welcome to attend. Our Chapter is allowed two votes. Bob Scheierl, and maybe Dennis Anderson, are planning to attend.
Ikes National Convention will be July 19-22nd at Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Climate change will be brought up again as an issue at the National Convention.
MINUTES January 27, 2016
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Rich Libbey, Perry and Shirley Loegering. Marcia Anderson attended for a brief time.
IKES Legislative Priority Issues for 2016: Bob reviewed the priorities as they were sent out by email from Don Arnosti. The three standing conservation priorities for the Minnesota IKES are 1) wetlands and waters, including buffers and upland practices, 2) sulfide ore and silica sand mining, and 3) renewable energy. Two priority issues for 2016 are 1) school trust lands and 2) pollinators. The five items listed as “support” issues to be worked on as people have time are 1) RIM-CREP III buffer easements, 2) White Earth Wild Rice River Project, 3) northeast Minnesota elk reintroduction, 4) separation of mineral promotion duties from MN DNR, and 5) defend the existing environmental laws (i.e. renewal energy requirements for utilities, EIS requirement for pipelines, and water quality standards).
School Trust Lands: The Ikes have a couple of proposals to try and protect environmentally important lands from being sold. One is that the land could be rented out with proceeds to go directly to the schools rather than into the trust. A second proposal would be for the State to purchase the land through a condemnation process.
Status of chapter name change to Wes Libbey Northern Lakes Chapter: Bob wrote the required letter to the National office and is waiting for a reply.
Library “Celebration of Solar Energy” Open House: Marcia reported that a committee has planned an open house at the Library for Thursday, February 18th from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. There will be solar energy vendors on hand and information available about the community solar program. In addition, there will be local citizens who use solar power available to answer questions. Marcia will be sending out a flyer that we can help to distribute.
On Thursday, February 4th there will be a documentary film shown at the Library at 6:00 p.m. on solar and alternative energy titled “Integrated Energy Solutions”.
State energy program: Bob contacted Eric Jensen to let him know that Grand Raids did not have a solar project ready to go at this time.
Healthy Waters Committee: Shirley reported that she and Doug Viet spoke with Sheriff Vic Williams about the possibility of establishing medication drop boxes at several locations in Itasca County. The Sheriff’s main concern was for safety when people are dropping off their medications. He would like to attend our meeting in February to talk about his concerns and to hear about what we would like to see happen. He will ask Police Chief Scott Johnson to join him.
Great Northern Transmission Line: Rich Libbey reported that the Administrative Law Judge sided with the IKES and the DNR in favor of the Effie Route. The Effie route is longer but follows an existing powerline right of way. It now goes before the PUC for a decision.
2016 IKES Summer Camp Scholarship to Deep Portage: This matter was tabled until the February meeting since we did not have a quorum present.
Possible need for larger meeting room: Shirley will inquire about the meeting room at the Grand Rapids Airport.
State Ikes Board of Directors Meeting on January 29th: Bob will attend
Announcements:
· Governor’s Water Summit set for February 27th. Registration has already filled up but there is an online survey that anyone can complete.
· Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund was renewed
· Federal renewable energy subsidy was renewed for 5 more years
· A Pollinator Summit is being planned by Minnesota Ikes
MINUTES December 2, 2015
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Marcia Anderson, Jay Janecek, Dennis Anderson, Dave Alban, Meredith Bleifuss, Doug Veit, Art Norton and Shirley Loegering
Ikes October State Board of Director’s Meeting: Bob attended the meeting that was held at the Audubon Center of the North Woods near Sandstone, MN. The following topics were discussed:
Minnesota Valley is reactivating their chapter.
The Minnesota Division is known as a leader on environmental issues.
The Minnesota Division encourages chapters to develop a Facebook page. There will be social media training at the next Board of Director’s meeting.
Minnesota Division wants to push more strategically for a climate change resolution at the National level.
State Ikes President, Barry Drazkowski, wants to limit the National Executive Committee’s powers to act unilaterally.
There are 88 Minnesota cities that participate in the GreenStep Cities Program. They would like to see Grand Rapids become more involved.
The Board discussed the Upper Mississippi River Initiative. It is a two-prong approach: 1) recognize farmers who are doing a good job of stewardship in a watershed and 2) take a large violator to court.
Itasca County Ikes were mentioned as possibly being one of two out-state chapters to act as a Clean Energy Team. There might be some grant money available that possibly could help finish the Library solar project. Art and/or Marcia will contact Eric Jensen who is in charge of the program to find out the details.
The National Energy Program was shut down and the Minnesota Division is taking over the unfinished programs.
The White Earth Band was denied a grant from the Legacy Fund to acquire about 2000 acres of former Potlatch lands along the Wild Rice River. The State Ikes plan to push for legislation that would allow public acquisition of these lands at the next legislative session.
The winter Board meeting will be held in January. Two of the topics that may be covered in the afternoon program are social media training and the Upper Mississippi Initiative. State staff hinted that Grand Rapids may be due to host a Board of Directors meeting next fall. Bob will not commit us until we have a program idea and member volunteers available and willing to do the necessary preparations.
Bylaws and chapter name change: Bob will check with the National Office to find out what their rules are for changing a chapter’s name. He will also research what National and State rules govern our Chapter. After we get National approval, the next step will be to file the name change with the State of Minnesota.
State energy program: Sierra Club is encouraging Minnesota Power to develop more than one solar garden. Art will attend a community meeting about solar energy on December 3rd at the Unitarian Chapel and report back to the Chapter.
Grand Rapids Area Library Solar Project: Marcia reported that it is almost complete. She would like to see a large “Celebration of Solar Energy” open house to be held at the library, possibly in January. Solar vendors would be invited and information would be available for both home and business.
Lead shot ban on Wildlife Management Areas: The DNR is taking public input. Bob presented a letter he had prepared to be sent to DNR Commissioner Landwehr from our Chapter. Art made a motion that the letter be sent, 2nd by Shirley—motion passed.
Itasca County Comprehensive Plan: They are currently reviewing only the transportation portion of the plan. However, the County Water Plan will be coming up for review in 2016 and that will be a good opportunity for the Ikes to get involved.
Sulfate Standard: MN PCA is taking public input. Bob proposed that our Chapter write a letter to support staying with the current standard. Most of the members present felt they did not know enough about the issue to take a stand. Dennis Anderson moved, 2nd by Meredith Blefuss, that our Chapter would support any position that the Duluth Chapter may have taken on the issue since they have closely monitored the issue—motion passed. Bob will check with them.
Governor’s Water Summit: The summit is scheduled for some time in February. The summit will focus public attention on the serious challenges facing Minnesota’s water supplies—in both rural and urban areas of the state—and continue statewide dialogue around steps that must be taken to address those challenges. The summit will include water quality experts, farmers, legislators, regulators, the business community, members of the public, local leaders, and a wide variety of other stakehold
Healthy Waters Committee: They will prepare a resolution about pharmaceuticals in water to be presented to the State Ikes meeting in April and bring it to the Chapter meeting for discussion in January or February. Meredith reported that a good article about pharmaceuticals written by Kathy Lee with the USGS was printed in the Greater Pokegama Lake Association newsletter. Shirley will route an electronic copy of the article to our Ikes members. Shirley contacted the MPCA person in charge of medication drop-boxes and also spoke with a Captain with the Maple Grove Police Department where a drop box is currently being used. The Maple Grove drop-box collects about 1 ton of medications per year. It is located in an accessible public spot and has not encountered any problems. A law enforcement office needs to be authorized to manage these drop-boxes. The next step for Itasca County would be to talk with the Sheriff’s Department to see if they would be willing to consider the matter.
An invoice was turned in for payment to ISD318 in the amount of $48.02 for the printing of our Chapter brochures. Also, a request was made from Itasca Water Legacy Partnership (IWLP) for a 2016 donation. Doug Veit moved to make a donation in the amount of $100 to IWLP—motion passed.
MINUTES October 28, 2015
PRESENT: Robert Scheierl, Jay Janecek, Dennis Anderson, Art Norton, Meredith Bleifuss, Marcia Anderson, Perry Loegering and guest, Natalie Cook
Natalie Cook, Associate Beyond Coal Organizer for Sierra Club, provided an update on the Sierra Club clean energy project. She reported that Minnesota passed a new law in 2013 regarding solar gardens. Major utility companies have to comply, i.e. Minnesota Power and Excel. Electricity generation is the biggest air polluter, followed by transportation. Sierra Club is promoting community solar.
Water Quality Committee Report – Meredith Bleifuss intends to contact Itasca County Environmental Trust Fund for possible funding for medication drop-boxes.
A motion was made and passed to accept the Bylaws Revisions and to change the name of the chapter from the Grand Rapids Wes Libbey Chapter to the Wes Libbey Northern Lakes Chapter. Cost for the filing with the State of Minnesota was $35. A copy of the new Bylaws is will be posted as soon as they have been approved.
MINUTES - September 23, 2015
Present: Bob Scheierl, Dave Hayes, Dennis Anderson, Meredith Bleifuss, Marcia Anderson, Art Norton, Rich Libbey and Perry Loegering
Bylaws/Name Change:
The members present voted to change the name of the chapter to the “Wes Libbey Northern Lakes Chapter”. Shirley or Marcia will file the necessary paperwork with the State of Minnesota. The members present voted to change the name of the chapter to the “Wes Libbey Northern Lakes Chapter”. Members will vote on the final Bylaws revision after name change has been accepted by State and National. Other bylaws changes will be changing meeting schedule and adding the following phrase to the end of Article 3 “are eligible to vote.”
Water Quality Committee Report:
The members present indicated that they thought our Chapter should continue with this project and, ultimately, submit a resolution at the Izaak Walton League’s Annual Meeting in April 2016. Dave Hayes tried to return a prescription to the Itasca County Sheriff’s office on a regular work day (not on the drug take-back day). Personnel on duty were not well informed about the process. Dave will follow-up with Investigator Mark Weller.
Dennis Anderson will be contacting the Minnesota Dept. of Health to see if they want to collaborate. Meredith Bleifuss will be researching the microbeads issue. There is a current international movement to alert people to this problem. The committee will continue to meet to develop an action plan.
Post-meeting notes by Meredith: She suggested that we need to name the project and wondered if “Reduction of Harmful Chemicals in our Waterways” was too vague or too broad? It certainly opens up a discussion? Other ideas? In looking ahead, she envisions that the project will be three-fold:
1) How to involve our community leaders in all aspects of public health. How we go about this will determine our success.
2) Taking action on State Legislature bills.
The Minnesota Senate passed a bill this session banning microbeads and without allowing “biodegradable” microbeads. The House wants to leave the biodegradable wording in and that is considered a big loophole if enacted. The two bills will go to conference next session. We need to contact our local representatives.
3) Keeping track of new scientific findings and regulations from government agencies.
This is a start but it is obvious that this small committee will need help. Perhaps at the next meeting Bob could ask for volunteers on these three areas of pursuit.
Post-meeting notes by Dave Hayes: Dave was in contact with Investigator Mark Weller. Mark said the goal of their take-back procedure was to maximize privacy and increase donations by receiving anything and asking no questions. Concerned donators are encouraged to take labels off containers. They even receive “pot” under these conditions. The items collected are boxed and sent to an undisclosed DEA site where they are identified, classified, quantified and incinerated. There is concern for interruption of the process and illegal interception of received drugs. They used to have four receiving dates each year but, to cut costs, the DEA has reduced this to one a year. However, the Sheriff’s Dept will accept drug materials daily during regular work hours. Pharmacies, nursing homes, and hospitals have their own independent polices for disposing o drugs. Dave will be returning a few more vials during the drug take-back day on Sept. 26th and will find out more information at that time.
School Trust lands update: Aaron VandeLinde has been appointed to head the Trust Lands Fund independent of the DNR.
Possible Amory Lovins program: Marcia Anderson had not heard from Amory about a program by Amory to be sponsored by our Chapter on October 29 when he will be in town for another event.:
Great Northern Transmission Line update: Recommendations are before the Administrative Law Judge.
IWLA Upper Mississippi River Campaign:
The aim of this group is to highlight the problem of non-point source pollution by bringing a lawsuit against a major polluter. They are mainly concerned with ag runoff. However, this may be an avenue for our Chapter to inform the public about the problem of pharmaceuticals and other unwanted chemicals in our waters
Wednesday, December 2nd was chosen as the joint November-December meeting.
* * * *
MINUTES - August 26, 2015
Present: Robert Scheierl, Art Norton, Dave Hayes, Meredith Bleifuss, Dave Alban, Jay Janecek, Dennis Anderson, Marcia Anderson, Perry and Shirley Loegering
State Board of Director’s Meeting: Bob Scheierl attended the meeting in Lanesboro on August 14 & 15th. Some items discussed at that meeting were as follows:
1. Although hard to understand, it was reported that the National IKES, at their meeting held in July, voted down a resolution about climate change. They did indicate, however, that the State IKES were free to take the lead on IKES issues.
2. MN Division plans to pursue two issues:
a. Two prong approach to regulate hydro fracking in relation to oil and gas by:
1) repealing the “Haliburton” exemption, and
2) participating in creation of the American Society of Testing and Materials Standards for hydro fracking. Though ASTM standards are voluntary, they tend to become the industry standard.
b. Improve agriculture’s compliance with the Clean Water Act by:
1) developing an awards program to recognize conservation-minded farmers, and
2) pursuing enforcement of the Clean Water Act by taking a large, blatant offender to Court to serve as notice to other violators that failing to comply with CWA can have consequences. This will be a joint project between Minnesota and several neighboring states.
3. Discussed big ag and developers opposition to proposed Clean Water Act rule revisions. It is important to keep pressure on Senator Klobuchar to support these revisions. If Congress does not act, rules will go into effect on August 28, 2015.
4. Discussed the poor decision by our legislators who passed legislation stating that sulfide mining waste was exempt from solid waste rules.
5. The Division’s solar initiative would like to see all IKES facilities to be 100% solar energy within a year and all IKES members within two years. They will be developing a model that individuals can follow. Erik Jensen, from the Midwest IKES office in St. Paul, will be spearheading the project. He spoke with Blandin Foundation and they aree interested in supporting a project in the Itasca County area. Erik may be in touch with some of our members in the near future to gather input on local use of solar.
6. Midwest IKES staff continue to work on 2014 Farm Bill rules. They are also working on identifying desirable changes to the 2018 farm bill (e.g. more strings attached to insurance)
Great Northern Transmission Line: Rich Libbey has been attending the meetings and following this issue quite closely. He was not present but submitted a resolution about route selection for our Chapter’s consideration. The Resolution was approved with one bullet point about “noise impact” to be clarified before it is sent to out (see final Resolution attached).
Healthy Watershed Conference held July 31st: Ideas were discussed about how our Chapter could move forward with an action from the conference. Meredith Bleifuss suggested that we follow up on the problem of pharmaceuticals in our water. Dennis felt this might be a good avenue to reach out to people who normally are not paying attention to water quality. Meredith, Shirley, Dave Hayes and, possibly, Dennis, will work on developing a project. Dave Hayes will attempt to return some medicines to the Sheriff’s Dept. to test how that process works.
Shirley will be routing the other suggestions from the Conference to Chapter members in the event that there might be other actions we could take.
Alberta Clipper and Sandpiper pipelines may be combining their routes through Aitkin County and Enbridge may be discontinuing their old line that runs through Itasca County. More information is needed.
School Trust Lands: Bob Scheierl has been meeting with Aaron VandeLinde, School Trust Administrator, to try to find ways that lands could be kept for public use and still make money for the trust. Talks are ongoing.
Library Report: Marcia Anderson reported that the Library solar project is moving forward. They have received a $22,000 donation from the City of Cohasset, some money from the City of Grand Rapids and have applied for a $4,000 Blandin Foundation grant that should be enough to complete the project. Erik Jensen from the Midwest IKES staff also expressed interest in helping with getting financing, if need be.
Marcia said that the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTS) will be holding their statewide meeting at the Library in Grand Rapids on October 29th. Their guest speaker is Amory Lovins, author of “Reinventing Fire” about a new energy era, among many other books. Everyone felt that it would be a good idea to see if Mr. Lovins would be able to do a presentation for the public while he is in town. Marcia will check with Mr. Lovins and, if that is possible, she will check with ICC to see about the availability of Davies Theater and the possibility that the Natural Resource Club might help sponsor the event in order to offset the cost of renting the theater.
The letter our Chapter wrote to legislators opposing federal mining leases in or near the BWCA and the Rainy River Drainage Basin was reviewed.
Next Meeting will be Wednesday, September 23rd. Dave Alban is going to invite the new Sierra Club representative for this area to join us. Shirley is going to invite Dylan Blay, the 2015 IKES Camp scholarship winner, to attend and give a brief report on his camp experience.
MINUTES - July 22, 2015
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Jay Janecek, Rich Libbey, Dave Hayes, Perry and Shirley Loegering
1. Proposed Chapter Brochure: The proposed brochure was reviewed and approved. Dennis Anderson moved, 2nd by Shirley, to have 200 copies printed at ISD318. Shirley received the State IKES sales tax exempt number that can be used by local Chapters. It must be used cautiously and only for charitable or educational functions (see letter on file with the Secretary). Perry will take brochures to the DNR Regional Offices and brochures will be handed out at the Healthy Watersheds Conference to be held at Sugar Lake Lodge on July 31st.
2. Proposed Bylaws and Chapter Name Change: There was some discussion about whether or not our Chapter should change its name to be more inclusive—not just “Grand Rapids”. It would always retain Wes Libbey’s name and it would be beneficial to include some type of geographical location. Some members felt it should remain as is and others favored a change. One new proposal was to name the chapter “Wes Libbey Northern Lakes Chapter”.
According to Jay, we need to get approval from the National IKES office for any name change. Shirley will check with Noreen at the State office to find out the correct process. Chapter members will be notified via email about the proposed change and asked for their suggestions. The name change will be voted on at our regularly scheduled meeting in September.
Whether we change our name or not, our Bylaws need to be updated to reflect the change made in 2006 to the “Grand Rapids Wes Libbey. The bylaws require that members receive a 30 notice before a change is presented for a vote.
3. The next State BOD meeting will be held in Lanesboro, MN on August 14-15. Bob plans to attend.
4. Great Northern Transmission Line Proposal: Rich Libbey and Dave Hayes attended the Draft EIS public input meetings today for Minnesota Power’s Great Northern Transmission Line project. The route our chapter favors is also the route recommended by the DNR. It is adjacent to existing lines, causes less forest fragmentation and avoids some of the most environmental sensitive areas. MN Power favors a shorter route that would run through “new” territory and not along existing lines. They claim that it is safer to have transmission lines located some distance from each other in the event of some type of natural or man-made disaster. Rich disputes that argument and cites MN Power’s own arguments for running lines near each other for other projects.
Rich plans to ask Itasca County to support the route favored by our Chapter and the DNR. One argument favorable to the county, in addition to preserving the environment, is that the longer route would be a significant boost in taxes for the county. The issue goes before the Administrative Law Judge on August 13th. The Judge then makes its recommendations to PUC and the final EIS is prepared.
5. Sandpiper oil pipeline: In the process of reviewing maps for the Great Northern Transmission Line, Rich noted that there is a proposed alternate route for the Sandpiper oil pipeline by Enbridge that would run through the Effie area.
6. Proposed expansion of local ATV trail: Public meetings will be announced soon to present a proposed expansion of the ATV trails coming from the south. The desire is to connect to Grand Rapids and beyond. Of concern is the fact that the trails, while initially well built and designed to minimize damage to the surrounding areas, they need extensive and constant maintenance. Currently that maintenance relies on volunteers and therefore not very sustainable long-term.
7. Deep Portage IKES Summer Camp: Jay read a letter he received from Dylan Blay thanking our Chapter for the scholarship to the IKES summer camp at Deep Portage. Shirley will contact Dylan and ask him to attend one of our meetings in the fall to report on his experience.
MINUTES - May 27, 2015
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Marcia Anderson, Jay Janecek, Dave Hayes, Doug Veit, Dave Alban, Shirley and Perry Loegering, and guest, Pat Helmberger
Plastic Bag Reduction Campaign
Pat Helmberger, Earth Circle member, talked about their efforts to reduce the use of plastic bags in Grand Rapids. The cities of Minneapolis and St. Louis Park have just started their efforts to implement a city-wide ban on plastic bags. Earth Circle would like to initiate such a ban in Grand Rapids or to reduce the use of plastic bags by other methods, i.e. paying a small refund if a shopper brings their own bag or by charging a fee per plastic bag as was done successfully in Ireland.
A motion was made by Shirley Loegering, 2nd by Doug Veit, that our Chapter would support Earth Circle in their efforts to reduce plastic bag use in Grand Rapids. Motion passed. A discussion followed about the necessity of educating ourselves and the public about alternatives to plastic. A letter of support will be drafted by Shirley and routed to Bob for his signature.
Legislative update
Bob reported on the rollback for environmental issues that just happened in the legislature on water quality, solar incentives and use of grasses instead of corn for ethanol production. Governor Dayton vetoed the bill. Hopefully these rollbacks will be removed when the bill is renegotiated in the special session. It was recommended that members write a letter to Governor Dayton thanking him for his veto. (See attached Chairman’s Report for more detail.)
IKES Summer Meeting
State Ikes plan to attend a tour of a grass-fed beef operation, 1000 Hills Cattle Company near Cannon Falls, on July 20th. Anyone can attend. Grass fed beef have several environmental advantages, i.e. improved wildlife habitat, improved water quality, energy savings and, possibly, better nutrition. 1000 Hills products can be purchased in Grand Rapids at Cub Foods and Ogles, along with antibiotic free milk and various organic foods. We should encourage purchase of products that we support to encourage change to a more sustainable agriculture. Locally grown products are also more environmentally friendly.
Damnation Film has been reviewed by several of our members. While there was a wide variety of opinions about the film content, it was generally agreed that it contained valuable information. Our Chapter will donate its copy to the Grand Rapids Area Library.
Tar sands resistance tour (June 6)
Dave Alban, and possibly a few other chapter members, will be carpooling down to Duluth to attend this tar sands resistance rally. Online ticket page: https://www.eventjoy.com/e/Northwoods350-Bus-on-June-6th. If you have questions about the bus, contact Jesse Peterson with Northwoods 350: jp0260245@gmail.com
IKES summer camp scholarship
Shawn Linder, Grand Rapids High School FFA Counselor, has recommend Dylan Blay for our Chapter’s scholarship to Deep Portage IKES summer camp. Shawn’s assistance is greatly appreciated. Shirley Loegering moved, 2nd by Dave Hayes, that we should pay $350 of the $400 for this year’s scholarship. Motion passed. Shirley will email Shawn and write a letter to Dylan informing them of our decision and asking Dylan to present a short report to our Chapter next fall.
Membership flyer
Bob has recommended that our Chapter develop a brochure as one means of reaching out to new members. Shirley had prepared a rough draft that she shared with the group. Bob, Marcia, Dave Hayes and Shirley will work on completing the brochure. Jay reported that the MN Division is offering a new member discount of 50% off the national and division dues for 2015.
Chapter Treasurer
Marcia Anderson has volunteered to take over the Treasurer’s position from Jay Janecek. Dave Hayes moved, 2nd by Doug Veit, to accept Marcia Anderson as our new Treasurer. Jay will assist Marcia in making the transition. See Chairman’s report for additional information.
School trust lands
Bob has been working on this issue. One solution might be to change the constitution allowing lease fees from renewable sources to go directly to the schools rather than going to the school trust. Schools would then receive dollar-for-dollar raised rather than just the interest. Bob has talked with Senator Saxhaug and will be meeting with AaronVandeLinde, School Trust Fund Administrator.
Notes by Bob Scheierl from the April State Ikes annual meeting are attached. The state annual meeting in 2016 will be held in Owatonna in April.
Library Solar Project. Shirley reported that Julie Kennedy, Grand Rapids City Engineer, indicated that she is working on finding the necessary funding to complete the library solar project.
An MPR program on Polymet/sulfuric ore mining will feature a letter by our Chapter member, Rich Libbey, with his comments that were submitted to the supplemental EIS.
A bill was introduced by Congresswoman Betty McCollum to remove lands with federal mineral rights within the Rainy River Watershed from sulfide mining. President Obama can withdraw federally owned minerals from mining through the Antiquities Act. Lands within the BWCA and Voyageurs National Park are already protected. The primary concern is for lands lying upstream of these sites. State Ikes Division has asked the McCabe Chapter and our Chapter to follow up on this issue. It was felt that the McCabe Chapter should be the lead since they have been closely following this issue. Our chapter position is that we oppose mining in the Rainy River Watershed until it has been demonstrated that it can be done in an environmentally safe manner in a similar environment; and that there are sufficient financial guarantees.
National Ikes Convention will be held in Pierre, SD on July 14-17, 2015.
Bylaws, quorums and meetings: Our Bylaws will be reviewed. Marcia was wondering about the necessity to have a quorum present when making decisions. It was decided to try and hold meetings over the summer months at the same date and time (4th Wednesdays at 7:00 pm) to keep some continuity in our activities. Shirley will check on room availability.
The State Ikes Energy Program is being coordinated by Eric Jensen. He would like to set up a call with someone from our Chapter. Art Norton has agreed to be Energy Chair for our Chapter so Shirley will send his contact information to Eric.
Legislative lobbying and nonprofits:
A short discussion was held about the need for our Chapter to be aware of the rules governing nonprofits and our lobbying efforts so that we remain within the guidelines
ATTACHMENT TO MAY 27, 2015 MEETING
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
By Bob Scheierl, May 27, 2015
STATE MTG HIGHLIGHTS (Scheierl and D. Anderson comments)
Maplelag Resort near Detroit Lakes, May 24-26, 2015
Friday evening attended the mixer/resolution reading session. Resolutions included:
Pineland conservation
Social cost of carbon
Reauthorize the land and water conservation fund
Deer stands on State lands
To conserve, restore, and promote pollinators and their habitats
School trust land exchange
Met John Sisser from the Midwest Office. His office was working on federal rules for the Farm Bill.
Saturday morning comprised of education sessions. Had a very good lineup of speakers. Some highlights were as follows:
“Pipelines, pollution, politics, and people”
Most oil through MN goes to Chicago.
15% is refined near Twin Cities,
Many ND wells are not pumping now due to low prices.
ND is moving 1 million barrels per day; 1/3 by pipeline and rest by rail.
Sandpiper would carry 225,000 barrels per day.
Line 3 of Alberta Clipper would move 300,000 barrels per day.
Pipeline will not completely replace rail due to expected increasing production.
Bakken oil is very explosive due to its high quality.
Bakken oil field expected to last 40 years.
Most trains move through Twin Cities; could reach 11 trains per day.
Currently importing 3.4 million b/d from Canada; expected to go to 6 million b/d.
Current issues:
o Domestic energy vs environmental risks.
o MN does not need more oil than it already has.
o Safety of oil transport by rail (danger to people) vs. pipeline (danger to environment)
o Pressure on rail for other uses.
o Climate change—oil probably needed for transportation for a long time.
EQB has put out a report on oil pipelines—neither endorses nor opposes; are taking public input until end of May; Tribal input was not included but will be.
White Earth tribe felt snubbed during pipeline siting process. Member present was insulted that pipeline would go through reservation because there were fewer people there.
Current Sandpiper route goes through heart of wild rice and lakes areas of Minnesota.
Most logical route seems to be to drop down further west, then cross to east, following
more farm country where there is better access and land could be utilized over the
pipeline. Enbridge seems locked in on going to Superior but will not say why—trade
secret. Seems hard to believe it is for what we would consider a good reason. Enbridge
claims they are not interested in shipping the oil on the Great Lakes, but that is not very
reassuring.
DNR and PCA oppose the proposed route due to higher environmental risks.
“Pipelines and climate change”
Speaker was Kathy Hollander with MN 350.
We must keep climate change at or below 2 degrees Celsius to preserve a planet similar
to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted. If not we
will reach a tipping point with unknown(?) consequences.
Must keep burned carbon in atmosphere to less than 565 megatons; hence 350 represents
350 megatons of carbon. We are currently at 385 megatons and must reduce that.
Alberta Clipper line 3 will ship tar sands oil, same as Keystone Pipeline.
Tar sands oil is high in carbon and sinks in water making it much harder to clean up.
Current CO2 levels are double the highest level known during the last 800,000 years.
See MN350.org for more info.
Presentation on Dams in the Red River Basin and their removal.
Are about 1200 dams with over 6 foot drop in Minnesota.
Are about 80,000 dams in U.S.
Many early dams were constructed to provide municipal water supplies.
Removal of dams is reopening spawning runs for fish such as sturgeon.
“Planning in the Red River Basin” presented by Henry Van Offlen with MN DNR
Primary message was that it is time to do less additional planning and more
implementation of existing plans.
DNR seems to be more involved in planning and providing technical expertise. Seems
implementation is best done by SWCD’s or other more local entities. This seems to be
better accepted by many local communities.
Must function at the watershed scale.
Must engage private land owners and a wide range of interests. He was pushing to get
citizens more engaged in doing the right thing and that requires getting the citizenry
engaged in the debates over issues and providing them with technical assistance and
information
Mentioned use of LIDAR as a tool to map potential erosion problem areas; combines
accurate topographic mapping with computer analysis.
Tours were held Saturday afternoon. Options were:
Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge
Sucker Creek Preserve/Detroit Mountain Recreation Area
Maplelag Resort history and grounds tour
Dennis and I chose to do a self guided tour of the Straight River (trout stream) near Park Rapids.
River was interesting but found no fish.
Awards banquet was held Saturday night.
Annual corporate meeting was held Sunday morning.
Usual stuff.
Passed all resolutions.
Next national Ikes meeting will be held in Pierre, SD on July 15-17.
2016 State mtg will be in Owatonna on April 22-24.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE (Scheierl comments)
These are some of the bad provisions in HF846: Sulfide mining would be exempt from solid waste rules that are designed to protect water quality and wild rice beds. This is likely a violation of the Federal Clean Water Act. The Citizens' Board for the MN Pollution Control Agency, which provides citizen oversight and has worked well, would be eliminated. The dedicated fund for clean-up of leaking landfills would be raided and used for other purposes. Deceptive labeling would be allowed to define plants to be sold as "pollinator-friendly" if they do not kill pollinators on first contact, even though they may kill them after repeated contact. Amnesty would be granted to polluters that delays enforcement and waives penalties if they self-report that they are violating regulations, thus reducing the state's ability to hold polluters accountable. The goal of creating 50' vegetative buffers on all state waters was weakened to only require accelerated enforcement of existing regulations, a meager improvement. A previously reached compromise agreement on biofuels that was intended to encourage the establishment of perennial crops for ethanol production that would be more protective of soils and water quality would be broken.
School Trust Land purchase: They've put language enabling condemnation of school trust lands - the mechanism we need to allow the transfer. They included a requirement that the DNR sell at least $3 million and up to $5 million of "surplus" public lands (that are not part of the outdoor recreation system) and to use the net proceeds to buy out school trust lands that are either a public water access or designated old growth. DNR has identified lands surrounded on three sides by City of Hastings. Need another $80 million.
School Trust Land exchange of 30,000 acres from within the BWCA - work group in formation.
* * * *
MINUTES - April 22, 2015
Present: Jay Janecek, Bob Scheierl, David Alban, Dennis Anderson, Rich Libbey, Doug Veit, Barb Veit, Marcia Anderson, Dave Hayes, Tom NelsonVisitor: Vicki Andrews
Vicki talked about the upcoming Tar Sands Resistance Tour making a stop in GR at ICC on 4/26 at 6:00 pm.
1. School Trust Lands.
a. Rich and Bob discussed proposal for constitutional amendment with Senator Saxhaug. He recommended talking with Aaron Vande-Linde, then meeting with School Trust Committee.
b. Bob discussed forwarding the proposal to state Ikes, but decided to hold off until after meeting with Aaron and developing potential legislation.
c. Note: The DNR will review the list of potential sale lands again before the list is finalized.
2. Chapter Treasurer
a. Jay reviewed duties of Treasurer, which involves keeping membership records as well as filing annual reports with IRS and MN Sec. of State
b. Marcia will meet with Jay to talk about responsibilities before committing to serve.
3. Bob is sending update of chapter info to state Ikes office
4. Tom provided update on county zoning ordinance revision process. It will begin this summer, possibly June, with an open house. Bob will contact coordinator to make sure his name is on the list to receive updates.
5. Marcia announced the documentary DamNation is showing at the Library on Thursday, May 7 at 6:00 pm. She is looking for someone with fisheries expertise to assist with discussion afterwards. Dennis may be available. Doug suggested Sandy Verry, a retired hydrologist.
6. There is another public hearing on the Great Northern Transmission Line coming up on May 12 5-7 pm at the Timberlake. They added another possible route. Rich is planning to attend. http://www.greatnortherntransmissionline.com/get-involved/
7. Upcoming: Healthy Watershed Conference will be held July 31st at Sugar Lake Resort.
8. Update: The legislation requiring buffers may or may not be viable. The Governor strongly supports it, but there is little support in the legislature. There is a coalition of supporters “Buffers Now”
9. Update on other State Ikes Activities provided by Bob Scheierl (our state rep.) after this meeting.
· State Ikes held “Day at the Capitol” for all Ikes members and their invitees on April 15. Supposedly over 100 folks attended. Those attending visited with their legislators and expressed their opinions on a variety of environmental legislation.
· State Ikes are taking a firm position on the land exchange between State and Feds to address school trust lands within the BWCA. State Ikes position is to go along with the exchange only if the remaining school trust lands (about 2/3 of total school trust acreage?) are purchased by the Feds. Feds do not have money for purchase yet. Don Arnosti is promoting a BWCA user fee increase that the Feds could use to buy the remaining STL in BWCA over a period of 40 years.
· State Ikes are trying to negotiate changes in the proposed Wetlands Conservation Act changes. State Ikes support no changes to WCA and doing mitigation within the same watershed, contrary to our chapter’s position.
· State Ikes are concerned about PCA’s proposed sulfur standards in wild rice waters. PCA is suggesting a limit tailored for each water body. John Pastor, one of the primary researchers on this, feels this approach is unproven, grossly premature, and may not be practical given seasonal stream chemistry changes. State Ikes support retaining standard at current level of 10 parts per ?????.
MINUTES - March 25, 2015
Present: Arthur Norton, Jay Janecek, Bob Scheierl, Tim Wotzka, Dennis Anderson, Rich Libbey, Doug Veit, Barb Veit
1. Election of officers: President: Bob Scheierl, Vice President: Rich Libbey, Secretary: Shirley Loegering,
A new treasurer is needed before May, when Jay will finish.
2. Minnesota Division State Convention and Annual Meeting April 24-26 at Maplelag Resort, Callaway, MN
Our Chapter is allowed three votes (two chapter members plus one State Director)
Bob is attending, Dennis is considering attending. If anyone else is interested in attending, let Bob know.
3. Marcia moved/Art seconded a motion to adopt and forward the Proposed School Trust resolution to the annual meeting for consideration. Passed unanimously
More info/discussion on school trust lands. Rich will send personal letter to Outdoor News about sale of School Trust Lands.
Bob counted tracts in Itasca Co: 734 tracts = 25,000 acres classified as real estate
54% have lakeshore
362 (49%) are completely surrounded by public land
Additional 25% are surrounded on 3 sides by public land
Rich will set up meetings with Saxhaug and Anzelc
4. Proposed deer stand resolution (this was approved in February) Marcia moved /Tim seconded a motion to forward this resolution to the annual meeting for consideration. (passed unanimously)
5. Proposed ATV route in Harris Township connecting the UPM Trail to Grand Rapids - Rich Libbey attended Harris townshp mtg where Sara Thompson from the County Land Dept. presented. The Range Rider ATV club is working to connect trails south of Grand Rapids to provide access to city. Proposal also includes use by dirt bikes (OHM) The majority of trails will be in ditches along County roads
Concerns raised: safety, erosion, wetlands, noise, night riding (impact on wildlife)
Additional Discussions:
Recruitment possibilities:
Keep people involved in activities
Circulate resolutions, invitations, etc to all members
Publicize all activities
Attend meetings of other organizations and invite them
Sulfate standards
Duluth News Tribune has good explanation of proposal:
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/3707071-mpca-wants-individual-sulfate-limits-wild-rice-waters
BWCA land swap
Feds have identified 30,000 acres in Superior NF to exchange for state lands within BWCA.
MINUTES - February 25, 2015
PRESENT: Bob Scheierl, Jay Janecek, Dennis Anderson, Art Norton, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Bob Scheierl presented a Resolution about deer stand regulations to be submitted to the MN DNR from our Chapter that recommends portable stands only on State land (see Resolution on the Programs/Activities page). Art Norton made a motion to approve the resolution, 2nd by Perry Loegering—motion passed.
Bob reported that OHV management on County lands is being reviewed and updated. This is partially in response to questions raised during the Comprehensive Land Use Plan meetings and the need for hard data. This effort will include updating of the recreational vehicle ordinance and creating a more formal policy on recreational vehicle use on county lands.
The County Park and Recreation Commission is also addressing OHV use of grant-in-aid snowmobile trails. Currently OHV’s are not allowed to use snowmobile trails even when that use would make good sense. The proposed revision would allow OHV’s on snowmobile trails when permitted by the landowner and when it met all other regulations for said trail.
Bob attended the Watershed Summit sponsored by the State IKES on February 21 focusing on barriers and solutions to agriculture. Following are some of the topics discussed:
Governor’s buffer initiative: Our Chapter sent a letter to Governor Dayton thanking him for his efforts and adding that we felt buffers around tile inlets and sink holes should also be included, along with a few other suggestions. MN State IKES Division added several more details and sent a similar letter to the Governor.
The Governor wants buffers on all watercourses. BWSR would like to see a plan whereby buffer width would vary according to need for a specific site, rather than one size fits all.
Conversion of forest to potatoes: An EAW has been ordered. DNR Commissioner Landwehr could use some support. The McCabe Chapter has a letter template that our Chapter could also use.
Wetlands are very effective for de-nitrifying runoff as well as recharging groundwater.
Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification: This is a voluntary program that benefits the farmers by 1) making them feel like they are doing the right thing for water quality, 2) good for organic farmers for promoting their products, and 3) is designed to reduce nutrient pollution and soil erosion on farms.
Watershed District and Ag Conservation: Pattern tiling is being done on clay soils in the Red River Valley now. The watershed is doing demos to show better ways to manage water and erosion, i.e. two-stage ditches with a zigzag bottom that reduces sediment flow.
Our Chapter’s letters to Senator Tom Saxhaug and Rep. John Persell with recommendations regarding school trust lands were used as templates for the other Chapters. Bills are currently being drafted—one to use bonding money and one to use excess lottery money—to allow the State to purchase the most environmentally important lands from the trust. Bob developed a fact sheet about school trust lands. He will slightly revise it so that it would be more user friendly as a handout for the public. Perry brought maps showing the school trust fund land in the County that is designated “real estate” and therefore the most likely to be sold. He will try to get a figure on the number of acres that entails.
Art Norton reported on a meeting held about how to complete the library solar project. Others attending were city employees Julie Kennedy and Ron Edminster, Bill Mittlefehldt, Regional CERTS Director, and Shirley Loegering. The library solar project was never meant to produce enough electricity to replace the library’s electrical needs completely but, rather, was meant to be a demo and teaching tool for the community. Julie Kennedy will be meeting with IRRRB to see if they have funds available to complete the project. The first phase to install the remainder of the equipment and get things running will cost about $50,000. The second phase will be expenses associated with the educational effort.
Shirley reported that Shawn Linder has agreed to once again recommend one of his Natural Resource high school students to receive the Deep Portage IKES summer camp scholarship from our Chapter.
Shawn Linder also sent an email request to our Chapter, and other agencies, requesting professional volunteers to work on a collaboration project between GRHS natural resource students and social study students. The topic would be “What are the climate impacts, if any, that you have witnessed in the outdoors in your career and how does it impact our community in Grand Rapids?”. Perry Loegering will represent the MN DNR Wildlife point of view.
Shirley wondered what the protocol was for the election of officers for our Chapter. Dave Alban indicated to her that he would like to step down as President. Jay said that we usually did not have formal elections and that the positions were filled voluntarily. Will discuss at our next meeting.
The newly formed Earth Circle group has invited the IKES to join them for an environmental day at Central Square Mall in Grand Rapids on Earth Day, April 22. If we want to participate, Ideas should be brought to the March meeting. One thing we could do would be to have information there about the school trust lands issue.
A post card was received from MN350 notifying us that there will be a meeting about the Alberta Clipper oil pipeline in Grand Rapids on March 9th from 7-9pm at Itasca Community College Backes Student Center.
MINUTES - January 28, 2015
PRESENT: Dave Alban, Jay Janecek, Rich Libbey, Doug Veit, Dennis Anderson, Bob Scheierl, Art Norton, Marcia Anderson, Perry and Shirley Loegering
State IKES meeting January 24th: Bob Scheierl attended and reported on the meeting. They proposed that Chapters encourage all members be on 100% renewals by 2016. To achieve this goal, the MN Division will recruit Chapter Energy Coordinators. Art Norton has volunteered to be the Energy Coordinator for our Chapter. Eric Jensen has replaced Bill Grant in the MN Division office and he will be available to help chapters reach their renewable goals.
The Environmental Issues Committee (EIC) approved the following:
Lead Issues (80%)
1. Energy and climate
2. Water and Wetlands
3. Mining
Assist Issues
1. Sustainable Agriculture
2. Invasive species
3. Pollinators
4. Scientific and natural areas
5. School trust land
Buffers and mitigation will be included under water and wetlands. Itasca County already has mandatory buffers but with a “grandfather” clause. If the Governor’s buffer initiative goes through, the State would enforce the law and not the County. It was agreed that our Chapter should send a letter to Governor Dayton thanking him for his proposal and suggesting some points to consider in the final proposal details with a copy to Senator Saxhaug and Rep. Persell. Art Norton moved, 2nd by Perry Loegering, to send the letter; motion passed. Shirley will prepare and send out.
Regarding mitigation, the MN Division does not want to change the current ruling because it may open the door to weaken current legislation. Individuals are free to write letters that are contrary to the MN Division position but Bob recommended that our Chapter would not.
The MN Division passed a policy on pollinators to be followed by a resolution to control pesticides and increase habitat.
Annual State Meeting will be April 24-26th at Maplelag Resort near Detroit Lakes. Resolutions from state Chapters need to be in by March 24th. They should be factual and include required action.
IKES sponsored watershed conference, February 21st. Bob Scheierl plans to attend. The focus will be on barriers and solutions to accelerate ag conservation.
Library Solar: We once again discussed how our Chapter could assist the Library in completing their solar project. Northeast Sustainability may have grants and we could do a community fundraiser. Art will initiate a meeting.
Great Northern Transmission Line: Rich reported that PUC has decided to include 22 of the 33 proposed routes in the Environmental Impact study that includes the proposed by the DNR.
MINUTES - December 10, 2014
PRESENT: Jay Janecek, Rich Libbey, Doug Veit, Dennis Anderson, Bob Scheierl, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Great Northern Transmission Line Report: Rich Libbey reported that 22 of the 33 alternative routes recommended by the Task Force to MN Power will be submitted to PUC for their consideration. Public comments are now closed until after the draft EIS comes out. The route our Chapter endorsed (that follows existing corridors as much as possible) was one of the 22 routes to be considered. That route also has broad support from the DNR and others. Rich plans to work closely with the townships and County to draft a resolution in response to the draft EIS once it is made public.
Environmental Issues Committee (EIC): There are four major environmental issues coming before the Legislature in 2015: wetlands, mining, game and fish, and clean energy. These align closely with the issues being discussed at the State Ikes level through EIC. Our Chapter reviewed the priority list of issues prepared by EIC and classified them as to lead, assist, or support issues. This must be completed before the January 7th EIC meeting and then the State Ikes Board will make a few recommendations at their January 24th meeting. Wetlands mitigation was discussed and our Chapter may have a differing opinion than that of the majority on EIC. Our opinion is that mitigation away from the originating site can be beneficial and should be supported. Bob will draft our response as a letter addressed to EIC with input from Perry on the mitigation issue. The three issues that our Chapter designated as “lead” issues were to 1) combine all of the sulfate mining issues into one issue; 2) Sandpiper pipeline issues; and 3) sustainable agriculture. School trust lands, another issue important to our Chapter, will be listed as an “assist” issue.
Possible programs to sponsor in 2015 (maybe on Earth Day April 22nd ): Bob Scheierl has purchased a copy of the “Damnation” film but it arrived in Blueray format. He will check with the Library to see if they have the capability of showing the film there in that format and/or if they wish to have that copy to loan to its patrons. If not, he may try to return the film for a different version. Rich commented that the film is available online through Netflix.
Shirley still needs to follow-up on a possible program about community solar.
GreenStep Cities Update and Library Solar: Michelle Schroeder, IKES GreenStep Cities promoter, contacted Shirley and requested information about the status of the GreenStep Cities program in Grand Rapids. Shirley had a chance to briefly speak with Tom Pagel, Grand Rapids City Administrator, and he felt that the GreenStep Cities program was too cumbersome and time consuming, with no incentive to participate, and that the City was already doing many “green” projects. He would be willing to come to one of our Chapter meetings to give us an update.
Marcia Anderson, Grand Rapids Area Library Director, submitted a written report about the energy saving steps that have been initiated at the Library, i.e. extracting heat from the waste water discharged by the UPM Kymene paper mill to heat the Library and sidewalk in front of the building and replacing many halogen lights with new LED lights. One great need at the Library is to complete the solar installation. Materials are already on hand but $30,000 is needed to do the installation. Our chapter members present agreed that this would be a project we could support. Shirley will meet with Marcia to talk about the potential for applying for a Blandin Foundation grant.
Itasca Water Legacy Partnership (IWLP) 2015 membership donation in the amount of $100 was approved. IWLP will be sponsoring an adult summit in 2015 focused on wetlands in cooperation with the Forest Education Academy Program (FEAP).
2015 Deep Portage IKES Summer Camp Scholarship: Shirley will contact Shawn Linder, Advisor for the Grand Rapids High School FFA, to see if he is willing to once again recommend a student for our scholarship.
MINUTES - October 22, 2014
PRESENT: Jay Janecek, Art Norton, Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Rich Libbey, David Hayes, Marcia Anderson, Shirley Loegering and, guest, Emily Hegrenes
Emily Hegrenes, Grand Rapids High School Sophomore and recipient of the Grand Rapids Wes Libbey IKES summer camp scholarship at Deep Portage, reported that she had a wonderful camp experience. There were many opportunities for learning outdoor skills, i.e. archery, canoeing, fishing and geocaching, as well as making many new friends that shared similar interests.
Rich gave a status report on the Great Northern Transmission Line. He was instrumental in organizing an Advisory Task Force (ATF) of 12 people from the region. The ATF will study the issue and present their views for alternative routes. There will be a meeting open to the public on October 29th from 11:00-3:00 at the Sawmill Inn. Comments regarding the Certificate of Need (separate from the routing issue) can be made through December 3rd.
Bob has put together a School Trust Lands proposal for consideration by the MN IKES Issues Committee. He will route to Perry Loegering and Art Norton for their review before it is submitted to the State. It is due by the end of October. A crucial step would be to identify which parcels of land are considered “high value” that may need protection.
Jay presented an Outdoor Recreation Survey that our Chapter received from the National IKES office. It appeared that the survey was geared towards chapters that owned property and owned their own facilities and most questions did not apply to our Chapter. Jay will fill out the survey accordingly and return it.
Possible programs that our Chapter could sponsor were discussed, i.e. “Dam Nation” video. Bob will purchase a copy for our Chapter for $20 so we can review it. Shirley will do some further checking on possible speakers regarding Minnesota’s solar energy standard passed in 2013 that included provisions for community solar gardens. Another program suggested was on the wild rice standard relating to non-ferrous mining.
Rich will check with DNR Minerals out of Hibbing to see if someone could come to one of our Chapter meetings to speak about “scram” mining reclamation and its implications for our area, such as Magnetation’s operation.
MINUTES - September 24, 2014
Present: Bob Scheierl, Rich Libbey, Jay Janecek, Dave Hayes, Perry Loegering, Marcia Anderson
1. Great Northern Transmission Line report – Rich Libbey
The proposed power line runs from Manitoba to Blackberry. They are looking for input and proposal for alternate routes. There was only limited notice for the taskforce initially, so Rich contacted people in townships along part of the proposed route. They are meeting the first week of October. Many sections of the proposed routes go through bogs. MN Power objects to routes in close proximity to the existing routes because of the potential for a major weather disaster (ie. Tornado of ice storm) The Feds are doing a system reliability study already.
Public Hearings for the Certificate of Need are coming up.
Note: The hearings are Wednesday, October 15 from 11-3 and 6-10 at the Timberlake Lodge in Grand Rapids.
The scoping document and the EIS completion will be another year. Phase II proposal may extend the line beyond Blackberry
2. Summer Board of Director’s Meeting – Bob Scheierl
a. Bob will attend the November 1 BOD meeting in New Ulm
b. Topics of discussion at the summer meeting:
i. Watershed districts
ii. Don Arnosti is on contract for the organization and will work on priority setting (see newsletter for more information)
iii. Jill Crafton is working on Great Lakes invasives
iv. Dam removal video (Dam Nation)
1. Suggested options:
a. Purchase copy and use for public showing in conjunction with Library or ICC (does it come with public performance rights?)
b. Purchase copy and donate to Library for home use by individuals
v. Wetland mitigation
vi. Where and how can the best quality wetlands be restored?
Concern is that land is being converted to corn and beans with adverse impact on streams.
3. Decide when to invite Emily Hegrenes to speak about her summer camp experience
Shirley to ask Shawn Linder for October 22nd meeting.
4. Possible programs we could sponsor for the upcoming year: (tabled)
a. Buffers and value of wetlands by the Austin IKES chapter
b. MN solar energy standard passed in 2013, including community solar gardens
5. School Trust Lands have been listed for sale. Rich described some parcels. Of particular concern is a 40 acre tract by Wassen Lake with both timber and mineral rights. The consensus is to draft a letter from the chapter. Rich will draft and send to Dave.
Should Trust Lands be put forth as an issue for statewide priority consideration? Does the chapter have resources to work on the issue? Data on lands and values is sketchy at this point. Perry & Bob will work on an application with the goal of protecting Trust Lands that have a high natural resource value. They will have something ready for October 22 meeting. Bob will send an email that they are working on proposal and will submit later.
MINUTES - March 26, 2014
PRESENT: Dave Alban, Jay Janecek, Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Rich Libbey, Rick Blake, Perry and Shirley Loegering and guest, Bruce Robinson
1. Dave reported that the Duluth McCabe IKES chapter submitted a very detailed comment to the DNR re. Polymet’s Supplemental Draft EIS (SDEIS). Rich Libbey has studied the draft and submitted several comments. Public comment period is now over. EPA gave the SDEIS a “B” rating this time around with some issues that still need to be addressed.
A lengthy discussion was held about what the next step will be. The DNR received about 50,000 comments and it could take up to a year to review before drafting the final Environmental Impact Statement. If there is a public comment period allowed with the final draft, our Chapter could submit comments at that time.
2. Subsequent to our School Trust Land Program held at the Grand Rapids Area Library on January 29th, Senator Saxhaug introduced legislation that would allow for the purchase of certain environmentally important lands from the trust using excess lottery money. Bob will review our previous Resolution to the State IKES Division to see if we need to file an updated version for the upcoming state convention in April.
Three bills have been submitted in the legislature to purchase land from the trust: HF 2439 (Sawatzky)/ SF 2017 (Saxhaug), HF2334 (Persell)/ SF 1903 (Wiger) and HF 273 (Persell)/SF 517 (Torres Ray.) If adopted, they would be a win-win for both the school trust and protecting some environmentally important areas. Rich Libbey would like to see more coverage in the media and may submit an article to the Outdoor News and the Duluth News Tribune.
3. The MN IKES State Convention will be held on April 25-26 in Rochester, MN. Bob Scheierl plans to attend and, possibly, Rich Libbey. After the meeting adjourned, but while there were still Dave Alban, Rich Libbey, Dennis Anderson, Bob Scheierl, Perry & Shirley Loegering present, it was agreed that the Chapter should pay the $60.00 registration for the State Convention. Our Chapter is allowed two voting delegates.
4. Rich attended the meeting about the power line transmission preliminary Certificate of Need on February 20th at the Sawmill Inn. They are still planning to expand along their originally proposed route. Perry said there are approximately 500 acres of wetland to be mitigated and mitigation sites could be anywhere in the State. The DNR has submitted proposals for those mitigation sites, i.e. Red River Valley flood control and Blackwater Lake shoreland near the Clay Boswell plant.
5. Shirley presented information from a meeting sponsored in Grand Rapids by the 350.org and MN350 organizations about the Alberta Clipper pipeline expansion. The pipeline would carry tar sand oil from Alberta to docks in Superior and then shipped across the Great Lakes in barges. The pipeline crosses the Mississippi five times, other rivers 11 times, and runs under Lakes Bemidji and Cass. Enbridge has had a dismal record in the past about cleaning up their many oil spills. She will email the info to those present in the event they wish to write a letter to the Administrative Law Judge who will be making a recommendation to the PUC about whether or not to approve the expansion.
Meeting - February 26, 2014
No Minutes
MINUTES - January 22, 2014
PRESENT: Dave Alban, Jay Janecek, Doug Veit, Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Rich Libbey, Perry and Shirley Loegering
1. Finalized plans for School Trust Land Program to be held at the Grand Rapids Area Library, January 29th. Aaron VandeLinde, DNR School Trust Land Administrator will be the presenter. Marcia Anderson will do the introduction. This is co-sponsored by the Library Program Committee.
2. Agreed to pursue a program on the North Dakota Bakken oil fields by MN IKES Division President, Barry Drazkowski, in March. The Library has decided not to co-sponsor this program.
3. Bob Scheirel represented our Chapter at the recent State IKES Board of Directors meeting held in Bloomington on January 18th. Dave Alban suggested that, in the future, our Chapter should pay for travel expenses association with the State IKES Board meetings, if expenses are submitted. The following topics were discussed:
a. Bob brought back two DVD’s for our Chapter—one is by Barry Drazkowski on the Bakken oil fields. It will be routed around to our members who wish to view it.
b. One topic of discussion was sulfide mining in MN. The MN IKES position is that they will not support mining that needs perpetual maintenance. They passed a Resolution by the Breckenridge Chapter to withhold permits unless certain requirements can be met. The Div. office will share the position statements with the Chapters.
c. When chapter members are speaking in public about a controversial issue, they must only speak for themselves and not represent that they are speaking for the IKES, unless they are following the IKES official position.
d. Discussed the discontinuation of “lead” bullets. The lead issue will also be discussed at the upcoming Wildlife Society meeting in Bemidji in February.
e. Four other areas of discussion were on sustainable transportation, GreenStep Cities, multiple use of Natural & Scientific Areas and membership development.
f. Of special interest to Bob was the discussion on water quality. He was impressed with the wide variety of projects being submitted to the Legacy Fund, i.e. buffers, permanent conservation easements, wild rice lake protection, and converting ag waterways to settling basins.
g. The Watershed Summit is scheduled for February 22nd in the Twin Cities.
4. Bob also gave an update on the Itasca County Fairgrounds. He has been appointed to the Park & Rec Commission and a couple of issues they are dealing with are deer stands on county lands, hunter walking trail system maintenance, and planning for the Fairgrounds.
5. Polymet’s Supplemental Draft EIS (SDEIS) is now open for public comment. The next meeting is in the twin cities on January 28th or comments can be left online. Rich Libbey has studied the draft and has made several comments.
6. Rich also reported that there will be a meeting about the power line transmission preliminary Certificate of Need on February 20th at 6:00 pm at the Sawmill Inn.
7. Bob will follow-up with the County about the status of the Wabana Trails & Wildflower Sanctuary. Our Chapter had recommended that the County leave the blow-down area alone, except for clearing trails, and that the blow-down area could be used as a learning experience with the use of interpretive signs.
8. It was mentioned that the Forest History Center might be a potential location for our Chapter to become involved in sponsoring a booth and/or activities for young people, i.e. the week of April 26th, Arbor Day, or during the fall “Outdoor Expo.
9. Bob Scheierl contacted Shawn Linder, FFA counselor, and he is willing to recommend one of his students again for the IKES Summer Camp Scholarship at Deep Portage.
MINUTES - December 11, 2013
PRESENT: Jay Janecek, Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Rich Libbey, Dave Alban, Perry & Shirley Loegering
1. Great Northern Transmission Line Update by Rich Libbey. Rich has been trying to contact Rian Reed with the MN DNR about the possibility of allowing the transmission corridor to cross an SNA. Shirley will submit the letter from our Chapter to MN Power requesting that they follow existing corridors (see attached).
2. Shirley presented two programs for consideration for next year:
a. School Trust Fund Lands
Rep. John Persell is willing to come to Grand Rapids to speak about the legislation he introduced. He would not charge a fee. He requested that the program be as early as possible before he gets busy with the new legislative session that starts February 25th.
Aaron VandeLinde, DNR School Trust Land Administrator has also agreed to be part of the presentation and there would be no cost to have him come to Grand Rapids. Sen. Saxhaug sits on the Legislative Permanent School Fund Commission and will also be invited.
Marcia Anderson will check with the Library Program Committee to see if they will co-sponsor the program. Shirley will contact Rep. Persell, Sen. Saxhaug and Aaron VandeLinde with potential dates in January. For PR we will do a news release in local newspapers and send a targeted message to such groups as: MN Deer Hunters, Ruffed Grouse Society, ICOLA, IWLP, ATV/Snowmobile Clubs and fishing guides.
b. Bakken Oil Fields
Barry Drazkowski, MN Division IKES President, would come to Grand Rapids to speak about his trip to the Bakken Oil Fields. We would need to reimburse his travel costs from Winona. The Library will be asked if they would to also co-sponsor this program and we may try for March.
3. Bob Scheierl will follow up with Shawn Linder to see if he is willing to nominate a student for the Chapter Scholarship to IKES Summer Camp at Deep Portage.
MINUTES - OCTOBER 23, 2013
Present: Jay Janecek, Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Marcia Anderson, Dave Hayes, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Proposed Great Northern Transmission Line: A letter was drafted to Minnesota Power requesting that the proposed 500 KV transmission line follow existing utility corridors. Constructing new right-of-way through contiguous forests results in fragmenting the forest resulting in degraded habitat for many forest songbirds and reduces effectiveness of winter conifer cover for white-tailed deer. New corridors also provide additional access to the forest by invasive species. A “Letter to the Editor” will also be drafted stating the same concerns.
Individual IKES members can also offer their comments directly by going to www.greatnortherntransmissionline.com
Program Ideas:
1. Marcia reported that the Library would be willing to co-host a program about the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota if the program included all aspects involved, i.e. economic, social and environmental. There would be available Library time after January 1st. Shirley will contact Barry Drazkowski, IKES Division President, to see if he would be willing to do such a presentation.
2. Shirley did some research about the school trust fund lands issue. She found that Representative John Persell and Senator Patricia Torres Ray had introduced bills (HF273/SF517) that would both keep the school trust holdings in public ownership and maintain all the benefits that go along with maintaining public lands (such as preserving shoreline, native prairie, designated old growth, wildlife management areas and scientific and natural areas) and at the same time compensate the School Trust Fund with bonding revenue. Loss of public land is not only a loss to the public who would use that land for multiple-use recreation but can also result in degraded water quality and loss of wildlife habitat.
Shirley will contact Rep. Persell, MN DNR Trust Land Coordinator and other groups such as the Nature Conservancy to see if they could recommend speakers that could address this issue at a public meeting in Grand Rapids. To have the greatest impact, it would be good list specific property locations involved in Itasca County and to have testimony from individuals about how the change in management of school trust lands would affect them personally. One possibility would be members of Itasca County lake associations.
3. Future program could be about clean energy and Minnesota’s new solar energy standard.
Wes Libbey Scholarship for student to IKES summer camp at Deep Portage. It was agreed that we should offer a scholarship for 2014. Shirley will contact Shawn Linder, FFA Councilor at the High School, to see if he could again recommend a student from that group.
Dave Hayes shared information about the Forest History Center. The center is trying to expand their presence in the community year-round. One event is the “Outdoor Expo” held in the fall that might be an opportunity for the IKES to have a booth and activity that would involve young people.
Re control of Asian carp, Dennis Anderson mentioned that members could write to their legislators to support closure of the Mississippi River lock and dam above St. Anthony Falls that would be an effective barrier to carp movement up river.
Marcia moved, 2nd by Perry, to authorize Dave Alban as a second signatory on the Chapter’s checking account.
Marcia and Shirley will be working to update the Chapter’s brochure.
Next meeting will be the joint November-December meeting on Dec. 11th. Location for our meetings in the future will be in the ITV Room 135 (near the Sherriff’s office).
MINUTES - SEPTEMBER 25, 2013
The Grand Rapids Wes Libbey IKES Chapter met Wednesday, September 25, 2013 at 7 PM in the Itasca County Courthouse, West Venue Boardroom.
Present: Dave Alban, Jay Janecek, Bob Scheierl, Marcia Anderson, Dave Hayes, Rich Libbey, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Rich Libbey presented information on alternative routes for the proposed Great Northern transmission line. A letter will be drafted from our Chapter requesting that existing power line corridors be utilized in order to lessen the impact on current contiguous forest land in the county.
Discussed whether or not we should invite Barry Drazkowski, IKES Division President, to speak in Grand Rapids about the problems associated with the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota. Marcia will check with the Library to see if their program committee is interested in co-sponsoring the event. If not, and if Mr. Drazkowski is interested in coming to Grand Rapids, our Chapter may decide to sponsor the event on our own in January or February.
School trust fund lands were discussed and what possible role our Chapter could play in publicizing the issue. Rich will speak with Senator Saxhaug about what he feels the possibilities might be through the legislature to protect environmentally important parcels. Shirley will do some research to see if other conservation groups have come up with any viable options. Other States are already buying out trust fund land in order to keep in the public domain. Our Chapter could possibly invite a speaker to Grand Rapids on this topic, possibly from the Trust for Public Lands.
Rich has a DVD produced by ICTV about the Deer-Pokegama Lakes Diagnostic Study that was funded through Itasca Water Legacy Partnership. It could be viewed at one of our Chapter meetings.
Dave Hayes mentioned that the Forest History Center is encouraging more participation from the local community over the winter months and is willing to offer their facilities for events. This may be something our Chapter could utilize.
Bob will check the the County to clarify which one of their rooms we will be able to use for our Chapter meetings in the future.
MINUTES - MAY 22, 2013
The Grand Rapids Wes Libbey IKES Chapter met Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 7 PM in the Itasca County Courthouse, West Venue Boardroom.
Present: Jay Janecek, Dennis Anderson, Bob Scheierl, Marcia Anderson, Doug Veit, Dave Hayes, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Bill Berg, our Chapter’s State Director, has moved out of the area. Art Norton was suggested as someone who would be a good candidate to fill that position. Shirley will contact him to see if he is interested. It’s possible that other members could fill in as an alternate if Art was not able to make all of the meetings. Shirley will contact Bill Berg to ask about what the responsibilities are for a State Director.
Since Bill has been such an integral part of our Chapter and community for many years, it was agreed that we should recognize him for his efforts. There will be a going away party for Bill and Terry Berg on June 13th. We will present Bill with a Certificate of Appreciation along with a gift card. Shirley will email members with information about the party and requesting donations.
Jay Janecek would like to see another Chapter officer authorized to sign checks. Currently he is the only one able to do so. This will be put on the September agenda.
We did not get a recommendation from Shawn Linder for a student to attend IKES summer camp at Deep Portage this year so no camp scholarship will be awarded.
Marcia Anderson talked about an idea that she has been considering to develop a program to interpret the river and riparian area along the Mississippi River near the Library. She would like to see a partnership with our Chapter and, possibly, Northern Lights Community School with input from local natural resource experts regarding river/riparian ecology. Perry Loegering offered his assistance with regard to shoreland wildlife. Other names suggested to Marcia were Harry Hutchins and Paul Latimer.
Ways to increase our Chapter’s membership were discussed. It is difficult to compete with single-issue organizations, but some suggestions were:
· Clarify and publicize our mission as being an all-inclusive organization that supports hunting, fishing and trapping as well as other outdoor activities. Add a statement to this effect on our monthly meeting notices in the newspaper.
· Develop a new brochure as a PR aid. Marcia and Shirley will work on this.
· Sponsor outdoor activities for local youth. Dave Hayes suggested that we look into the Creek Freaks program offered by the National IKES. Shirley will gather some information on that program.
· Sponsor programs with speakers and film to highlight current issues of concern.
APRIL 2013 - NO MEETING DUE TO BAD WEATHER
MINUTES - MARCH 24, 2013
The Grand Rapids Wes Libbey IKES Chapter met Wednesday, March 24, 2013 at 7 PM in the Itasca County Courthouse, West Venue Boardroom.
Present: Dave Alban, Jay Janecek, Dennis Anderson, Bob Scheierl, Rich Libbey, Marcia Anderson, Doug Veit, Art Norton and Shirley Loegering
Guests: Grand Rapids FFA Ag Issues Team: Shawn Linder, Advisor, and Travis Belich, Torey Belich, Cody Mann and Jace Mann
The FFA group presented an informative skit about deer baiting in Minnesota, including historical references to baiting in Wisconsin. This was one of ten presentations they needed to do before the State competition.
Possible resolutions were discussed for presentation at the State IKES annual meeting on April 26-28 at Spirit Mountain in West Duluth.
Dave Alban reported that the corporate personhood issue is gaining strong support around the country and within the Minnesota legislature. Three hundred cities in the U.S. have passed anti-corporate personhood resolutions. Overly permissive corporate power can have detrimental effects on the environment. The resolution is as follows:
THEREFORE be it resolved that the Minnesota Division of the Izaak Walton League of America support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to abolish corporate personhood and to state clearly that the rights guaranteed in the Constitution apply to human persons and not to corporations and that money is not speech and can therefore be regulated.
Doug Veit moved, Shirley Loegering 2nd, to approve the “Resolution on Corporate Personhood and the Environment” as presented by Dave Alban. Motion passed. Dave plans to attend the state meeting.
Dave presented a resolution written by Jack Mooty on climate change. The resolution was acceptable to the group, but there was some discussion about the wording in the preliminary information, especially the statement “uniformly rebated to the public” and how that could actually be implemented fairly. The resolution is as follows:
THEREFORE be it resolved that the Izaak Walton League of America, in convention in Duluth, MN April 2013, supports adoption of a fossil fuel fee and dividend system to reduce emission of greenhouse gases.
Marcia Anderson moved, Art Norton 2nd, that the “Fossil Fuel Fee & Dividend Resolution” be approved but with the preliminary information clearly labeled as “Background Information” and not as part of the resolution. The hope was that there would be less disagreement with the resolution in this format.
Shirley presented a resolution written by Perry Loegering on Minnesota State school trust lands. According to MN Statute 127A.31, school trust fund lands must “secure the maximum long-term economic return”. Since Minnesota has 2,515,146 acres of state-owned school trust lands and, if those are taken out of public ownership, there could be significant loss of environmental benefits and public recreation lands. There was some discussion about whether this was the most feasible solution but it was agreed that the resolution might be a good first step to highlight the problem. The resolution reads as follows:
NOW THEREFORE be it resolved that the Izaak Walton League urge the Minnesota State Legislature to allocate funds to purchase parcels of State Trust Lands that have significant environmental and recreational benefits to the general public and local economy.
Marcia Anderson moved to approve the “Minnesota State School Trust Lands Resolution”, Rich Libbey 2nd. Motion passed.
Rich Libbey and Bob Scheierl reported on the recent public meeting regarding the Itasca County Comp Plan. Most of the plan was a review but there were a few new additions, i.e. a section on family forests. The issue that created the most disagreement was the amount of land to be designated for motorized and non-motorized recreation. The Commissioners moved the issue to the April 9th Parks & Rec Board meeting for further discussion and public input. The Parks & Rec plan will be posted on the county website.
We continue to be involved on a "watch" basis regarding the Minnesota Power transmission line from Manitoba through Minnesota route planning.
To be discussed at our April meeting is the issue of northern Minnesota being considered as a nuclear waste storage site.
MINUTES - FEBRUARY 27, 2013
The Grand Rapids Wes Libbey IKES Chapter met Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 7 PM in the Itasca County Courthouse, West Venue Boardroom. Present: Jay Janecek, Dennis Anderson, Bob Scheierl, Rich Libbey, Marcia Anderson, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Cold wind chill forced the cancellation of the January meeting.
Bob reported that the Itasca County Comp Plan will be coming up for a public hearing, probably some time in March. Several of our members participated in the preliminary review that submitted recommendations to the County Commissioners.
Jay reported that we are unable to provide a student membership for Hunter Dornhecker (the 2012 recipient of the Wes Libbey scholarship to Deep Portage IKES summer camp) until such time as Hunter provides us with his date of birth (required by the national office).
Perry gave an overview about his concerns for loss of public lands in Itasca County due to changes in how School Trust Fund lands are managed. About 98% of state-owned land in Itasca County is trust fund land, with about 200 miles of that being shoreland. Since the requirement for these lands is to provide the “highest and best use” (meaning the highest financial return) many of these acres may be sold to private individuals. One solution may be for the State or County to purchase these parcels outright in order to keep them in public ownership and available for multi-use by the public. All State agencies have been mandated to provide a report to the legislature by Dec. of this year.
Rich mentioned that he would like to see public access signs have specific lake names added. This would facilitate a person’s ability to know exactly which lake they were accessing, especially for the smaller and more remote lakes in the county.
Rich also mentioned that a dog park has been proposed for Grand Rapids.
We watched part of the two-hour September 2012 Twin Cities Climate Change Symposium with introduction by meteorologist, Paul Douglas, and comments by Dr. John Abraham from the University of Thomas.
For our March meeting, President Dave Alban would like everyone to bring at least one new idea on how our Chapter can be more effective on a local and state basis, i.e. ideas for programs, sponsorships, projects, social media, and perhaps a new Grand Rapids Wes Libbey IKES brochure.
At our March meeting, we will be reviewing changes to our two resolutions on Corporate Personhood and Carbon Credits, which were approved by the State Division but voted down at the National meeting. We will try again, and submit to the State Division for their consideration.
We continue to be involved on a "watch" basis regarding the Minnesota Power transmission line from Manitoba through Minnesota route planning.
Please note that the State IKES annual meeting will April 26-28, at Spirit Mountain in West Duluth. We hope many of you make plans to attend. Please consult your Waltonian.
And don’t forget to attend the "Up North Woodlands Workshop" Saturday, March 9 at ICC sponsored by the MN DNR Division of Forestry and UofM Extension.
MINUTES - DECEMBER 5, 2012
The Grand Rapids Wes Libbey IKES Chapter met Wednesday December 5, 2012 at 7 PM in the Itasca County Courthouse, West Venue Boardroom for the combined November & December meeting
Present: President, Dave Alban, Jay Janecek, Bill Berg, Doug Veit, Bob Scheierl, Rich Libbey, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Jay reported that Hunter Dornhecker, the 2012 IKES Camp Scholarship recipient, is too young to be eligible for a student membership but that he could be awarded a complimentary one-year IKES membership from our Chapter. With this complimentary membership he would receive the Waltonian and Outdoor America magazine. Shirley will call his advisor, Shawn Linder, to get his mailing address so that Jay can send in his name for the membership.
Dave Hayes represented our Chapter at recent meetings about the Minnesota Power transmission line from Manitoba through Minnesota. Although Dave is now a snowbird, he left materials for the Chapter to discuss. Chapter members will check online to learn more about the issue and find out when the next public input meetings are scheduled.
Bob Scheierl, Rich Libbey and Perry Loegering shared information about the recent Itasca County Comprehensive Plan meetings. They felt the meetings were very productive and about the only controversial issue that will need to be voted on by the County Commissioners is the percentage of trails to be designated for non-motorized use. There was approximately equal representation at the meetings for both sides of the issue. The ATV interests were more strongly represented than snowmobilers, which is a change from past years.
A letter from our Chapter was drafted to Andrew Brown, Assistant Area Supervisor, DNR Parks & Trails, Grand Rapids, MN supporting a “no-net loss” of non-motorized trails on the Bigfork-Balsam ATV trail. Doug Veit moved, 2nd by Perry Loegering, to submit the letter—motion passed.
Rich Libbey has stayed on top of Minnesota Wetland Protection and Governor Dayton’s 12-04 Executive Order on the topic and has submitted his concerns to the Governor. The comment period closes December 15th.
Rich shared some historical deer hunting tallies that his father, Wes, had collected in the 1950’s. The Chapter members enjoyed reviewing Wes’ very detailed tally. Perry shared the 2012 deer hunting tally done by the DNR for the Itasca County area.
Bill has an excellent new video about climate change from a recent Twin Cities symposium. The members present felt this might be a good program for our Chapter to co-sponsor with someone, possibly with the Natural Resource class at ICC. Bill will contact Harry Hutchins to see if they might be interested.
Bill reported that he and Jack Todd, MN Deer Hunter’s Association and IKES member, are going to attend a DNR sponsored meeting in Hibbing next week about ways the DNR can improve its communications skills.
Bill also reported that Dave Zentner, Duluth area IKE, is looking into how resolutions are handled at the national level and just why the resolutions developed by our Chapter, and passed at the MN state and regional level, were never discussed at the national level.
Bill Berg brought a folder of IKES Chapter treasures from the 1970’s and gave some to Rich Libbey that contained information about his father’s involvement.
A membership renewal for $100.00 to the Itasca Water Legacy Partnership was received. Doug Veit moved, 2nd by Perry Loegering, to pay the membership—motion passed.
Items that may be discussed at the next meeting are a report from Jack Mooty on the status of GreenStep Cities action in Grand Rapids and whether the Chapter will want to offer the IKES summer camp scholarship again in 2013.
The group watched the video prepared by John Crampton that highlighted many Minnesota IKES accomplishments over the last 90 years. It was an inspirational video that gives a lot of encouragement for the grass-roots activities of local IKES.
MINUTES - OCTOBER 24, 2012
The Grand Rapids Wes Libbey IKES Chapter met Wednesday October 24, 2012 at 7 PM in the Itasca County Courthouse, West Venue Boardroom.
Present: Jay Janecek, Bill Berg, Bob Scheierl, Art Norton, Marcia Anderson, Dave Hayes, Rich Libbey and guest Hunter Dornhecker
Our IKES Camp scholarship recipient, Hunter Dornhecker, gave an excellent presentation about his experience at the IKES Camp this past summer at Deep Portage,
The Itasca County Comprehensive Plan was discussed. There is some concern over a 15% non-motorized goal for county trails, plus a lot of concern over lack of enforcement, signage problems and even deer stand issues. Several of our members have been attending the planning sessions. Input is being accepted through November 1st and there will be a public meeting on November 14th at which time a vote will be taken to accept the changes, or not, before being submitted to the County Board.
As discussed at our September meeting, Bob Scheierl has communicated to the Itasca County Land Department our Chapter’s recommendation that the trees blown down in the July 2, 2012 storm in the Wabana Trails and Wildflower Sanctuary be left to recycle. Trees blocking the trails will be removed, however
Jay Janecek and Bill Berg have gone through about 40% of Wes Libbey’s IKES items, and Rich Libbey will join them in the next effort..
A discussion was held about the need for our Chapter to work with the Parks & Rec Committee to look at the various issues and problems associated with public access on county lands.
The next meeting will be our joint November-December meeting to be held on Dec. 5th
MINUTES - SEPTEMBER 26, 2012
After not meeting for the summer months, the Grand Rapids Wes Libbey IKES Chapter met on Wednesday September 26, 2012 at 7 PM in the Itasca County Courthouse, West Venue Boardroom.
Present: Dave Alban, Jay Janecek, Bill Berg, Dennis Anderson, Bob Scheierl, Tim Wotzka, Marcia Anderson, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Two resolutions authored by our Chapter and approved unanimously at the State IKES Division were presented at the IKES National Convention in Omaha. These resolutions regarded 1) Corporate Personhood and 2) coal power plants and green house gas emissions. Dave Alban stated how disappointed he was that these issues were not even considered for a vote at the national level.
The July 2nd storm blew down substantial areas of forest tracts, and among these was much of the Wabana Trails and Wildflower Sanctuary on Co. Rd. 59 in Wabana Township. Blow-downs are naturally occurring but the trails should be opened for public use. Bob Scheierl will draft a letter to the County stating the IKES position that it would be okay to clear the trails with equipment, but that as much as possible of the blow down should be left untouched as a way of informing the public about how areas regenerate after a storm. Interpretive signs would also be helpful.
Bob lead a discussion on the progress made on the Itasca County Comprehensive Plan. Since the plan was well written in 2007, there is not a lot that needs to be updated or changed. The issue of non-motorized vs. motorized trails will probably be the hottest topic. Perry Loegering presented information received from Daniel Petrik, DNR, about the need for the Itasca County Comp plan to address impaired waters in the county.
The IKES 90th Anniversary celebration was on August 25 in St. Paul, and Bill and Terry Berg attended on behalf of our Chapter. It was a well-attended gala event crammed with great presentations and fundraiser items.
At the 90th there was an excellent video prepared by fellow IKE John Crampton that highlighted the accomplishments of our Minnesota IKES. This video is crammed with history. Our Chapter will try to view the video at one of the upcoming meetings.
Jay Janecek and Bill Berg finally had the chance to sort through about 40% of Wes Libbey’s IKES items, and tried to separate some of the "gems" from old meeting minutes and treasurer’s reports, which were (sadly) recycled. Among the "gems" was our 1928 Charter in its original mailing tube, and this was framed for showing at an IKES meeting. There were many other old Chapter, Division, and National treasures kept that still need to be sorted through.
The State Division Fall Director’s meeting is Oct. 19-21 at the Leopold Learning Center and International Crane Foundation Center in Baraboo, WI. No one from our Chapter was planning on attending.
Hunter Dornhecker, the student who attended IKES summer camp with a $350.00 scholarship from our Chapter, will be invited to speak at the next meeting. He will be offered a one-year free membership and our chapter will pay the $20.00 National student dues for Hunter for this next year.
Marcia Anderson handed out order forms for IKES clothing and anyone who wants, can take it upon themselves to order what they want directly.
Marcia Anderson was selling Rotary roses and several of the attendees graciously purchased those.
MINUTES - MAY 23, 2012
The Grand Rapids Wes Libbey IKES Chapter met Wednesday May 23, 2012 at 7 PM in the Itasca County Courthouse, West Venue Boardroom.
Present: Dave Alban, Jay Janecek, Bill Berg, Dave Hayes, Marcia Anderson, Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Jack Mooty, Doug Veit, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Dave Alban reported that the two resolutions our chapter presented at the State IKES Convention were very well received and will be moving to the National Convention in July. One resolution was on removing corporate personhood and the other on a cap and dividend system for reducing the use of fossil fuels.
Shirley reported that the City of Grand Rapids adopted the GreenStep Cities Resolution that was presented by Katrina Zabinski, a Policy Fellow at the Hubert H. Humphrey School. Katrina and her team did a superior job of researching the requirements of GreenStep Cities and how Grand Rapids has already met many of the requirements. Our IKES Chapter was given credit for initiating the process with the public forum we sponsored in 2010. One of our members, Jack Mooty, will be sitting on an Energy Focus Group as the program being implemented. Shirley will prepare a Letter to the Editor and a thank you to Katrina Zabinski and the City of Grand Rapids and route them to chapter members for input before sending.
Marcia Anderson said that the Grand Rapids Area Library is going to be installing solar panels. They have already purchased the panels but will have to raise more money before they can afford to do the installation that is extremely expensive. They are in the process of looking for grant money.
Shirley shared information on upcoming programs for adults being presented by the Itasca Water Legacy Partnership (IWLP), some in cooperation with the Grand Rapids Area Library. Dave Hayes will be participating in a Youth Water Summit on May 24th sponsored by IWLP that will involve almost 300 5th grade students. If the youth summit is a success and continues in future years, it may be an opportunity for our chapter to get involved and man a couple of the water science stations.
Bill Berg reported that the County Commissioners approved the installation of a new culvert on County Road 49 that will be installed this year with a fish ladder being installed on Wabana Creek next year. The cost will be paid by the US Forest Service. Our chapter wrote letters in support of this action and it would be good to follow-up next year to see if the fish ladder gets completed. A fish ladder has also been installed on Hartley Lake and Perry reported that one is scheduled to go on Six-Mile Lake.
Bill Berg had input into establishing wildlife and historical interpretive signs along the Mississippi River in Grand Rapids between Pokegama Avenue and the Airport Road. A “Riverwalk” is scheduled for May 24th to unveil the interpretive trail.
Once again, we discussed how we could encourage younger people to join our Chapter. One way is to remain visible in the community by participating in and/or sponsoring more events such as the GreenStep Cities Forum in 2010 and the films we sponsored at ICC last year. Dave Hayes will check into the “Creek Freaks” program being offered by the National IKES.
Another suggestion was to offer a free one-year subscription to any IKES summer camp scholarship winners, i.e. Hunter Dornhecker who will attend camp this summer at Deep Portage. No motion was made. Hunter will be giving a presentation to our Chapter in the fall about his camp experience. We could invite the other members of the FFA Natural Resource Group to attend that meeting or prepare a special program at another time that would introduce them to what the IKES are all about.
Marcia Anderson offered to order vests for anyone interested that would have our chapter name embroidered on the vest along with the IKES logo. This would be one way to promote our chapter when we’re involved at public events.
In December of last year, Doug Baker with the local chapter of the North Country Trail System gave a presentation about their efforts as part of the National Scenic Trail System. Our Chapter offered to provide one work day in 2012. Shirley will call Doug to schedule a day and then anyone who is willing and able can participate.
Bill Berg will be moving out of the Grand Rapids area soon. He will be sorely missed by our Chapter. Bill has been a major motivator in many of our activities and has kept our Chapter abreast of current issues by producing a monthly Newsletter. At this time, no one has agreed to do the Newsletter. Shirley will handle any routine announcements that need to be made via email—another job Bill handled so well.
Bob Scheierl will once again reserve the County Boardroom for our meetings in the 2012-13 season.
MINUTES - APRIL 25, 2012
The Grand Rapids Wes Libbey IKES Chapter met Wednesday April 25, 2012 at 7 PM in the Itasca County Courthouse, West Venue Boardroom.
Present: Dave Alban, Jay Janecek, Bill Berg, Dave Hayes, Darrell Lauber, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Dave Alban attended the State IKES meeting in Wabasha this past weekend and reported on the proceedings. Five resolutions were approved to move on to National IKES Convention, two of which were from our Chapter--one was on removing Corporate Personhood and the other on a “Cap and Dividend” system for reducing the use of fossil fuels. The other three resolutions that passed were: 1) to keep the wolf hunting season separate from the deer season; 2) establish a cattle buffer around Yellowstone; and 3) establish a moratorium on silica mining (the sand being used in the fracking process). The local Wabasha Chapter hosted a couple of very interesting field trips—one comparing different styles of farming in the area and the other a tour of the Weaver Dunes where native prairie is being re-established.
Dave also reported that 2012 is the IKES 90th Anniversary. The MN Division is planning a celebration on August 25th at the Holiday Inn in Maplewood. Each chapter who has ten members in attendance will be eligible to receive what might be substantial money from the fund raising effort at the celebration.
Perry Loegering gave an update on the proposed DNR license fee increase that is still fighting its way through the Minnesota Legislature. Members were encouraged to contact their legislators. Perry also presented information about how to participate in an online survey being conducted by the Minnesota DNR about deer population goal setting. The DNR is revisiting population goals statewide to strike the right balance between hunter, landowner and other societal and resource interests. The process will take more than a year.
Jay Janecek has several boxes of IKES records from the late Wes Libbey’s house. A decision will need to be made about the best way to archive or destroy the material. Bill will check with Dave Zentner to get his suggestions. For now, they can stay in Jay’s garage.
Shirley reported that she was contacted by Katrina Zabinski, a Policy Fellow at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute at the UofM, about our Chapter’s involvement in the GreenStep Cities forum presented in 2010. Katrina and her team are working on a GreenStep Cities resolution to be presented to the Grand Rapids City Council working group meeting on May 14th. IKES members were welcome to attend to show their support.
Dave Alban and Jay reported that they met Hunter Dornhecker and presented him with the $350.00 Wes Libbey Scholarship to attend the IKES summer camp at Deep Portage this summer.
Minutes - Wednesday March 28, 2012
The Grand Rapids Wes Libbey Chapter met Wednesday March 28 at 7 PM in the Itasca County Courthouse, West Venue Boardroom.
Present: Dave Alban, Jay Janecek, Bob Scheierl, Dennis Anderson, Jack Todd, Doug Veit, Marcia Anderson, Tim Wotzka, Bill Berg, Perry and Shirley Loegering
Dennis Anderson reported on the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) presentation by DNR’s Bob Liebfried at the ICOLA meeting in February. Bob covered five points: 1) new aquatic invasive species, 2) control and/or eradication measures, 3) how to minimize effects of AIS, 4) pathway interruptions, and 5) watercraft inspections. Dennis felt that, while eradication might be impossible, it was still important to work on controlling and minimizing the problem as much as possible and that educating the public was a key element in success. Shirley reported that Itasca Water Legacy Partnership was going to be hosting an AIS program on June 7th.
Dave Alban reported that two resolutions authored and approved by our Chapter were submitted to the State IKES Resolutions Committee and will be presented for State IKES Division approval at the State Convention on April 20-22 in Wabasha, MN. If approved, the resolutions would go on to the National IKES Convention. The resolutions were: 1) on eliminating corporate personhood, and 2) a fossil fuel “fee and dividend” proposal. Dave Alban and Bill Berg will be attending the convention.
A discussion was held as to whether or not the $350 Wes Libbey Scholarship could be used for either a student to attend the IKES Camp at Deep Portage or if those funds could be donated to the local Future Farmers of America (FFA) (who are very involved in outdoors education for youth). A motion was made and passed that the funds should only be used to send a student to camp. If there were no students interested this year, the funds would be held over for next year. Shirley will contact Shawn Linder, FFA leader, and make any arrangements necessary.
This past month our Chapter signed on to support letters for 1) the DNR’s license fee increase, 2) the National Park Services’ Statement of Joint Principles, and 3) President Obama’s Clean Water Act.
On Thursday, March 29th, Kevin Proescholdt, wilderness advocate and former IKES Wilderness Spokesman, will present a program on "The Importance of Wilderness" at the Grand Rapids Library at 7 PM as part of the “Rapids Read” program. Bill Berg will be doing the introduction. The last part of this series features Will Steger, who speaks on April 11 at Itasca Community College.
Perry Loegering presented an update on legislation being proposed concerning state trust fund lands and the proposed DNR license fee increase. Perry stated that 97% of state-owned land in the NE is trust fund land. Tim Wotzka reported that he had calculated the total number of state trust fund lands in Itasca County at 200,000 acres plus another 100,000 acres of swampland trust land.
Jay Janecek reported that Wes Libbey’s family turned over about eleven boxes of IKES memorabilia to Jay. At some point, the chapter will need to get together to go through the materials to determine what needs to be kept. Possibly some of the materials would be appropriate for the Itasca County Historical Society or for the IKES State Division
Minutes - Wednesday February 22, 2012
The Grand Rapids Wes Libbey IKES Chapter met Wednesday February 22 at 7 PM in the Itasca County Courthouse, West Venue Boardroom.
Present: Dave Alban, Jack Mooty, Doug Veit, Perry and Shirley Loegering, and guest, Shawn Linder.
Shawn Linder is a teacher at the Grand Rapids High School and councilor for the local FFA Chapter. Their emphasis is on natural resources with classes ranging from large and small mammal management, fisheries, forestry, advanced GIS and outdoor recreation. Their “Wildlife and Forestry” Team has competed nationally more than once and have finished in the top quarter. Our IKES Chapter had requested that Shawn recommend one of his students to receive the Wes Libbey Scholarship to the IKES summer camp at Deep Portage and Shawn recommended Hunter Dornhecker, a sophomore at Grand Rapids High School. Our Chapter will pay $350 of the $400 camp fee and Hunter will be responsible for the remaining $50 and the cost of traveling to and from camp. As recommended by Rich Libbey, if no student is able to attend the camp, the $350 could be used by the local FFA chapter to help fund their program. They have an annual budget of approximately $20,000 that they need to raise on their own.
Dave Alban presented a Resolution on Corporate Personhood, as it pertains to the environment and global warming. A motion was made and passed to move the resolution on to the upcoming State IKES Division meeting on April 21-22nd at Wabasha. If approved there, it would go on to the National IKES Convention. Jack Mooty presented a resolution on “Fossil Fuel Fee and Dividend” that also passed and will be presented at the State Division meeting in April.
Perry Loegering, MN DNR Wildlife Manager, presented the proposed license fee increase for hunting and fishing licenses. The Game & Fish Fund is expected to go negative as early as July 2013. Three reasons why are: 1) The department lost $2.2 mil in fishing license revenue because of the State shutdown, 2) hunting and fishing license revenue is projected to be $1.1 mil less than previously, and 3) because of the slow economy, Federal Aid revenue is forecast to be down $4.3 mil. The proposed fees are very modest. Members were encouraged to call or write their legislators to encourage passage of this bill. Also discussed was the proposed timber wolf season that will run after the end of the deer season and will allow up to 400 wolves to be taken.
This past two weeks, our Chapter lost two long-time IKES members. Judge John Spellacy, long-time Itasca County judge and IKE, died in St. Cloud. He was a Chapter member for decades until a year ago, when his health failed. We also lost Cliff Schroeder, a long-time and current member. Clliff was known locally for his years of service to the ISD 318 School Board.
Congratulations to well-known IKE Dave Zentner from Duluth, who last week was awarded the prestigious Minnesota Award from the Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society, at its joint meeting with the North Dakota TWS in Fargo. Thank you Dave, for your decades of dedication to our natural resources, particularly for leading the fight for the successful passage of the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Amendment three years ago, and of course, for your service to the IKES!
This past month was a busy letter writing one for our Chapter; we sent letters to legislators and commissioners regarding 1) threats to the School Trust Fund, 2) Itasca County Zoning and variance provisions, and 3) the Clean Water sign-on letter to President Obama
Order forms have been emailed to Chapter members and we will be ordering IKES vests (or other clothing) with an IKES logo, so we can be identifiable at community events. Bill Berg has bought his own vest, and will show it off when it arrives.
Minutes - Wednesday January 25, 2012
The Grand Rapids Wes Libbey IKES Chapter met Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in the Itasca County Courthouse, West Venue Boardroom.
Present: Dave Alban, Jay Janecek, Bill Berg, Dennis Anderson, Bob Scheierl, Commissioner Catherine McLynn, Jack Todd, Harry Hutchins, Rich Libbey, Marcia Anderson, and Shirley Loegering
Dave Alban requested that our Chapter invite the “Occupy Grand Rapids” group to speak at our next meeting, and it was agreed that we would do so. They are a group of mostly young people attending ICC that are very passionate about their cause. Most Chapter members felt it would be nice if they focused their presentation on how their cause interacts with environmental issues.
Harry Hutchins invited members from our Chapter to speak at his Natural Resource and Ecosystems Management classes at ICC to explain just what IKES is all about. It was suggested that there are many other groups in the area that may also be of interest, i.e. MDHA, Ruffed Grouse Society, etc. It was agreed that some members of our Chapter would be willing to do a short presentation.
The main item up for discussion was the possible upcoming Minnesota Legislative action regarding School Trust Fund Lands (TF) that, decades ago, were established as Sections 16 and 36 in every township to produce income for schools. In addition to the two township sections, many acres of “swamp land” and other “undesirable” acres were designated as TF lands. Historically there were 8 million acres of TF lands, but today there are 2.5 million. There is a 50:50 chance that the Legislature will pass some legislation that will impact some or all of Minnesota’s School Trust Fund Lands. The TF lands in the BWCAW that might be sold or traded with the USFS might not have a large negative impact on outdoors opportunities, but the sale of the two-thirds of the state lands in NE Minnesota that are TF lands would be incredibly negative. These lands are now managed by DNR Forestry, Fish and Wildlife, Trails, Minerals, and Parks. For example, all of the Moose-Willow and Morph Meadows WMA’s are TF lands, and two-thirds of Mud-Goose WMA is as well. A possible outcome is for a new State Department to take control of all TF lands that will sell or manage them to produce income for schools. A sale of all TF lands would fund the schools for about a month. Presently, they provide $28 per student, essentially forever—a much more sustainable policy.
Jack Todd moved, and Bill Berg 2nd the motion, that the Chapter should write a letter to all five legislators in our district opposing the establishment of a new agency to control Trust Funds lands and that the Legislators should consider the long-term versus the short-term gain. Motion passed. Individual members were also encouraged to write letters. Jack and Bill will draft a letter and route it to the membership for their approval.
We reviewed the proposed Itasca County variance revisions and it was felt that the new wording was more acceptable and less vague and that the County DOES have the right to be more restrictive than State statute. While there may be other portions of the zoning amendment that Chapter members may not agree on, it was felt that we should write the County Commissioners to let them know we support the specific revisions now being made. Shirley moved, and Dave 2nd the motion that the Chapter send the letter. Motion passed.
Shirley Loegering will try to contact Grand Rapids High School Science Teacher Shawn Linder to see if he is still interested in helping our Chapter find a student to send to IKES Camp at Deep Portage Learning Center near Hackensack. Wes Libbey Memorial Funds would be used for this purpose. Rich Libbey suggested that, if no one is interested in attending camp, the Chapter might consider partially funding a state or national competition trip for Mr. Linder’s FFA group.
We once again discussed ordering IKES clothing, i.e. vests, hats or pins with an IKES logo that would make the IKES more visible at community events. Shirley will try to locate a catalog and bring to the next meeting.
A possibility for our Chapter to get young people outdoors might be the "CreekFreaks" program sponsored by the national IKES. Information can be found on their website at www.creekfreaks.net.
Dave Alban read a letter from the MN Sportsmen and Sportswomen requesting that we write a letter to President Obama encouraging him to restore the “Clean Water Act for Protection of Wetlands, Lakes and Streams”. Bill Berg moved, 2nd by Jack Todd, that the Chapter write the letter. Dave Alban will draft a letter and route for our review.
If Chapter members are interested, they could donate to the Pat Mahoney scholarship at ICC for students studying biology and natural resources.
Judge Maturi’s decision regarding Commissioner McLynn’s participation in the Deer Lake Bible camp issue is under consideration by the County Board. If members care to have some input they could write their County Commissioner.
Marcia Anderson shared information about the upcoming “community read”. The book this year is “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer. There will be a film shown at the library as well as a series of speakers at the Library during March and April. Bill Berg will be introducing Kevin Proescholdt, a spokesman for the IKES and author of “Troubled Waters: the fight for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness”.
Minutes - Wednesday December 7, 2011
Present: Dave Alban, Jay Janecek, Bill Berg, Dennis Anderson, Bob Scheierl, Art Norton, Perry and Shirley Loegering, and guest, Doug Baker
Doug Baker is President of the local chapter of the North Country Trail System. He presented information on the concept and construction of the trail and the work they are doing locally. The trail is part of the National Scenic trail system and is a work in progress. The trail will stretch for about 4600 miles through the top tier of seven states from North Dakota to New York. More than 2100 miles have been certified off-road with additional miles following shared paths or along roadways. The local chapter is working on the Arrowhead re-route through Grand Rapids to Ely. They are a small but dedicated chapter and can always use volunteers to help with trail development. It was agreed that our Chapter would provide one work day in 2012.
Also discussed were the proposed Itasca County revisions to the Zoning Ordinance. It was generally felt that the new wording would weaken Itasca County’s variance regulations and that county government does have the authority to make their ordinances more restrictive than State Statute. IKES members were encouraged to write their County Commissioner regarding the issue before the next public hearing.
Our Chapter received an annual renewal notice from the Itasca Water Legacy Partnership (IWLP) for a suggested amount of $100.00. Dennis Anderson moved and Dave Alban seconded the motion to pay the renewal—motion passed.
Minutes - Wednesday October 26, 2011
Present: Jay Janecek, Bill Berg, Dennis Anderson, Bob Scheierl, Shirley Loegering, Dave Hayes, and Art Norton
Dave Hayes gave a summary of the 2011 National IKES Convention, held in Des Moines Iowa. Dave was among several Minnesota IKES who attended. It was one of the few times our Chapter has been represented at the National Convention. One interesting fact is that, nationwide, IKES membership is increasing. It is now about 36,499—up 3.93% form 2010.
Dave learned about some interesting youth programs sponsored by the IKES. One that might be of interest for our Chapter is called “Creek Freaks” and all the information necessary to start a local program can be found online at www.creekfreaks.net. All of the materials and worksheets have already been developed and can be printed from the website. This program is for youth from ages 10-14. Their website states: “Each session takes kids outside to explore local streams and learn how healthy trees, shrubs, and grasses protect clean water and wildlife. The youth become local stream experts and are encouraged to continue advocating for and working to improve water quality.”
We also discussed the possibility of members ordering clothing with IKES logos, i.e. hats, shirts or vests. When IKES are involved at local events it would make a great visual statement if we all had clothing with the IKES logo.
Shirley Loegering gave an update on progress being made by Itasca Water legacy Partnership (IWLP). They made some great strides in 2011 by becoming a 501c3 non-profit organization, adopting a long-range strategic plan, and becoming the supervising fiscal agent for a Purple Loosestrife Eradication project. Water sampling has been completed on many Itasca County lakes and they are in the process of completing a diagnostic study on Deer and Pokegama Lake and will begin a study on the economic value of water in 2012. More information can be found on their website at: www.itascawaterlegacypartnership.org.
The Minnesota Division Fall Workshop was held this past weekend, October 21-23, at the Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center near Lanesboro in southeastern Minnesota. Part of that meeting was a celebration of DNR Forestry’s 100th Anniversary and a celebration of the Dick Dorer Memorial Forest.
Shirley will call Shawn Linder, High School Science teacher, to discuss possibilities for candidates for the IKES summer camp.
We discussed ways our Chapter could promote some type of activity for young people. Art Norton offered that clearing buckthorn from infested areas might be one opportunity—possibly in cooperation with the North Country Hiking Club. Art will ask a representative of the North Country Hiking club to speak at our next meeting.
Minutes - September 28, 2011
Dave Marshall opened the meeting by speaking about the forest certification program. In recent years there has been a demand from industry, i.e. UPM Blandin Paper Mill in Grand Rapids, for certified wood and paper products that come from responsibly managed forests. With third-party forest certification, an independent organization develops standards of good forest management, and independent auditors issue certificates to forest operations that comply with those standards. Certification standards are now standard across the U.S. Because of that standardization, there were a two minor corrective action requests that Itasca County had to meet in order to be certified. There are many certification programs world wide, but the two most used in the upper Midwest are the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Some entities, such as the State of Minnesota, are dual-certified. Itasca County uses FSC and their auditors were here in September. Full assessments are conducted every five years with annual audits for the four years in between. The first assessment in Itasca County was in 2005.
Other items on the agenda:
Don St. Aubin, long-time IKE and member of our Chapter, passed away on Friday, September 23rd. Besides being an IKE, Don was very active in the Itasca County Coalition of Lakes Association and the Itasca Water Legacy Partnership. He loved our natural resources, especially our waters, and devoted a large part of his life towards their enhancement and preservation.
During the summer, our Chapter was asked to give its support to a $6 million Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council proposal to improve moose habitat in northeastern Minnesota, which we initially questioned by eventually supported.
Our Chapter had attempted to sponsor a student to the IKES Camp at Deep Portage with the Wes Libbey memorial funds. We were unable to find a participant, largely because we did not have enough time from when the funds were received and the camp was held. We will pursue the matter for 2012.
The IKES Fall Workshop and Director’s meeting is on October 21-23 at Eagle Bluff Environmental Center near Lanesboro, MN with the Austin Chapter hosting. To date, no one from our Chapter will be attending.
The DNR Division of Forestry will be celebrating its 100th Anniversary on October 12th. Activities will be held at the Golden Anniversary State Forest near Grand Rapids and at the Forest History Center. This coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Ruffed Grouse Society and so there is also a grouse hunt scheduled.
Shirley Loegering has agreed to act as Secretary to take the meeting minutes and post them to the Chapter’s website. Jay Janecek will continue to be the Treasurer and membership secretary.
Jay reported that our Chapter has two EIN numbers due to the fact that national assigned us a number when we already had one. Therefore, no tax reporting was being done under one of the numbers. The national office is working to resolve the issue.
National dues have increased by $4.00 and are now $40 for individual, $60 for family, $20 for student, and $8 for youth. The cost of life membership was raised from $500 to $1000 and for a family life benefactor to $1,500. To become a life member at the old rate, you must do so before Jan. 1, 2012.
Some members present supported the Grand Rapids Rotary by purchasing roses for their fund raiser.
Milt Stenlund Dedication - May 25, 2011
The late Milton Stenlund was honored on May 25, 2011 by the Grand Rapids Wes Libbey Izaak Walton League and Itasca County. The Blackberry Unit of the Itasca County Natural Area Memorial Forest was renamed in Stenlund’s honor. Milt was a career Minnesota Conservation Department/Natural Resources employee, who began as a Biological Aide in 1946, and retired in 1982 as the Northeastern Minnesota DNR Regional Administrator. Milt was among a unique group of wildlife professionals known as the “Original Twelve” Area Game Managers and was first stationed in Ely before moving to Grand Rapids in 1956.
Milt Stenlund was a lifelong member of the Izaak Walton League of America (IKES), and received many awards, including the prestigious Judge John W. Tobin Award. Stenlund was part of the local IKES Chapter’s Wilderness Committee, and together with the Itasca County Land Department, helped to establish Itasca County’s five Natural Area Memorial Forests. Among them was the 258 acre Blackberry Unit, located along the Mississippi River four miles south of Blackberry, which will forever be known as the Milt Stenlund Natural Area Memorial Forest. Milt died in 2008.
The brief ceremony began at 6:00 PM at the site, located about 4 miles south of US Highway 2 on County Road 72. Milt’s son, Brian Stenlund, as well as former colleagues and friends attended the ceremony. Special thanks to Darrell Lauber and Jack Mooty for building and placing the sign.
After the dedication, attendees proceeded in a caravan to the home of Art Norton and Karen Noyce on McGuire Lake, where we held our last meeting of the season. A lively discussion was held about: 1) IKES summer camp student selection (no applicant yet), 2) Wabana Trails dedication for the late Wes Libbey, 3) wetland mitigation, 4) payment in lieu of taxes legislation, and 5) off-road vehicles.
A motion was made and passed to pay the registration fee for Dave Hayes to attend the National IKES convention to be held in Des Moines, IA in July, if he decides to go.
The April 29 showings at ICC Davies Theater of Green Fire – Aldo Leopold and A Land Ethic for Our Time” (that our chapter co-sponsored with ICC Natural Resource Club) was a tremendous success. Thanks to all who helped. The Aldo Leopold Foundation is encouraging people to get involved in a grassroots land ethic movement.
Many Grand Rapids Wes Libbey IKES helped with The Water Summit hosted by Itasca Water Legacy Partnership on May 20th. The event was well attended and an outstanding success.
Our first meeting of the fall will be held on September 28th.
Minutes - Wednesday April 27, 2011
President, Dave Alban, presented an audio tape by Mr. Paul Cienfuegos, on the subject of “Corporations vs. People”. A short discussion followed about the impact of corporate personhood on environmental issues. Mr. Cienfuegos felt strongly that, until Americans deal with the power of corporate personhood, single-issue environmental concerns will remain fragmented and unsuccessful in the long term.
The chapter co-hosted a very successful showing of “Troubled Water: A Mississippi River Story” with the Itasca Community College (ICC) Natural Resource Club on April 20 at ICC. About 50 people were in attendance, including several students. A short discussion period followed. The DVD will be donated to the ICC Natural Resource Club. Shirley turned in a bill in the amount of $38.00 for the cost of refreshments and printing an informational sheet that included a membership application for our chapter.
The State IKES Division Convention and Annual Meeting was April 8-10 at the Northwoods Audubon Center on Grindstone Lake near Sandstone and hosted by the Duluth W. J. McCabe Chapter. Our chapter was the only one that had more representatives than voting members present. Dennis Anderson, Bill Berg, Dave Hayes, and Shirley and Perry Loegering attended, with Dennis and Bill being the voting members. Perry presented the new license fee structure for the DNR that is before the legislature for approval.
Dennis Anderson presented an update on the Water Summit sponsored by the Itasca Water Legacy Partnership. Several IKES members will be volunteering at the event.
Jack Mooty reported on the City of Grand Rapids Comprehensive Plan. There will be a public input meeting on May 3rd and Jack encouraged members to attend. He said the overall plan was well thought out but one big disappointment was that it did not address energy issues.
May 25th was set as the date for dedicating the Itasca County Blackberry Natural Area to Milt Stenlund. Jack Mooty will help Darrell Lauber finish the sign. Shirley will call the newspaper to cover the event. This will replace the regular May monthly meeting.
Our IKES Chapter has added its name to the list of conservation organizations (such as DU, MDHA, RGS, etc.), to the letter endorsing the hunting and fishing license increase initiative. We also discussed adding our Chapter to a Payment-in-lieu-of taxes endorsement but no action was taken.
A motion was made and passed to sponsor a student to the IKES Summer Camp at Deep Portage in July. Shirley will contact Shawn Linder at the High School to see if he can nominate a deserving student. The chapter would pay $350 of the $400 cost.
Shirley reported that she added a page on the Chapter’s website titled "Resources/Links" and has listed several links to the Minnesota legislature..
Minutes - Wednesday March 23, 2011
Shirley Loegering gave a summary of the status of the upcoming May 20th Water Summit: Team Up for Clean Waters to be held on the campus of Itasca Community College. See the Itasca Water Legacy Partnership website for more information at: www.itascawaterlegacypartnership.org.
Our chapter will be co-hosting the showing of two films in conjunction with Earth Day. See details on our Programs/Activities page.
The State IKES Division Convention and Annual Meeting will be April 8-10, 2011, at the Northwoods Audubon Center on Grindstone Lake near Sandstone. It will be hosted by the Duluth W. J. McCabe Chapter. Information was in the Spring 2011 Waltonian and is on the State Division website at www.minnesotaikes.org/Group/AnnualMeetingannc2011.pdf. These are always educational and fun meetings. Our Chapter gets two votes at the business meeting on Sunday morning, April 10. Dennis Anderson, Bill Berg, Perry and Shirley Loegering are planning to attend.
Darrell Lauber has finished the Milt Stenlund Memorial sign for the Itasca County Blackberry Scientific and Natural Area, and Doug Veit and Art Norton, along with Darrell, have volunteered to paint and seal it. Bill Berg will pick up the posts. The dedication ceremony is planned for this spring
The chapter is planning to dedicate a local area to our namesake, Wes Libbey. The tentative site selected is the Wabana Trails and Wildflower Preserve, pending approval by the County.
Shirley Loegering reported that the City of LaPrairie is pursuing some of the MN GreenStep Cities goals and is hosting a workshop on April 13th.
There are some key members of the Minnesota House and Senate who need to hear from you (hopefully in favor) regarding the proposed DNR license fee increases: Rep. Dennis McNamara, 651-296-3135; Rep. Kurt Zellers, 651-296-5502; Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, 651-297-8063; Sen. Amy Koch, 651-296-5981. You can also view key talking points on the State IKES website, www.minnesotaikes.org. See our Sitemap for more links.