FA L L 2 0 1 3 • V O L UME 3 5 • I S S U E 3

The Friends’ mission is to protect, preserve and restore the wilderness character of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Quetico-Superior Ecosystem. The organization was founded in 1976.

Masthead photo: JimBrandenburg.com • Printed on paper using 100% post-consumer waste, processed chlorine free.

By Aaron Klemz, Communications and Engagement Director

Nearly four years after the last failed attemptto put forward a mine plan for the PolyMetmine, Minnesotans will get their chance toweigh in on the latest version of PolyMet’sproposed mine plan this winter.Everybody who cares about Minnesota’s

waters, woods and wilderness needs to getinvolved. Technically, this process is calledthe “public comment period for the Poly-Met supplemental draft Environmental Impact Statement.” More to the point, thisis the best chance to “have your say on PolyMet.” This is a crucial moment, thetime for the public to tell regulators andpolitical leaders what they think aboutPolyMet’s plan.Starting December 9th, you can tell the Department of Natural

Resources (DNR) your opinion of the PolyMet proposal. Your feedback will be considered as they make decisions about whetherPolyMet should receive permits to open their proposed mine. We’reproviding an easy way to tell the DNR what you think—just go to: www.miningtruth.org.

Why is this so important to the Boundary Waters?Media coverage of what PolyMet is proposing has been damning.

A Star Tribune headline read “Iron Range mine could pollute water for500 years.” The Duluth News Tribune stated “PolyMet study: Waterfrom mine site would need 500 years of treatment.” It’s a no brainer:500 years of polluted water in exchange for 20 years of mining is a baddeal for Minnesota.Even more worrisome, PolyMet’s mine proposal is like a snowplow

clearing the way for other mine proposals lined up behind it, includingmines right up to the edge of the Boundary Waters. Since sulfide mining

has never been done before in Minnesota,the decisions we make about the PolyMetmine proposal will have ramifications forevery mine proposal that follows. If PolyMetsucceeds in convincing regulators, politi-cians and the public that it is okay to tradefive hundred years of pollution for twentyyears of mining, we will set a precedent thatour great-great-great-great-great-grandchil-dren will pay for.We can’t let that happen, and that’s why

it’s imperative that regulators and politicianshear from thousands of people that perpet-ual sulfide mining pollution is unacceptable.

What can I do?The Friends of the Boundary Waters is

leading the charge. But this is crunch time,and we need your help to mobilize a tremendous response. We’ve beenplanning for this moment for years, and here’s how we’re going to en-sure that your voice is heard loud and clear:We’ll make it easy to have your say: Just go to www.miningtruth.org,

where we are gathering comments with our partners Conservation Min-nesota and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy. Youcan personalize your message to regulators or you can borrow somelanguage from us. You can also share your comments over social mediato encourage others to add their voice.We’re planning informational gatherings all over the state: We

know that it can be hard to know exactly what to say. That’s why we’re creating a lineup of public events where you’ll meet people who are deeply involved in analyzing the PolyMet project, gain access to resources, and connect with other citizens who want to make their voices heard. Check www.friends-bwca.org andwww.miningtruth.org for an up-to-date list.We’ve got the experts covered: Our staff is working with experts

Now is the time for action on PolyMet

Now is the time continued on page 7.

02 —

Message from the Executive DirectorBy Ian Kimmer, Northern Communities Program Director

We are now in one of the most important moments in our work to pro-tect the Boundary Waters and the Quetico/Superior ecosystem - thepublic comment periods for the PolyMet mine and the Twin Metalsmineral leases. Along with our long-term work to increase awarenessand engagement for conservation in northern Minnesota, this has in-creased the need for intense activity in our northern communities work.With effective leadership, exciting dynamics, new partnerships, creativeinitiatives, and professional collaboration, we are blazing a trail towardthe best future of this beloved region - one that values completely thesingular natural assets with which we are blessed.• Our northern communities work was featured in Bloombergcolumnist Adam Minter’s book Junkyard Planet and, by association, in The Atlanticmagazine, on National Public Radio’s“Fresh Air” and Minnesota Public Radio’s “Daily Circuit.”Minter’s book looks at the global recycling trade and compares itto the impact of mining. He concludes that the dirtiest recycling operation is better than the cleanest mine, and uses a tour of exploration sites near the Boundary Waters to make his case.

• Friends hosted a showing of the documentary film “Gold Fever”in Duluth with the filmmaker JT Haines, filling the theater andenergizing over a hundred advocates.

• November 1, in partnership with MPIRG of University of Min-nesota – Morris, we led an event engaging the student body in acanvassing initiative on sulfide mining and protecting the BWCA.

• We co-hosted Bill Carter’s appearance at University of the Min-nesota - Duluth with many other conservation groups bringing the Boom, Bust, Boommessage to a wide-spectrum audience.

• Ian presented to the third grade of Pike Lake Elementary on the wonder of the BWCA and the need to protect beautiful, wildplaces – ending with cheers and great excitement (read some letters from the class on page 5).

• The release of the album “Industry.Peace.Environment. One”produced by The Arrowhead Story, along with the CD releaseevent “Clean Water” in Duluth in September, generated a lot ofmedia coverage. This included a feature story in the DuluthReader, an hour interview on KUWS radio, an appearance onKUMD’s Green Visions and a big social media presence.

• We are working with photographer Benjamin Olson and the For-est Service to craft and facilitate a multi-year photographic study of the flora and fauna changes in the wilderness due to natural andhuman-based impacts. This study was developed with Dr. Lee Frelich of the University of Minnesota.

• Attended the Heart of the Continent Partnership meeting on theGunflint Trail in October, a collaborative group including thepublic land managers from Superior National Forest and QueticoProvincial Park.

• Regular meetings with local, state and federal elected officials andstaff are leading to very important, quality relationships with key decision makers.

• Ian will conduct a forum at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Duluth on December 15 engaging the congregation and theirnetworks for the public comment periods on sulfide mining.

• Ian will present to the UMD Masters of Advocacy and Political Leadership program, a hotbed of political leadership,

Northern Communities Update

It is a story that has played out allover the world and in our owncountry many times. This storystarts with promises of economicsalvation, jobs for all and side ef-fects for none. This time, the cop-per/nickel sulfide mining industryis attempting to come into ourbeloved Boundary Waters region.Many Minnesotans want to be-lieve we can have these proposedmines and the clean water neededfor thriving economies in our lakecountry at the same time. My father, born during World War I, was a cautious man by nature.

His dad was a miner who became a farmer, helping to feed their neigh-borhood during the Great Depression. My father, a celebrated prag-matist, used to tell me to watch out whenever you hear a promise thatsounds a little too good. That advice, along with some of his other say-ings, has served me well over the years.That is why I respond the way I do when people ask me “why can’t

we have both?” Knowing what I know now, I say, “Sorry, we just can’thave it both ways. It has never happened and we’re fools to think it willwork like that here and now.” The latest mine plan from PolyMet, thefirst sulfide mine proposed in the Quetico-Superior even says so, prom-ising 500 years of water pollution for 20 years of mining.Bill Carter, author of Boom, Bust, Boom: A Story About Copper, the

Metal That Runs the World, spoke at our recent Annual Member Gath-ering. He said this is all part of a common mining corporation game plan.Go in with wonderful sounding promises, spread them around to thepoliticians and to nearby communities, but keep the actual mine plan farfrom the light of day for as long as possible so it can’t be criticized. Thenask for forgiveness when things go wrong later, saying “none of this couldhave been predicted.” It is no surprise that we see the same game planbeing employed here. But people, including some of our political leaders,are starting to ask the right questions, and starting to discuss the realityof this industry. They want to know why mining advocates cannot pointto a single prosperous community near a sulfide mine or find one exam-ple of a sulfide mine that has not polluted nearby waters.It’s the forgiveness part that I am most concerned about. This is a

bad deal for Minnesota, not just those of us who love the BoundaryWaters Wilderness. We owe our children this: a clean and healthy swathof public lands surrounding the Boundary Waters Wilderness. That iswhy everything the Friends is doing today is designed to create the en-abling conditions for that to happen. Sulfide mining in waters flowinginto the BWCA is not inevitable. These firms are not invincible. Ourranks are growing as new and non-traditional allies partner up with us. Thank you for believing and working with us. Your continued sup-

port for the Friends work, including the largest ever November Giveto the Max Day fundraising event we’ve ever had, goes directly to keepthe interconnected lakes and streams of the Boundary Waters safe for-ever. And clean water is not just for canoeing, it’s for the moose, otters,loons and walleye with whom we share this Earth. Just like my father’sgood advice was passed down to me, this priceless resource that belongsto all of us can be handed down to our children. It will be very hard to find forgiveness if we fail to do all we can to protect it. •

Executive Director Paul Danicic

Northern Communities continued on page 7.

Twin Metals Proposes Large-ScaleDrilling for Water Assessment

FRIENDS OF THE BOUNDARY WATERS WILDERNESS • FALL 2013 — 03

By Betsy Daub, Policy Director

In preparation for its proposal for a massive mine next to theBoundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Twin Metals Minnesotahas proposed a large-scale field study of groundwater in the BirchLake/South Kawishiwi River area. The “hydrogeological study”seeks to: document baseline groundwater quality; investigate the relationship between groundwater and surface water resources;prepare models to characterize existing groundwater conditions;and predict interactions among groundwater, surface water andwetlands. For this study, Twin Metals proposes drilling nearly 400wells. The lands are a mix of federal and state jurisdiction. Fordrilling on lands requiring Forest Service approval, Twin Metalshas applied for a “Special Use Permit.” The Forest Service willbe preparing an Environmental Assessment for these wells. Thepublic has an opportunity to provide feedback about key issues that should be evaluated in this process. The deadline for comments on this “scoping” phase ended November 21, 2013.The Friends gave feedback, and will let members know when theEnvironmental Assessment is completed and ready for publicinput. The State of Minnesota has no similar public process forthe wells it must authorize. Indeed, many have been approvedunder existing exploration leases the company already holds with the State. The Friends believes gaining a better understanding of the

complex hydrology of the area is important. Nevertheless, wecontinue to believe that a sulfide mine in this area, next to theBWCAW, is not appropriate and puts the area and the Wildernessat great risk of long-lasting pollution. We are also concerned thatthis project would drill nearly 400 wells in a region that has already experienced a tremendous amount of drilling, both historically and in recent years. We have urged the Forest Serviceto do a thorough analysis of the cumulative effects of additionaldrilling in this targeted area.

Twin Metals Renewing LeasesIn the complex mix of mineral interests held by Twin Metals

Minnesota near the BWCAW, about 5,000 acres (two mineralleases) must be renewed with the Bureau of Land Management(BLM). The BLM has indicated they will undertake an Environ-mental Assessment of the renewal, since when the mineral interests were originally obtained in 1966, no environmental review process was conducted. We expect that Environmental Assessment to be released in the next several weeks, but do notyet have a definitive date for it. When it is released, we will becommenting on the proposal, and be communicating with ourmembers and public at large about how to provide input.•

Chair’s Corner – Pete FlemingThere are lots of things goingon now and energy in theFriends is high. Stopping min-ing in the Boundary Waters wa-tershed is an imperative, andthere is the immediate challengeof adding our comments intothe PolyMet draft mine plan tobe released on December 6.We're active and putting the financial resources you have gen-erously provided us to good use. If you missed Bill Carter at

the Annual Member Gathering, I encourage you to get a copyof his book "Boom, Bust, Boom" and give it a quick read. It willconfirm why the sulfide mining proposals for northern Min-nesota should be rejected. These mining proposals are realthreats and must be stopped. Again, your financial contributionis critical along with your response to calls to action, and com-municating with our political leaders. We need an outpouringof information and truth to block these destructive projects.

Let me be clear on a few things:• Member financial contributions have been strong and are critical - thank you.

• The Friends goal is no sulfide mining pollution in the Superior/Quetico ecosystem and no sulfide mining in the watershed of the BWCAW.

• Please respond to any call to action, we need your help to send a clear message to regulators and political leaders.

• Longer range – plan to attend our 2014 Annual Gathering.It’s a great chance to meet fellow members, board, and staff.

Please call me or the Friends office to discuss any issue and how you can get involved further. •

Pete and Barb Fleming

Friends’ Wish List• Vacuum cleaner for the office—new or gently used.• Microwave—new or gently used.• Cashboxes (2)—new or used, with functioning keys.• Portable digital projector—for presentations and educational events.

• iPad 3 or newer—for presentations and educational events.

Give a Gift for the HolidaysLooking for the perfect gift? Why not honor your loved one with a giftmembership to Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness? Honorarygifts and memberships are an easy way to show your support and havea big impact on our work to protect and preserve the BWCAW. To make a holiday contribution, use the envelope included in thisnewsletter or visit our website at friends-bwca.org/donate.Happy holidays from all of us at the Friends!

04 —

Daniel Alvarez’s 500 day, 7,000 mile journeyfrom the Northwest Angle, through theBoundary Waters, over the Grand Portage,down Lake Superior, over the SavannaPortage, down the Mississippi, across the GulfCoast, around the Florida Keys, up the At-lantic coast, through the Finger Lakes, throughthe Great Lakes, over the Kaministiquia Route,through the Quetico and back to the North-west Angle (whew!) concluded this October.We talked about his trip in the last newsletter,and our inaugural Brews and Canoes event in2012 featured Alvarez as he passed throughthe Twin Cities. On his way back home, hestopped in to the Friends office and talkedabout what he learned along the way.

Q: What did you learn between the time you left the BoundaryWaters and the Quetico-Superior ecosystem and when you came back?How did you think of it differently?Alvarez: It’s kind of a magical place, but you don’t really appreciate

it until later. It’s great and you love it, but then you go out away fromit, you understand why it’s so special. Because you go to all theseplaces, and there’s no place that wild. I mean, it’s such a rare thing. When I think of wild places on this trip, I think of the Boundary

Waters and Quetico. Truly wild places, I think of the Everglades,and I think of Isle Royale, really there’s not a lot. The whole Missis-sippi is not wild. The East Coast, there’s just little pockets here andthere, just five or ten mile beaches, that’s it. The Hudson, the Ottawa River, there’s not a lot of wild spots. There are so few placeslike this that are left. You can look at the map, the Boundary Watersis not a huge place, when you compare it to all the places that areout there, it’s very small, it’s very small. And I think it’s very impor-tant to have places like that.

Q: What’s the difference between being in a wilderness area likethe Quetico or the Boundary Waters and being on the Mississippiwhen it comes to the way you think about your trip?Alvarez: You just have to be much more self-reliant when you’re

in a wilderness area, because you can’t just stop in the next town. Youbetter have food or water or whatever you need, and that’s the biggestdifference - you have to rely on yourself, you can’t rely on others. If you’re five portages into the Boundary Waters, somebody

might not come for days. If you get hurt, or you run out of food, oryour tent breaks, you need to be very self-reliant and I think it forcesyou to really respect nature and see what’s out there. It feels likeyou really go into to the teeth of nature and see it in its wildest state.It makes you feel very alive, because you start to really focus on theworld around you. You want to see everything, feel everything, because you want to know what’s happening because it’s really important. You’re the only thing stopping yourself from getting intotrouble out there.

Q: The Savanna Portage sounded like one of the more harrowingportages you did on this trip.Alvarez: The Savanna Portage is a rough trip. Basically, what it

“I’m all for going for it” says adventurer Daniel Alvarez

comes down to is that it was well known dur-ing the Voyageur’s era as being one of thetoughest portages they would do, and thatwas when they maintained it. Now, the trailitself is pretty well maintained by SavannaPortage State Park, but beyond the trailthere is a swamp, the Savanna River, and thatriver is just a clog of fallen trees and beaverdams. I don’t know how many I dragged theboat over or under or through, but it had tobe over 100, over maybe three miles ofswamp. Like, there’s a log, so you have to getout of the boat to pull it over this log, butyou don’t know if you’re going to step into afoot of water or five feet of mud or what, soyou’re just constantly crawling over, tryingto stay on the logs, pull the boat over — it’s

a very slow process. And then at the end of it, you get to a trail that’sfive miles long! It’s a tough portage. When I got to the other side,the folks at the state park said that they hadn’t seen anybody comethrough it for two years.

Q: It’s really neat that you were trying to reconstruct the actualpath that voyageurs were actually following. Alvarez: The cool thing about all these canoe routes is that most

of them are on the water, the vast majority of the route is water, soits still there. And then, a lot of them are still in use, like the Bound-ary Waters, a lot of the portages are the old portages, they’re justcontinuing to be used. It’s really neat to have that history preserved.You know, you walk the paths, especially on the international bor-der, you have to figure that some pretty amazing feet have walkedthat path, all these famous explorers, it’s really neat to think about.

Q: What advice would you give to somebody who was thinkingabout an adventure like this?Alvarez: Oh, I’m all for going for it. I think that one of the things

that I’ve learned during trips like this and some of the hiking tripsI’ve done is that a lot of times we have a tendency to want to waitfor things to be perfect. We say we’ll do this when everything linesup and it’s just ideal, but that’s just never going to happen. So if youhave dreams like this, or any big dreams, if you wait for it to be per-fect, you’re going to wait until you die because it’s just not going tohappen. You’ve got to go when it’s just good enough, you know, thatdoor cracks open a little and you have to pry it open with your willat that point. No one’s going to roll out the red carpet for you to doa trip like this. It doesn’t have to be a trip like this, it can be anydream, starting a small business, or running a marathon, you can always find an excuse to not do it. You’ve got to be able to pushthrough those excuses, and just say “I don’t care what comes up,I’m going to go forward and find a way.”

Daniel Alvarez chronicled his 7,000 mile journey on his websitewww.predictablylost.com, where you can read his nearly dailyjournal of his trip.•

Canoeist/adventurer Daniel Alvarez

FRIENDS OF THE BOUNDARY WATERS WILDERNESS • FALL 2013 — 05

In Memoriam – Mary Lee Dayton

By Paul DanicicThe Boundary Waters Wilder-ness lost a dedicated protectorthis summer with the passingof Mary Lee Dayton. Togetherwith her husband Wally, theysupported many environmentalorganizations doing the toughwork giving a voice to the wilder-ness where it otherwise hadnone.Mary Lee, described as a

“Civic Lioness,” was a warm andsophisticated philanthropist whoalways made you feel like she was

in cahoots with your cunning plan to benefit the common good,whether you were working on conservation, women’s rights or edu-cation. I had the privilege of meeting her a half dozen times over thelast few years and was struck by her knowledge and caring for ourconservation philosophy, our work activities and for the beautifulplace we endeavour to protect for all people to enjoy.Perhaps it was this desire for her to see others benefit from our

activities that I admired most. It was important to her to do goodwork and make it last. She supported the Friends starting up Heartof the Continent Partnership, an idea that is highlighting the valueof the BWCA and Quetico-Superior region through a partnershipwith the National Geographic Society. And she supported theFriends starting an active Northern Communities Program. Not onlydid she want good things for others, she wanted Friends staff andvolunteers to be fulfilled and she never hesitated to thank us evenfor simply showing up. Wally and Mary Lee were meritoriously presented with the

Friends Conservation Award in 2003. Mary Lee will truly be missednot by only by people in the social profit sector, but by anyone whoever opened a text book with enthusiasm, celebrated a young girlreaching for her dreams or dipped a paddle in a cold, clear, cleannorthern Minnesota lake. •

Annual Member Gathering features author Bill Carter

If you weren’t able to make our Annual Member Gathering in No-vember, you missed a great evening. Bill Carter survived the Bosnian war, but it was the dirt in his

backyard garden that almost did him in. Carter’s book, Boom, Bust,Boom: A Story about Copper, the Metal that Runs the World, openswith a story about Carter’s home in Bisbee, Arizona. Bisbee is anold copper mining town, and even though the mine closed in the1970’s, the legacy it left behind included dangerously contaminatedsoil in yards across town. After his own garden made him ill, Carterstarted to dig deeper into the industry that had shaped Bisbee andnow threatens the salmon downstream from the proposed PebbleMine in Alaska. The result is a book that is required reading for peo-ple interested in the battle we face as that industry seeks to moveinto the area near the Boundary Waters.Carter’s presentation to the over 130 members at the Annual

Member Gathering provided important national and global contextfor Friends members as we gear up to respond to the threat of sul-fide mining projects at home. What was his advice for us as we mo-bilize to protect the Boundary Waters? Form strong coalitions withunlikely partners, work with national organizations, and rememberthat these battles are long battles. Congratulations to Nancy Gibson, who received our annual

Conservation Award for her hard work educating Minnesotansabout the threat that sulfide mining poses to the Quetico-Superiorecosystem. Her tremendous help to the Mining Truth campaign isin addition to a career spent protecting the species that live in thatecosystem.Superior National Forest Supervisor Brenda Halter and a num-

ber of her employees attended this year’s gathering. Supervisor Hal-ter spoke about the “Boundary Waters stories” that we all share,and shared a few of her own. We were honored by the presence ofthe people who do the daily work to maintain the forest we all love,and thankful that they made the trip down to join us.Thanks to Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge, REI, Midwest Moun-

taineering, Duluth Pack, and Rush River Brewing for their dona-tions to our silent auction. Also, special thanks to the volunteerswho helped staff the event. We hope to see you next year!•

The Friends’ Annual Gathering in November

Third graders at Pike Elementary wrote thank you letters to Ian Kimmerafter he presented about the Boundary Waters to their class.

Dear Ian,

Thank you for coming in to

our classroom. I learned a

lot about the Boundary

Waters. I love the outdoors.

They are fun to play in. I

want to go there some day.

I would look for wild

animals like wolves, bears,

moose and eagles.

From, Mason

Dear Ian,

I want to go to the BoundaryWaters. It is crazy that yourson went swimming there inthe winter. Me and my dadlove to go canoeing. Sometimes we stop in themiddle in the lake and just relax.

From, Grace

06 —

Give to the Max

Our heartfelt thanks to all of our friends andmembers who participated in Give to the MaxDay this year. With your support we secured our$7,500 matching grant in the first few hours ofgiving and raised a total of over $49,000 for thewilderness! Your generosity allowed us to not only meet,

but surpass our fundraising goal and place 7th on the mid-sizednonprofit Leaderboard – earning the Friends an additional $500grant from GiveMN. The Friends received more in total donationsthan any other Minnesota environmental advocacy organization.Thank you also for your persistence as GiveMN sorted through

technology challenges with their website. Feedback from organiza-tions and donors like you helped GiveMN to negotiate a 1% rebateon transaction fees for all donations received on November 14. Your patience truly added up and we are grateful for the outpouring ofsupport. Minnesota Nice never meant so much! We look forward to keeping you updated on the additional

advocacy and educational work that these funds will allow us to accomplish in 2014. Here’s to an inspired year ahead. Thank youfor giving to the max.•

Paddling

Been paddling since daylightIn shadow and sunlightAnd now in the twilightWe’re paddling slowWe’ll trip on togetherWhatever the weatherDown the lakes where theSun hangs low

Paddling along to nowherePaddling along all dayPaddling along to nowhereWe sure know the way

Someday we’ll quit paddlingAnd we will be leavingThis trail we all knowThe sun will be settingBut we’ll not be forgettingThe trail where the sun hangs low.

Pat McKenzie (1931 – 2002)

Written on three-week Queticocanoe trip, 1966. Submitted by Jean McCurdy.Volume II of the Firegrate Review

makes a great stocking stuffer forpeople who love the Boundary Waters. Order your copy athttp://bit.ly/Firegrate •

Brews & Canoes Explores the Humor in Advocacy

Bent Paddle Brewery

In August, theFriends teamedup with the tal-ented folks at Indeed Brewing Company in Min-

neapolis to host the second install-ment of our Brews & Canoesseries. Brews & Canoes events arefun, social opportunities for ourmembers to learn more about

wilderness t rave l , creat ive advocacy, and environmentalpartnership.For this summer’s event, we partnered with The Theater

for Public Policy – a Twin Cities based improvisational comedygroup that explores complex policy issues through humor andstory-telling. Our question was, “Can sulfide mining advocacy befunny?” Turns out, it can be. The taproom was filled with smilesas The Theater for Public Policy (T2P2) explored themes of resource extraction, pollution, and wilderness value.Brews & Canoes is just one of the ways that we are working

creatively in unique partnerships to reach new audiences and createa statewide community of support for the BWCAW. To view a few clips from the T2P2 performance, visit our website atwww.friends-bwca.org.The next Brews & Canoes gathering will be in the spring of 2014.

More details to come.•

Jim and Janice Kobe

Bent Paddle Brewing Company has been mak-ing big waves with their paddling-inspiredbrews since the birth of the partnership in2010. Citing the BWCA, northern rivers andLake Superior as common passions, foundersBryon and Karen Tonnis and Colin and LauraMullen established the brewery and taproom

in Duluth.Very quickly our state and region adopted Bent Paddleas an iconic family of incredible beers. The Friends is pleased towork with Bent Paddle to celebrate the value of the BWCAW andclean water. On December 13, Bent Paddle’s Tap Room will host a “comment party” with Northern Communities Director Ian Kimmer. In mid-January Friends staff will partner with the Bent Paddle team in an event to tell the story and history of the BWCA.By including a clean water talk on all of their brewery tours, BentPaddle lives the words, “great beer demands great water!” Checkout Bent Paddle at www.bentpaddlebrewing.com and stop by to seethe good people of this exciting Minnesota business.•

FRIENDS OF THE BOUNDARY WATERS WILDERNESS • FALL 2013 — 07

Now is the time continued from page 1.

in hydrology, economics, finance, engineering, and other fields to scru-tinize the claims made by PolyMet. We’ll digest all of that informationand share it with you. As always, the Friends is committed to providingthe best quality information to citizens and decision makers.We’re reaching out to new audiences in new ways: Expect to see

an active presence by the Friends and Mining Truth on social media aswe engage as many people as possible.We believe in the power of citizen involvement, and we believe that

a decision of this magnitude deserves a robust discussion informed byfacts. This is complicated stuff, and it’s easy to feel like you should justleave it to the experts. But your voice is crucial. The DNR needs to hearfrom thousands of people, including you, because this decision is tooimportant to our future.

When you respond, here are some things to keep in mind.Speak from the heart:Know what matters to you and tell politicians

and regulators about it. I’ll tell you a secret: heartfelt, authentic storiesare more powerful than numbers and studies. The technical stuff is upto the experts. For most of us, we can do the most good by showingwhy we care so much about this incredible place.Your opinion matters: The Quetico-Superior ecosystem and the

Boundary Waters Wilderness belong to all of us. You don’t just have aright to speak, you have just as much right to speak as anybody else.Now is the time: You might hear PolyMet’s advocates say the right

time to raise concerns about the proposal is later, or it is too early todemand proof that they’ve dealt with environmental or financial con-cerns. Don’t accept that excuse. What happens to PolyMet's mine planwill shape everything that follows.Don’t be overwhelmed: There will be a lot of technical language, a

blizzard of acronyms, a passel of scientific terms, and a cornucopia ofexpert opinions on the PolyMet proposal. It all seems so complicated,specialized, and overwhelming. Just remember, our goal is to pass onto future generations the same clean water and wilderness experiencethat we’re blessed with. After you go to www.miningtruth.org and speakout on the PolyMet proposal, and there are other things you can do toincrease your impact.Share information with your friends and family:When you com-

ment at www.miningtruth.org, hit the share button and share this in-formation via email, Facebook, or Twitter.Come to a public hearing: There will be three public hearings

in late January 2014, likely in Hoyt Lakes, Duluth and the Twin Cities.At the time this went to press, the dates and locations had not been announced. Check the Friends and Mining Truth websites for more information.Host a gathering: We have a number of events lined up, but we

need your help to do more. We’ll have kits available to help you, a movie you can show, and may be able to connect you to a staff member or volunteer who can attend. Contact Aaron Klemz at:aaron@friends-bwca.org or call the office at 612-332-9630 for more information.If we can mobilize thousands of people to tell regulators and politi-

cians that we won’t stand for 500 hundred years of polluted water fromPolyMet’s proposed mine, we can stop it in its tracks. Thanks to yoursupport of the Friends, we will accomplish this goal and leave a legacyof clean water for future generations.•

PolyMet – By the numbers

3800 – The approximate number of comments on PolyMet’s first draft mine plan in 2010

23,000 – The number of people who signed the Mining Truth petition in 2013

6,700 – The number of people who like the Friends on Facebook

2,500 – The number of people who follow the Friends on Twitter

90 – The number of days in this public comment period

1387 – The number of days between the EPA giving the first draft mine plan a failing grade and the second draft’s release on December 6.

1,900 – The approximate number of pages in the draft mine plan

8 – The number of minutes in length of a DNR video describing that document

20 – The number of years that PolyMet’s proposed mine would operate

500 or more - The number of years that a closed PolyMet mine would require treatment of polluted water

52,662,600,000 – pounds of waste generated by the proposed PolyMet mine every year

90 – the number of jobs PolyMet’s first draft mine plan predicted would go to local residents if the mine was built

33,500 – the number of full-time jobs created and sustained by tourism in Northeastern Minnesota

250,000 – the approximate number of BWCA visitors each year

on December 14 about our efforts to protect the wilderness.• As part of the planning committee for the Citizens In Action dayin Duluth, we will host citizen engagement workshops and willlead a forum of elected leaders from the region.

• We are working with University of Wisconsin – Superior studentsto create a campus-wide event on sulfide mining during the PolyMet public comment period.

• At Sara’s Table/Chester Creek Cafe in Duluth will host a series ofmusic and arts events in partnership with our northern communi-ties efforts to raise awareness and engagement on conservationand sulfide mining.

• Bent Paddle Brewing Company of Duluth will host at least two events celebrating the Boundary Waters and our clean water assets.

• We are developing a potential Duluth Area Chamber of Com-merce forum on the value of natural assets to an entrepreneurial,diversified and sustainable economy.

• With MPIRG UMD we are creating student-focused commentparties to further engage the active student body.•

Northern Communities Update continued from page 2.

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to receive it only via e-mail. Contact us at info@friends-bwca.org to let us know if you are interested. Thank you!

Staff:Paul Danicic, Executive DirectorBetsy Daub, Policy DirectorIan Kimmer, Northern Communities Program DirectorAaron Klemz, Communications and Engagement DirectorCori Mattke, Membership and Administrative Coordinator

Board of Directors:Nick BanovetzMargo BrownellDodd Cosgrove, TreasurerPete Fleming, ChairMark HennessyTom Mahlum, Vice ChairDan PaulyMatt PoppletonSteve SafranskiSue SchurkeRolf Thompson, SecretaryCurt Yoakum

Honorary Board Members:Richard Flint

Advisory Council:Chel AndersonLee FrelichDarrell KnuffkeSteve Piragis

Minnesota Environmental Fund Helps Protect the BWCAW

If your company does not have MEF as a giving option, please contact Friends at 612-332-9630.

Don’t get stuck inside this winter

Join Friends members and staff for our annual Winter Weekend at Camp Menogyn,January 17–20, 2014!What: A weekend of winter activities on the edge of the Boundary Waters,

including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and dogsleddingWhen: Evening of Friday, January 17 through the morning of

Monday, January 20Where: YMCA Camp Menogyn on the Gunflint TrailWho: Everybody, especially kids!

Register by January 8, 2014 by going to: http://bit.ly/FriendsWinterWeekendContact Cori at 612-332-9630, or cori@friends-bwca.org for more information. The cost is $195 for adults and $100 for kids twelve years of age or younger.•