I’m Megan Bond, and I’m chair of the DFL Environmental Caucus.

I also happen to live in a small town that is a gateway community to Voyageurs National Park, which borders the Boundary Waters to the west. Right on Rainy Lake, in the middle of the Rainy River Watershed. One of many small towns in the Arrowhead Region that serve as gateway communities to some of our greatest and wildest places, with thousands of lakes — big and small — and state and national forests and state and national parks — big and small.

The people of these small towns — with our teachers and construction workers and grocers and lawyers and Forest Rangers and biologists — are what keep the area functional so everyone can enjoy one of the most amazing places in America. Summer after summer. Even winter after winter.

I’m a newcomer to the north woods. The first time I went up there was in 2013. When I got home back here in the cities, I was sad. I’d fallen in love at first sight. Then a year later I found love that allowed me to make this magical place my home.

We need to protect these wild, precious places from the threat of irreversible devastating pollution. And we need to protect the people in the small towns that support these amazing wild places by electing clean water candidates! Like our environmental champions we heard from earlier this morning, who are among our strongest DFL leaders in the legislature.

And while she had to go her meeting with her Senator — and he’s one that really needs our lobbying — I also want to thank our Caucus’s Chair Emeritus, Veda Kanitz, who is here today with 10 of her science students who are here to exercise their voices at one of the other most important places in our state, as they get ready to vote for their first time in the coming years.

If you’re not already, Register to vote. And on February 27, attend your precinct caucuses. Introduce the Prove It First resolution. Run for delegate to your Senate District or Organizing Unit convention. Endorse clean water candidates! Then Run for delegate to your Congressional District and the State convention. Endorse clean water candidates. Get to Come to Duluth May 31-June 2 to pass the Prove It First Resolution into the DFL Action Agenda. Then Door knock and phone call and donate and fundraise for the Environmental Caucus and Friends of the Boundary Waters-endorsed candidates. Our environmental champions.

Help and vote to make sure we keep these wild places wild. To make sure our small towns and rural communities in the Northwoods are vibrant and protected.

To learn more about the Prove It First Resolution you can introduce at your precinct caucuses on February 27, go to the Environmental Caucus website at dflenvironment.org

Photo: Megan Bond (right) and Libby Bent at the Prove It First Rally. Photo by Veda Kanitz.

The DFL Environmental Caucus applauds the U.S. Army Corps decision Tuesday to revoke the 404 wetlands permit for the NorthMet (formerly PolyMet) copper nickel mine project. The Army Corps rightly agreed with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa that this already-suspended permit would violate the Band’s water quality standards, threatening the tribal community and others downstream.

The type of sulfide-ore mining that NorthMet would conduct is new to Minnesota, but has a long history of environmental destruction in other states. This ruling supports the claim that this new type of mining cannot currently be safely done in a water rich environment – a major reason that our caucus supports a “Prove it first” approach to copper nickel sulfide mining.

This mine and its toxic waste would threaten the St. Louis River watershed and downstream communities including Fond du Lac and the Twin Ports. The destruction of wetlands that the revoked permit would have allowed would be a climate disaster, reducing Minnesota’s capacity to naturally absorb carbon.

Our DFL platform states that Minnesota should: “Recognize, protect and conserve clean water as a shared resource held in public trust for the health, safety and benefit of the public,” and support “Native American tribes’ rights to self-government.” This decision aligns with those values. As DFLers, we cannot accept the sacrifice of our remaining clean water – already threatened by climate change, PFAS, and other pollution – for this unproven project. Nor can we stand for the violation of tribal sovereignty that would occur if this mine harmed Fond du Lac’s resources.

We thank the Fond du Lac Band for their successful stand against this permit. And we thank all the organizations, scientists, and tens of thousands of ordinary Minnesotans who have fought tirelessly on this issue for clean water and environmental justice.