Save the Boundary Waters Campaign regroups with new approach

By some accounts, October was a challenging month for the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters.

Governor Mark Dayton made headlines Oct. 24 when he came out in support of the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mining project in northeastern Minnesota. Dayton said the mine should be allowed to proceed if it meets required environmental standards.

Echoing those sentiments were two elected officials who represent the region – including Cook County – at the Capitol in St. Paul. State Rep. Rob Ecklund and state Sen. Tom Bakk were in Grand Marais on the same day Dayton made his comments in Minneapolis. Ecklund said the Governor’s comments about PolyMet were in line with previous statements on this issue. Bakk agreed the governor has long supported the idea of a copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. Bakk went a step further, voicing his own support for such mines to arrive to the region.

Though the Campaign has largely focused its efforts on the proposed Twin Metals project, continued public support from elected officials for copper-nickel mines near the BWCAW could present challenges for the organization. 

In addition, an article published Oct. 12 in the New York Times Magazine created a challenging situation for the Campaign. The article gave an objective approach to the mining vs. wilderness debate surrounding the proposed mines. However, key officials with the Campaign made controversial comments that created a wave of backlash from Ely to beyond state lines.

Quoted in the article were Becky Rom and Reid Carron, who are both leaders in the Save the Boundary Waters Campaign. During the past several years they have been quoted by many news organizations, including WTIP, about the issue of potential precious metals mining in the region.

In the New York Times Magazine article, Rom says: “Danny Forsman drives to the mine in his truck, comes home and watches TV, and doesn't know this world exists.”

Carron is quoted saying: "They just want somebody to just give them a job so they can all drink beer with their buddies and go four-wheeling and snowmobiling with their buddies, not having to think about anything except punching a clock.”

The couple has since apologized for the comments.

In recent weeks, the Campaign gathered as a collective group to assess its direction. Officials from within the organization have issued public apologies for a “negative” tone that began to appear with consistency when addressing their concerns.

Doug Niemela of Minneapolis is the national campaign manager for the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters. On Nov. 5, he wrote a column in the Duluth News Tribune addressing the idea of a fresh tone for the Campaign.

Niemela spoke with WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs about the status of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters and the issue of copper-nickel mines near the BWCAW.