Fall Newsletter: October, 2019

Celebrating the Beauty of Rainy Lake Recent Photos

Sunset from Venture Island by Thatcher Peterson

Two Turtles by Helen (Happy) Hayhurst

President’s Message

First of all, let me thank all of you for your membership in the Rainy Lake Conservancy and your continuing support of our environmental policy, research and land and water conservation efforts. Although small, the Conservancy has been able to make what I think is a significant contribution to protecting the natural, economic, historic and recreational resources of Rainy Lake. I am so proud of the legacy we are leaving. I just left the Lake after having enjoyed incredible orange sunrises and sunsets that expanded across the sky. September on the Lake was pretty special. The water, while a bit cool, was clear and swimming was okay! The ability to have the fishing, boating, the cabins and camps, clean water and enduring pine forests that support so much wildlife, eagles, wolves and so many aquatic and other plant

species is what we are helping to protect into the future. Please let me know if there are issues you would want the Conservancy to address, support, or get involved with. Our committees are active, but can’t cover all of the issues that might be important to you. Thanks again for your support. Carolyn Wallis, President

Highlights from the 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Board members were elected at the August 11, 2019 AGM. Board members include: Paul Anderson, Dale Callaghan, Don Dickson, Deborah Embretson, Kim Embretson, Joe Gauss, Joanna Loney, Ruthanne Miller, Donna Romyn, Kim Roy, Barry Sampson, Dave Siebert, Sandi Tibbs and Carolyn Wallis.

The Business Meeting was followed by guest speaker Gary Davies, Northwestern Ontario program director for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), who presented an up-date on the revised Rainy Lake/Lake of the Woods Area Conservation Plan (click on link for more) and recent NCC land conservation projects from Lake Superior to Manitoba. Nature Conservancy of Canada is a Nature conservancy developed in 1962. Goose Island was the first island purchased on Rainy Lake by the NCC in 1999. Mr. Davies gave an excellent presentation on the accomplishments the NCC has attained in the Rainy Lake area and across Canada.

Kim Embretson, Co-Editor, Rainy Lake Conservancy Newsletter, provided a photo tour entitled “Capturing the Beauty of Rainy Lake” and gave simple tips on how to improve your

own photos. Best Light, Rule of Thirds, Change View, and Find Contrast were the four items he elaborated on to capture a beautiful photo. Kim explained that, as the newsletter editor, he wanted to include pictures that capture the beauty of Rainy Lake. He shared his contact information and asked members to share their photos with him to include in a photo library on the Rainy Lake Conservancy website and in the future newsletters. He also asked members to tell him what they like about Rainy Lake.

Video Stories from RLC Members This short YouTube video is about the beauty that Joanne Peterson sees around Rainy Lake. Beauty of Rainy Lake YouTube link (click or copy to your browser) https://youtu.be/JAl5oy1OZ48

Conservation News

Mining in the BWCAW

Voyageurs National Park Association

Sulfide Mining Project Briefing Sheet for Rainy Lake Conservancy October 8, 2019

Sulfide Mining & Voyageurs National Park/Rainy Lake

Voyageurs National Park encompasses more than 84,000 acres of water while Rainy Lake itself

covers 227,604 acres. The waters of the Rainy River Watershed are home to loons, snapping

turtles and wood frogs, and 53 species of fish, including lake sturgeon, walleye, and smallmouth

bass. These native species rely on clean water to thrive.

The nearly 240,000 people who visit Voyageurs National Park each year enjoy kayaking,

swimming, boating, and world-class fishing. These visitors contribute more than $19 million to

the local economy and support 301 jobs annually.

But the lakes and rivers of Voyageurs National Park and Rainy Lake are now at risk from

proposed sulfide mining projects in its watershed.The process to extract copper, gold and nickel

from sulfide ore deposits produces sulfuric acid and other contaminants, which can leak into the

surrounding waters. This pollution would head downstream toward the park, including Rainy

Lake.

Independent scientific studies show that sulfide-ore copper mining on lands adjacent to rivers

and lakes that flow into the Boundary Waters and into Voyageurs National Park and Ontario’s

Quetico Provincial Park would seriously harm the Wilderness and the Parks as well as the lands

and waters on which mining activity occurs. Acid mine drainage is a significant environmental

risk at sulfide ore mine sites like the one proposed for these leased lands. Even small amounts

of acid mine contamination leaking into the Rainy River Drainage Basin would impact

Voyageurs’ ecosystem for centuries and threaten its pristine waters and wildlife, world-class

fishing, and the family-owned small businesses that serve park visitors.

The risks associated with copper, nickel and other sulfide mining operations exist during all

phases of mine development, implementation, closure and long-term remediation. Potential

impacts to water resources include changes in water quantity and quality, contamination from

acid mine drainage and seepage, and tailings basin failures. To date, not a single sulfide mining

project has operated and closed without producing polluted drainage.

PolyMet & Twin Metals

There are two major sulfide mining projects currently underway: the PolyMet NorthMet site

project and Twin Metals Minnesota, both foreign corporations. PolyMet is majority owned by

Glencore, a Swiss-based commodities trader and mining operator with a long record of

environmental disasters, violations of human rights, and disregard for workers and labor rights.

Twin Metals is a Canadian subsidiary of Antofogasta, a Chilean mining company who owns 100

percent interest in the project. PolyMet has recently cleared its permitting process, but not

without controversy as one of the public comment periods may have been intentionally tainted

by state regulators. We are still awaiting a project proposal from Twin Metals, but one is

anticipated within the year.

Twin Metals Project - Recent Milestones

● 2016

The U.S. Forest Service announced a two-year pause on sulfide mining activities in

approximately 234,328 acres of the Superior National Forest, a vital portion of the Rainy

River Watershed, which flows into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and

Voyageurs National Park. This review period would have allowed time to gather scientific

data and public input to guide the Administration on whether to approve a 20-year

withdrawal of these lands from the most toxic industry.

● 2018

The Federal Administration downgraded and abruptly canceled this environmental

assessment. VNPA maintains that a full two-year Environmental Impact Statement of the

proposed withdrawal is essential to allow federal agencies and the public to examine

scientific findings thoroughly to determine whether copper-nickel mining should be

allowed in this watershed.

● May 2019

The U.S. Department of the Interior illegally renewed two Twin Metals Minnesota LLC-

held hardrock mineral leases located on the Superior National Forest in Northeastern

Minnesota. This places our watershed and our National Park one step closer to being

impacted by sulfide-ore exploration, development and mining.

● May 2019

Minnesota's 4th Congressional District Representative Betty McCollum, who chairs the

US House Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, introduced legislation to

restart the study that was abruptly cancelled 20 months into its 24 month completion

period. This legislation accompanied the Department of the Interior, Environment and

Related Agencies Appropriations Bill and directs the Department of Agriculture to

conduct a scientific, environmental review of the potential impacts a copper-nickel mine

within the Rainy River Watershed could have on the Superior National Forest, which lies

adjacent to and partially in the same watershed as Voyageurs National Park. Rep.

McCollum and her allies have repeatedly asked for the information that had been

compiled with no reply from the USDA.

● July 2019

Twin Metals announced that it will be using dry stacking instead of tailing ponds for its

mine's toxic waste. This shows that the PolyMet permits are flawed in their use of an

upstream dam and tailings pond. Pollution has never been avoided with sulfide-ore

mining and dry stacking cannot prevent it. Toxic seepage from the tailings will still occur

and a system of pipes, pumps, valves, and holding tanks will have to be run in

perpetuity. A dry tailings facility can fail if there is re-saturation. There is a real risk of

re-hydration of the dry stack in a region of the world with a wet environment due to

significant amounts of rainfall and snow melt, like Northeast Minnesota. If Twin Metals

does not build the infrastructure to hold back its tailings when they re-saturate, there will

then be no dam to hold back its tailings. Further, the liners used in dry stacking are

susceptible to leaking.

PolyMet

● June 2019

It was revealed that irregularities allegedly occurred during the PolyMet permitting

process for its NPDES permit. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency may have

intentionally asked the Environmental Protection Agency to withhold written comments

from EPA professional staff expressing concerns that the permit that MPCA planned to

issue to PolyMet did not comply with the Clean Water Act. The Minnesota Legislative

Auditor will be conducting a review of these allegations, and the EPA Inspector General

will audit its agency's review of the permit for violations of the Clean Water Act. A three

judge panel at the Minnesota Court of Appeals has ordered the Ramsey County District

Court to hold an evidentiary hearing on these alleged irregularities. Several

environmental advocacy groups, including VNPA, have asked Minnesota Governor Tim

Walz to stay all permits issued to PolyMet until the District Court proceedings have

concluded.

○ Court panel delivers victory for PolyMet opponents

Take Action

● Contact Governor Tim Walz and urge him to stay the PolyMet permits until the District

Court proceedings have concluded.

● Ask the USDA to complete the US Forest Service study on the Twin Metals leases that

was abruptly canceled only 4 months before its set completion date.

● VNPA supports legislation introduced by Rep. Betty McCollum compelling the U.S.

Forest Service to complete a study on sulfide mining in the Rainy River Watershed. The

study had been underway for twenty months before being cancelled by Agriculture

Secretary Sonny Perdue in 2018. The legislation would also halt mineral leasing in the

watershed until the completion and delivery of the study to Congress.

○ Current Status: As far as getting the study passed, it was included in the House

Appropriations bill, but not the Senate. We're working to make sure the house

provision is included when the appropriations bill goes to the conference

committee at this time. We're feeling optimistic, as we've had a bipartisan push

from Senators on the Appropriations Committee to make sure this is included.

● Contact Governor Tim Walz and Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (or your

local Congressional rep) We need them to act. Tell them you value the precious

waters of Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

and support the withdrawal of neighboring lands from future sulfide ore mining projects.

Pollution from sulfide-ore copper mining would flow through the Rainy River watershed

and contaminate the Boundary Waters, Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park, Voyageurs

National Park, and the Superior National Forest. The Administration’s recent decision to

renew Twin Metals’ leases is an attack on our public lands and shows a clear disregard

for science, public opinion, and legal precedent, three reasons why we need to protect

Minnesota wetlands from PolyMet Letter compiled by the Voyageurs National Park

Association click here for link

Canadian members of the Conservancy and others concerned with the adverse affect of sulfide

mining in the Rainy Lake Watershed can contact their Members of Parliament asking them to

take action to prevent pollution of Canadian waters. We understand that the Canadian

Government has sent a letter to the U.S. Government regarding this issue but continuing efforts

are needed to protect the integrity of the lakes and rivers on the Canadian side of the border.

Click here to read another blog about mining in the BWCA, reprinted from The Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness website

Binational Lake Associations Event held Sept 19th at Thunderbird Lodge Rainy Lake Did you know that representatives of lake associations from both sides of the order meet once a year to talk about issues, projects, success stories and common interests in the Rainy /Lake of the Woods Watershed? The event is a great way for everyone to meet with and learn from dedicated volunteers and experts who share concerns for the health of the watersheds. This year Matt Julius, Professor of Biological Sciences, St. Cloud State University, talked about the History and Future of Aquatic Ecosystem Management with Special Focus on the Lake of the Woods Watershed and Shannon Martin, Citizen Lake Monitoring Specialist, MPCA, explained why both short and long-term volunteers are valuable to the water clarity trend analysis process.

Attendees also viewed a virtual reality video where they became an algae (diatom), a river being polluted by metals!

For more information about the event, please contact Dale Callaghan (807-345-4687) who represented the Rainy Lake Conservancy at the meeting or event manager, Kelli Saunders (Cell: (807) 465-4289 ksaunders@lowwsf.com)

Membership News We need your help Each year the Rainy Lake Conservancy asks its member to make an annual donation to help keep the our lake clean and healthy for the next generation. The donations will be used to encourage conservation easements, fund research into environmental issues impacting the lake and celebrating the benefits of the Rainy Lake area. Please receive the fund raising letter and thoughtfully consider making a gift to accomplish these important goals.

Renew your membership Memberships keep the important work of the Rainy Lake Conservancy on the move. Please renew your membership and invite your friends and family to join the Rainy Lake Conservancy. New members are always welcome. New members are needed in order to continue with this important work. You may join, renew or donate at http://www.rainylakeconservancy.org/page-1323796 or by mailing your check to: Rainy Lake Conservancy, Post Office Box 223, Fort Frances Ontario, Canada. P9A 3M6 Annual Dues are $30 per person or $40 for a family membership.

The Mission of the Rainy Lake Conservancy is to work with property owners, governments, and local communities to preserve and protect the natural beauty, historic features, ecological and recreational values for present and future generations within but not restricted to Rainy Lake. Please send your ideas for future newsletters to the editors: Kim and Deborah Embretson, embretson@charter.net