by Steve Timmer

Oct 20, 2015, 2:00 PM

Stop PolyMet! – the rally

There was a sizable rally last week in St. Paul to deliver a simple message to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: Stop PolyMet’s sulfide mine. It started on what is known as Railroad Island with music and speakers and then the attendees marched to the DNR Headquarters.

The event was headlined by activist and vice presidential candidate Winona LaDuke (you should really go and read about her at the link if you’re not familiar with Winona). Other speakers included Steve Morse, the Executive Director of the Minnesota Environmental Partnership (and former legislator and DNR employee) and Bob Tammen, a former miner from the Tower – Soudan area and a knowledgeable and implacable adversary of copper-nickel sulfide mining.

The rally was sponsored by the Minnesota Environmental Partnership, MPIRG, the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, the Friends of the Cloquet Valley State Forest, the Sierra Club’s North Star Chapter, WaterLegacy, the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, and Save Our Sky Blue Waters.

Here are some photos from the event.

Larry Long provided music at the Stop PolyMet rally | Steve Timmer photo

There were post cards at the Stop PolyMet rally to fill out to deliver to the DNR | Steve Timmer photo

The Stop PolyMet rally sponsors had signs for people to carry | Steve Timmer photo

After the speeches, the Stop PolyMet rally got behind the banner and marched to the DNR | Steve Timmer photo

The Stop PolyMet march was an impressive procession | Steve Timmer photo

The Stop PolyMet marchers lined up around the entrance to the DNR | Steve Timmer photo

A DNR employee was chosen, perhaps by lot, to come out and collect the Stop PolyMet postcards and the large sign which had been autographed by the rally attendees | Steve Timmer photo

Bob and Pat Tammen shared a moment of satisfaction on delivery of the Stop PolyMet message to the DNR | Steve Timmer photo