Dear Neighbor,
On Saturday, Aug. 21, I attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony in Crosby, commemorating the completion of the State Hwy. 210 project that included the main street through both Crosby and Ironton. The event was part of the Heritage Days that the Cuyuna Range Community annually celebrates. A big thank you to everyone involved in putting on an exceptional three-day event for all ages celebrating the history of the Cuyuna Iron Range.
Part of Heritage Days weekend included the Cuyuna Crusher Mountain Bike Racing event at the Cuyuna State Recreation Area. The race brought in almost 600 contestants to this now national and internationally recognized event to compete on the “Red Dirt Trails.”
This past Saturday, I also attended a presentation by environmental activist Paula Maccabee on mining. The focus of her presentation was the potential of mining occurring in the Tamarack area. Maccabee is employed by WaterLegacy, a 501( c) non-profit organization that is opposed to mining.
The thrust of the presentation was that Minnesota’s environmental review process is inadequate and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources or Pollution Control Agency are incompetent with respect to regulating mining operations within Minnesota.
I strongly encourage all interested parties to please do your homework on Minnesota’s extensive environmental review process before accepting speculation about the lack of integrity and capacity of the DNR and MPCA to effectivity regulate mining in Minnesota. Here are some suggested environmental review links that may be of interest:
Additionally, Talon Metals has indicated that they are going to hold a meet-and-greet event 5-7 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Tamarack City Park. For more info visit: https://talonmetals.com/community/.
I also attended a meeting hosted by Crow Wing County with interested parties on developing a formal “Safe ATV Route to Town” that would provide a connection between area ATV Trail systems with the Cities of Crosby and Ironton. More to follow on this important project continues to develop.
As a legislator, I try to stay focused on matters involving state government. However, I cannot ignore the tragic events that occurred today at the airport in Afghanistan. As a veteran and career military officer I am bitterly disgusted with the debacle that senior elected, state department officials and flag-level military officers have presided over in recent days.
For us here on the home front, if you can find it in your heart, please say a prayer for our brave men and women in uniform that remain in harm’s way doing their best in the face of extreme adversity.
Sincerely,
Dale