WaterLegacy

05/29/2026

READ retired miner Mike Maleska’s commentary in the Duluth News Tribune: "Gov. Walz needs to leave a positive legacy for people who love Minnesota's outdoors (fishing, hunting, ricing) and for the subsistence rights that our indigenous neighbors were promised and on which they rely."

From the column: "Like most people in the taconite industry, I was unaware while employed of the taconite tailings pollution issue or its enormity. It's fair to say many remain unaware."

05/20/2026

Using fish and water flea puppets, Andy Baldwin demonstrates the movement of mercury in the food web to 5th graders for a second year at the Itasca Youth Water Summit. Thank you Andy and thank you Itasca Waters for putting on such a great event!

05/08/2026

Read Aitkin County- "Land of 554-plus boreholes" by Susan Derby and Lynn Anderson. Tamarack area residents have been subjected to Talon Metals/Rio Tinto drilling, roads through wetlands, noise, and pollution for decades.

Aitkin County — ’The Land of 554-plus boreholes’

05/07/2026

Minnesota waters throughout our State are threatened by sulfide ore mining.

Tribal and environmental groups have lined up against Tamarack mining project west of Duluth ahead of a summer public comment period.

04/23/2026

Yesterday's Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ (Bassett Creek) Nibi Walk was a time to pay attention to what we've lost and what we value and must restore. Thank you to Sharon Day and the youth leaders and organizers.

04/20/2026

Read NPR's story of a community member’s heroism in the face of irreparable environmental destruction caused by Rio Tinto sulfide ore mining. No wonder that Talon Metals/Rio Tinto are opposing Prove It First laws to make sure Minnesota is not contaminated by copper-nickel sulfide ore mining.

"We women are the land guardians and keepers," says Theonila Roka Matbob of Papua New Guinea, recognized for her efforts to repair the environmental and social harms caused by a copper and gold mine.

04/16/2026

BREAKING BAD NEWS: H.J. Resolution 140 passed the U.S. Senate (50-49), reversing the withdrawal of 225,000 acres of national forest lands near the Boundary Waters from toxic sulfide ore mining.

NOW WHAT? Ask one question to decide who should represent you at every level of government: Who will protect Minnesota’s Boundary Waters and the other priceless water resources on which we rely for health and life itself? Then get busy.

04/15/2026

URGENT ACTION NEEDED: WEDNESDAY, April 15, the U.S. Senate will likely vote on H.J. Res. 140—a bill that would strip protections from 225,000 acres near the Boundary Waters. The Senate can stop this travesty, but it will take bipartisan support.

PLEASE CALL SENATOR AMY KLOBUCHAR NOW and ask her to show the value of her bipartisan relationships. Tell her that NOW is the moment to use that power — as Senator or future Governor — to protect Minnesota's people, waters, and wild places.

📞CALL SENATOR AMY KLOBUCHAR AT 507-288-5321 or reach Sen. Klobuchar at https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-amy

Deliver this message:
“Please show Minnesotans the value of your bipartisan relationships to secure enough votes to prevent H.J. Res. 140 from passing the U.S. Senate floor. This resolution would strip protections from 225,000 acres needed to protect the Boundary Waters from sulfide ore mining contamination. As Senator, I’m asking you to protect Minnesota’s life-giving waters, not foreign billionaires."

This is our final stand before this reaches the President’s desk. Thank you for speaking up now!


📸: Jim Brandenburg

04/14/2026

A reminder that the Kawishiwi River, at the gateway to the Boundary Waters, remains one of the most endangered rivers in the country:
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/04/14/south-kawishiwi-river-boundary-waters-most-endangered-list

From the article:
“ 'Spoiling some of the purest, most pristine waters for a foreign mine and foreign corporate interests is a short-sighted move that could cause irreversible harm to the region,' said Elizabeth Riggs, Great Lakes regional director for American Rivers."

American Rivers says the South Kawishiwi River is threatened by proposed copper mines in the watershed. The clock is ticking on a Congressional effort to reverse a 20-year mining ban in northeast Minnesota.

04/09/2026

Does Talon Metals think Minnesotans are stupid?

On March 27, 2026, Talon disclosed on the Canadian stock exchange (where lying can be penalized): "[T]he Company has not yet determined whether the Tamarack Project contains ore reserves that are economically recoverable."

The newest Talon press release boasts of yet another tiny strip of high grade ore more than 2,000 feet below the surface.https://talonmetals.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-04-09-New-Assays-and-Step-out-Drilling-FINAL.pdf

Talon then admits it doesn't know whether any version of its project (sending ore by rail 475 miles to a North Dakota plant that doesn't exist or sending it 560 miles to Michigan on unsuitable track) is feasible. Talon then proposes that the DNR and community decide the scope of environmental review (the EIS) before knowing either the "project configuration" or whether any version of the project is feasible. Bait-and-switch anyone?