Seeing the forest through the trees - a northwoods community makes a plan on climate
This blog overviews the 2015 Itasca County Rural Climate Dialogue in Grand Rapids, MN.Obama’s Dizzying Spin on the Environment and Trade
The Obama Administration claims that the new round of secret trade deals will be the greenest ever.Millions of dead birds: Industrial poultry in crisis
June 11th, 2015
Bird flu has dominated the region’s news for the past few months as it sweeps the Midwest killing millions of chickens and turkeys in its path. Industrial poultry production in Minnesota and other states have been hit by a deadly strain of avian influenza A (H5N2) with the sources still unknown. To protect a 265.6 billion-dollar-a-year industry, the poultry sector has laid blame upon farm workers and wild waterfowl. In actuality, H5N2 demonstrates the sector’s dysfunctional economy of scale. Industrial poultry production survives solely by externalizing the damage it produces to c WTO’s COOL Ruling confirms that trade treaties undermine national laws
On May 8th, President Obama told a crowd in Oregon: No trade agreement is going to force us to change our laws.Monsanto Wants to Move to Switzerland. Why Is Obama Doing It Favors?
The longstanding principal goal of U.S. trade policy is to advance U.S. economic interests. So, why is the Obama administration fighting so hard to help Monsanto -- a company that is openly trying to slash its taxes by moving its headquarters from St. Louis to Switzerland?Tim Goeman - Fisheries Presentation
"Fisheries and Climate Change," a presentation by Tim Goeman of the MN Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Fish & WildlifeMegan Christianson - Tourism Presentation
Presentation on tourism in Itasca County by Megan ChristiansonJulie Kennedy - Infrastructure Presentation
"Public Infrastructure and a Changing Climate" a presentation by Julie Kennedy, a Grand Rapids, MN City Engineer Itasca County Climate and Energy Dialogues
Itasca County Climate and Energy Dialogues Blog
In May 2015, Itasca County community members gathered in Grand Rapids for an in-depth three-day deliberative forum to study and discuss changes in the area’s climate and weather. Participants in the Dialogue developed a community-based response outlining concerns, opportunities, and actions to address challenges the community faces. The Itasca Climate Dialogue invited a randomly selected but demographically balanced group of 18 individuals from the county. Participants had access to resources and experts to produce their own independent recommendations that responded to Itasca County’s needs, priorities, values, and ambitions.
In conjunction with the 2015 community event, Grand Rapids High School students hosted a panel of 9 local experts in March 2015 to discuss the local impacts of climate change. After the panel, students identified their top climate concerns: impacts on wildlife habitat and migration patterns, new diseases that will impact the forests and local residents, and water quality in local lakes and rivers. Two students attended the community Dialogue to share their experiences.
The second community event took place on May 18 and 19, 2018. Building upon the first event's recommendations, this event honed in on Itasca County's energy future. This two-day Itasca County Energy Dialogue engaged a group of 18 community members selected to represent the demographics of Itasca County. 13 participants were randomly selected from a pool of Itasca County residents to reflect the demographic makeup of the county in terms of age, gender, education, political affiliation, and more. 5 participants were chosen to represent public officials and others involved in Itasca County energy issues. Over the two days, participants studied the energy system in detail, assessed criteria for evaluating the energy system, identified challenges and opportunities related to the energy system in Itasca County, and created action plans to help address challenges and realize opportunities.
Our continued engagement in Itasca County will focus on partnerships built throughout this process, and furthering community-identified needs.