Bluestem Prairie

Opinion from the Minnesota Reformer: Help SNAP recipients shop at farmers markets

Like many observers, wev'e been appalled by the spitefulness on the part of Minnesota Senate Republicans in ending the Market Bucks program that helps SNAP recipients stretch their food stamps at farmers' markets, as we posted on Monday in Ag budget agreement moves forward in House minus treated seed language, Market Bucks.

This guest opinion, Help SNAP recipients shop at farmers markets | Opinion by Colleen Moriarty and Leah Gardner at the Minnesota Reformer sums up the situation very well.

Hunger Solutions Minnesota and its many partners throughout the state are dismayed that the Healthy Eating Here at Home program — otherwise known as “Market Bucks” — was eliminated in the agriculture budget agreement announced by lawmakers a few days ago.

In a time of unprecedented food insecurity, with 1 in 9 Minnesotans struggling to put food on the table, Market Bucks helps low-income Minnesotans enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) increase their buying power at farmers’ markets with a dollar-for-dollar match — up to $10 — at 99 farmers’ markets throughout Minnesota.

The program is a triple win for the state — supporting those struggling to put food on the table, farmers and local economies alike.

In 2020, SNAP participants spent over $275,000 in SNAP-EBT at their local farmers’ markets, and in return spent almost $185,000 in Market Bucks. Studies show every $1 in SNAP generates $1.79 in economic activity, which means the program creates over $600,000 in local economic activity.

Popularity for the program grew 31% from 2019 to 2020, proving its importance to struggling families during the increased need and great economic insecurity that came from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Farmers’ markets around the state have already begun their season with the expectation that Market Bucks would continue to operate as it has been doing successfully for almost a decade.

But come July 1 st , without the funds necessary to continue, the program will come to an abrupt halt — undoubtedly causing confusion and disappointment for all involved. SNAP participants who were able to leverage Market Bucks this month to better afford healthy, local food will show up to their local market in July only to learn that the program no longer exists.

Should funding for the program become available in the future to reinstate the program, we fear it will be overshadowed by a degree of uncertainty given this current disruption.

In addition, the program brings approximately 13,000 new customers to farmers’ markets annually. Losing this program will cause Minnesota farmers to see their customer base diminish.

Later in July, the program stands to lose an award from the USDA for a full Federal match of $325,000 per year. We will be sacrificing the opportunity to leverage $3 into local economies for every $1 the state invested.

We urge legislative leaders to explore any and all options to preserve Market Bucks — a program that we cannot afford to lose.

Visit Hunger Solutions to learn more, get involved or help support the Market Bucks program.

Photo: A stall at the Willmar Farmers Market.

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If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

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Posting will be light

We're not taking a vacation from posting. Rather, we're taking a course in the Dakota language that's proving to be a challenge. Posting will be light until the end of June--although we'll try to share breaking news, hot tips and such as we can.

 

Ag budget agreement moves forward in House minus treated seed language, Market Bucks

Earlier today, we noted in Mnleg special session starts Monday that we'd be watching the Minnesota House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee meeting.

Here's the Minnesota House Information Service YouTube archive of the meeting:

In Compromise agreement proposes $139 million budget for agriculture initiatives, Session Daily's Mike Cook reports:

Rep. Mike Sundin (DFL-Esko) chairs the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee. Monday morning he had words of praise for a compromise budget agreement.

“It invests in opportunities to develop new markets, it supports continuing efforts that help address climate change, soil health and water quality. … It also looks to the future to ensure that we have a rich and growing diversity of farmers equipped to contribute to our communities and economy.”

But Sundin also expressed disappointment the deal does not include funding for Market Bucks, which helps low-income Minnesotans stretch their buying power at farmers’ markets with a $10 match.

Other disappointments for Sundin include omitted provisions on treated seeds, and climate-smart farms.

Sundin noted he wasn’t alone in his mixed reaction to the SSHF8, saying, “Both sides took provisions that they weren’t particularly wild about, and didn’t get everything they wanted either.”

The committee took no action; but, the agreement, as amended, was approved 21-5 Monday afternoon by the House Ways and Means Committee and sent to the full House. A companion, SSSF25, sponsored by Sen. Torrey Westrom (R-Elbow Lake), awaits action by the Senate Finance Committee.

The agreement would appropriate $139.4 million from the General Fund for the 2022-23 fiscal biennium, an increase of $12.7 million over base:

• $118.7 million to the Department of Agriculture;
• $12.1 million to the Board of Animal Health; and
• $8.6 million to the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute.

[MORE: View the spreadsheet]

The Department of Agriculture appropriation includes funds that would increase farmer mental health outreach, enhance farm-to-school markets, provide for noxious weed control, prevention and mitigation of plant pathogens and pests, and permit the purchase of a mobile unit to train students on meat-cutting techniques.

Other proposed funding for the Agriculture Department in the 2022-23 biennium includes:

• $50.7 million to advance agriculture, bioenergy, and bioproduct programs;
• $3.4 million to Second Harvest Heartland for its six food banks in the state;
• $1.65 million to upgrade equipment in the department’s analytical laboratory;
• $450,000 in additional funding for the noxious weed and invasive plant program;
• $300,000 to establish an emerging farmer office with a full-time emerging farmer outreach coordinator; and
• $200,000 for farm safety grant and outreach programs.

The agreement proposes to fund the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute with $8.6 million to continue its mission “to develop new uses for agricultural products through science and technology.”

That figure is $800,000 more than the current biennial budget, with $500,000 for “grants to organizations to acquire, host, and operate a mobile slaughter unit” and $300,000 toward hiring a meat scientist.

As the article mentions, the bill was later heard in the Minnesota House Ways and Means committee. Watch that hearing below:

Photo: Crop farming.

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

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Mnleg special session starts Monday

The Minnesota special session starts on Monday. In Special session officially set to begin Monday, focus to be setting state budget, Mike Cook reported for Session Daily:

The State Capitol reopened to the public Thursday.

Come Monday, 134 House members and 67 senators could also be in the building — and for quite some time.

Gov. Tim Walz has called the House and Senate back to St. Paul for a special session beginning at noon, June 14, and noted he intends to extend the COVID-19 peacetime emergency by 30 days to help the state continue to quickly and effectively respond to the pandemic.

“To continue to make progress against COVID-19, we also need to extend the peacetime emergency. To be sure, our peacetime emergency looks radically different than it did just a month ago. On May 14, based on new CDC guidance, we ended the face-covering mandate in nearly all settings. At the end of May, we rescinded nine emergency executive orders and ended all capacity restrictions on businesses and gatherings. By the end of this month, we will rescind an additional thirteen executive orders. We should all celebrate the gains that we have made, but the pandemic is not over,” Walz said in a letter to legislative leaders. “… Although we have lifted restrictions across Minnesota, stopping the COVID-19 peacetime emergency now would imperil our pandemic response and endanger our public health and economic recovery.”

Via an email from the Minnesota House Public Information Services, here's the calendar of meetings for the day:

Date: Monday, June 14

* Opening Day of the 2021 First Special Session *

Time: 8:30 a.m.

Event: House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee

Agenda:

Informational hearing on House/Senate Chairs agreement on Special Session omnibus agriculture and broadband finance bill.

- Walkthrough by Ken Savary, House Fiscal Analysis

* No action will be taken.

Channels: HTV1; Facebook Live

***************************************

Time: 11:55 a.m.

Event: Session Daily Update

Topic: Updates from the House

Channels: HTV1; Facebook Live

Time: 12 p.m.

Event: House Floor Session

Channels: HTV1; Facebook Live

***************************************

Time: 2 p.m., or 30 minutes following Floor Session

Event: House Ways and Means Committee

Agenda:

HFX (Lillie) Special Session omnibus legacy fund bill

HFX (Sundin) Special Session omnibus agriculture and broadband finance bill.

HFX (Bernardy) Special Session omnibus higher education policy and finance bill

* Bills may be added.

Channel: HTV2

We'll be watching the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee meeting.

Here are the Ag Committee Documents:
Chairs Agreement on Ag & Broadband Finance - Language (Revisor 21-04317).pdf
Ag Budget Chairs Agreement - change only spreadsheet - 6.11.21
Ag/Broadband Chairs Agreement - Ag Senate and House Joint Spreadsheet 6.11.21
Agenda - June 14, 2021
MBA Statement on Ag Bill
Cowen - Written testimony House Ag Committee meeting 6 14 21.pdf
MFMA-FundMarketBucks_2021-06-13.pdf
PFA - coated seed PFA testimony June14.pdf
Hunger Solutions Letter to Preserve Market Bucks 6.13.pdf
Land Stewardship Project- Market Bucks.pdf

We will have to miss the opening floor session, since we signed up for a "livejacket" Dakota language immersion class that meets about the same time and will require our full attention. Thank goodness for the video the Minnesota House archives so we can watch the floor session later.

We look forward to learning when a floor session of the Senate is added to the calendar.

Meanwhile, there's a Never Again Protest meeting at the Minnesota Senate Office Building beginning at 10:30, before moving over to the Capitol as the floor session begins:

Join us Monday June 14, 10:30 a.m. in front of the Minnesota Senate Building directly behind the Capitol. We are demanding the senate pass the Never Again bill extinguishing Gov Walz' abusive emergency powers. The voice of the people has been silenced and ignored since last year. We are being ignored by the House and the Senate. We the people have suffered far too long. Businesses destroyed, families destroyed, relationships destroyed by a one man rule. The Never Again bill is the only option to end this tyranny. It must stop NOW! Our guest speaker is the author of the Never Again Bill Erik Mortensen. Make a sign or use ours. Bring noise -whistles, airhorns, cowbells. After we confront the senate we will move over to the capitol as they begin the special session.

This makes us even more excited to have the chance to learn Dakota.

Photo: The dome of the Minnesota state capitol.

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

NEW: I'm now on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

 

[Video] Session Daily: Legacy agreement reached and ready for the special session

We posted about the Legacy agreement in Sydney Jordan: Here's our Legacy agreement on June 5.

On Friday, June 11, Session Daily's Rob hubbard reported in Legacy agreement reached and ready for the special session:

Among the 13 conference committees tasked with forging compromises between what passed the House and Senate this year, only one knew months ago how much money it would be disbursing: the Legacy committee.

That’s because its funds aren’t tied to any particular budget target or federal influx of cash. It’s simply the revenue collected from 0.375% of state sales taxes. That’s what Minnesota voters decided in a 2008 statewide referendum, and the money has since been allocated to promote clean water, prairies, forests, wetlands, parks, trails, the arts and cultural heritage.

That total for fiscal year 2022 is $382.5 million. But that doesn’t mean conferees quickly agreed on how to divvy it up.

“We had 17 offers back and forth,” Rep. Leon Lillie (DFL-North St. Paul) said at Friday’s meeting of the House Legacy Finance Committee. “But we reached an agreement with the Senate, and I think we have a very solid bill.”

That agreement was presented to the committee Friday, and Lillie said his understanding is that a yet-to-be-introduced bill will be heard by the House Ways and Means Committee Monday when, it is expected, the Legislature will convene in a special session. He also said he expects the bill would soon be debated on the floors of the House and Senate.

Per the final agreement, the four funds would receive in fiscal year 2022:

• $127.8 million for the Outdoor Heritage Fund;
• $126.7 million for the Clean Water Fund;
• $73.1 million for the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund; and
• $54.8 million for the Parks and Trails Fund.

[MORE: View the spreadsheet]

Rep. Steve Green (R-Fosston) wasn’t happy with how the agreement was put together.

“I thought we should have had more meetings,” he said. “There was no reason for us to even have a committee.”

Lillie agreed about the lack of meetings, saying “I like the public format for conference committees. Both sides would have gained from having more public. … But there are so many great things in this bill. … For example, we’ve lost a lot of young people to not knowing how to swim. … We added more money for swim lessons. … And I’m super excited about the River Watch and Appetite for Change.”

While the House and Senate bills were very similar, here are the chief changes between the bills that passed in the House and Senate.

Outdoor Heritage Fund

Appropriations for this fund — the only one of the four funded on an annual rather than biennial basis — were identical between the two bills in the categories of prairies, forests and wetlands. But, under “Habitats,” the House has withdrawn its proposal that $3 million go to first-time applicants to the Department of Natural Resources’ Conservation Partners Legacy Grant program.

Based upon House Legacy Finance Committee discussions, the motivation was the program was funding too many of the same organizations annually, and the belief was that such an earmark would broaden and diversify the field.

Clean Water Fund

While this fund divides its allocations among nine agencies or entities, the biggest changes in the final agreement would come under funding for the Board of Water and Soil Resources.

It’s become an annual debate in the House as to whether it’s appropriate to use Clean Water Fund money to support the ongoing operations of the state’s soil and water conservation districts. In its original bill, the House allocated $12 million for such administration grants, but only for fiscal year 2022, not 2023. The Senate bill would allocate $12 million each year, and the House concurred in the final agreement.

When you add in other changes, the board would receive $10.3 million more in the 2022-23 biennium than in the House bill. Among the other significant changes in BWSR funding: The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program would receive $9.9 million less for the biennium from the Clean Water Fund than the Senate proposed, but $3.6 million more than the House. And the Senate lowered its total for grants to watersheds by $3.4 million.

Meanwhile, the Senate had no funding for wetland restoration easements or enhancing landowner adoption of cover crops, but the agreement would allocate $5.7 million for the former and $4 million for the latter.

And the Metropolitan Council would receive $5 million less than the House planned, as grants for inflow and infiltration and lead service line replacement were eliminated.

Parks and Trails Fund

In recent years, this has become the least controversial of the four funds, primarily because the three agencies receiving funding annually come to an agreement as to how the funds should be meted out and present their proposal to the Legislature for its approval.

Hence, very little changes, but this year’s agreement does alter some numbers. The most significant change is that the House agreed to reduce its total for “coordination among partners” in DNR programs by $83,000.

Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund

The House’s increased emphasis upon looking at issues through an equity lens this session showed up prominently in its proposed funding for the Minnesota Humanities Center. It had earmarked $3.6 million in fiscal year 2022 for “Community Identity and Heritage Grants” that would fund specific organizations engaged in cultural programming related to the state’s Asian-Pacific Island, Somali and African immigrant, Indigenous, African American, Latinx and BIPOC/underrepresented communities.

The Senate bill contained no such earmarks and neither does the final agreement, which would fund a competitive grant program at $2.5 million instead.

The Department of Administration would receive $1.5 million more during the biennium than the House originally proposed, with Minnesota Public Television, Minnesota Public Radio and AMPERS Public Radio getting most of the increase.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Historical Society would receive $1.1 million less during the biennium than the Senate proposed, but $22,000 more than the House had.

Policy

The agreement also contains language that would:

• stipulate that Outdoor Heritage Fund money cannot be used to purchase land subject to a conservation easement;
• extend a multipurpose water management appropriation for a project in Waseca County;
• require the Clean Water Council to file a legislative report on high-resolution digital elevation data;
• fund the Proctor-Hermantown Munger Trail Spur and extend several Parks and Trails Fund projects; and
• define historic preservation corps as governmental units.

The big projects

Under the agreement, these projects would receive the largest dollar totals for fiscal year 2022:

• State Arts Board arts and arts access initiatives, $27.5 million;
• DNR state parks, recreation areas and trails, $21.7 million;
• Metropolitan Council for metro area regional parks, $21.7 million;
• Board of Water and Soil Resources grants to watersheds, $21.2 million;
• Soil and water conservation district administration grants, $12 million;
• DNR grants for parks and trails outside the metro area, $10.9 million;
• BWSR surface and drinking water protection/restoration grants, $10.8 million; and
• DNR Conservation Partners Legacy grant program, $10.4 million.

The Minnesota House Information Services YouTube of the House Legacy Finance committee meeting:

Photo: Conference committee member Sydney Jordan, DFL-Minneapolis  tweeted with this picture earlier this month: "When you’re out hiking or playing in a park across the state and see a sign like this, thank a fellow Minnesotan! That’s because we’re all funding parks and trails with our sales tax that ends up in this bill!" Cropped for format.

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

NEW: I'm now on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

 

Star Tribune: Deer farming and "CWD-infested dump site on public land" in Beltrami County

We last posted about the Chronic Wasting Disease version of hell in Beltrami County in our post Emerging Issues LCCMR proposal addresses CWD prions at Beltrami deer carcass dump site on Tuesday

There's more coverage of the Beltrami County (CWD) carcass dumping in Tony Kennedy's Deer farming drives predicament over CWD-infested dump site on public land in the Star Tribune's Outdoor section:

Minnesota officials are scrambling on several fronts to fight against the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in northern deer herds where the always fatal neurological disease has traveled to Beltrami County by virtue of commercial deer farming.

Gov. Tim Walz wants the Legislature to strip deer farming oversight from the Board of Animal Health; the DNR is racing to build a fence around public land where the heavily infected deer farm dumped carcasses; University of Minnesota researchers want emergency funding to expand CWD testing at the dump site; state wildlife officials are applying for more federal funds to fight CWD; and the Minnesota Deer Farmers Association is suing the state to halt part of DNR's aggressive response to the outbreak.

CWD could have already spread from the dump site to an abundant population of wild deer previously considered untouched by CWD. The farmer, whose identity has not been revealed, accepted an undisclosed amount of federal money this spring to go out of business and have his herd killed and tested.

After a state investigation determined that nine other Minnesota deer farms in eight counties could be linked to the Beltrami farm outbreak, the DNR on June 1 imposed a two-month moratorium against the movement of any Minnesota farmed white-tailed deer for any reason to another location. According to the Board of Animal Health, 143 captive deer at the nine farms are considered exposed to CWD and should be killed and tested.

Investigators suspect the Beltrami farm became entangled with CWD by unknowingly acquiring a CWD-infected deer from a trophy buck deer farm in Winona County. The same Winona farm has been described as the vector to a separate CWD outbreak on a deer farm in Houston County.  . . .

Read the rest at the Star Tribune. 

Related posts

• Are deer farmers posing against MN DNR rule pausing movement of captive whitetails?
• MN DNR temporarily bans movement of farmed whitetails in state to protect wild deer health
• 5 more MN deer farm herds exposed to CWD; Beltrami carcass dump site inquiry continues
• News release: U of M testing finds presence of CWD prions at Beltrami Co. carcass dump site
• BAH: Southern Minnesota CWD investigation identifies new infection in Beltrami County
• Concerned about CWD in MN deer? Learn about new research from MNPRO's Peter Larsen 
• Some of the science at the center of Update on Chronic Wasting Disease Efforts hearing
• VIDEO: MNHouse passes bill for process to extend funding for ENRTF projects for one year 
• Session Daily: Experts want to study how CWD flows in state's waterways 
• Sen. Andrew Lang seems behind the curve on current funding & progress of CWD test research
• VIDEO: University of Minnesota scientists share CWD research, search for test with lawmakers
• Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund plan from U of M for CWD diagnostic test 
•  Peter Larsen slideshow: Development of Advanced Diagnostic Tests for CWD by U of M 

Photo: A white-tail deer in the late stages of CWD.

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

NEW: I'm now on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

MN Reformer: From near and far: Meet the ‘water protectors’ protesting Enbridge’s Line 3

For pictures of the  individual water protectors interviewed below, please visit the Minnesota Reformer.

From near and far: Meet the ‘water protectors’ protesting Enbridge’s Line 3

By Rilyn Eischens, June 10, 2021

Minnesota Reformer

People opposed to Enbridge’s Line 3 in northern Minnesota remained camped out at one of the pipeline’s Mississippi River crossings for the third day Wednesday.

The encampment was set up Monday as part of a three-day event called the Treaty People Gathering, intended to peacefully disrupt construction of the pipeline and to fight for the 19th-century treaties giving Indigenous people the right to hunt, fish and gather on lands and waters that Line 3 will traverse. Work on the 337-mile crude oil pipeline started up again this month after a planned hiatus this spring due to seasonal construction restrictions.

The crowd was smaller by Wednesday, but many were prepared to remain as long as Indigenous leaders called them to. The camp was calm and quiet even as the 90-degree heat gave way to a windstorm.

Unless stopped by litigation or a surprise reversal by state or federal government, Line 3 is set to be completed by the end of the year. The project will cost roughly $2.9 billion and carry nearly 32 million gallons of crude oil each day from Hardisty, Alberta, to Superior, Wisconsin.

Enbridge and pipeline supporters say the new line is necessary to replace the existing Line 3 and to meet demand for oil. The project has also created jobs for roughly 5,000 welders, equipment operators and laborers.

Opponents say the pipeline will eventually leak and contaminate Minnesota’s forests and waters with crude oil.

Some people staying at the encampment or participating in demonstrations against the pipeline talked with the Reformer about their experiences. Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Dawn Goodwin

Member of the White Earth Nation and co-founder of the Indigenous advocacy group RISE Coalition, which led the rally Monday.

I’m calling on President Joe Biden to uphold our treaties because they are the supreme law of the land. I am calling upon him to make a decision to lead in the protection of water and mahnomen — wild rice — the sacred gift from the Creator. That sacred gift brought us, the Anishinaabe, from the east coast hundreds and hundreds of years ago, to right where we are. We were told to go where food grew out of the water.

When we had our rally Monday, my sister’s goal was to get out here and at least get her tobacco in the water. She didn’t know if it was going to happen or not. When we got here, we gathered on this bridge, and we had a ceremony and danced, laughed and sang with each other. That was a victory, just to get here.

My sister turned around and she said, “We have to be here for four days. Grandma didn’t close that ceremony. It’s still open.” So we knew we needed to continue. Since then, there has been another ceremony, the lighting of the sacred fire last night. So that tacks on one more day. This has not been planned this way. This is how it unfolded because we are guided by our elders and by the spirit and our ancestors.

I’m calling on all our relatives. We cannot do this alone, but together, we can build a new nation.

Simone Senogles

Member of the Red Lake Nation and part of the Indigenous Environmental Network’s leadership team.

This is my homeland. I live on the Mississippi River. In Anishinaabe culture, women are responsible for water. I take that seriously — I just feel this indescribable sense of responsibility. 

I’m not camping on the platform, but I led the rally on Monday. I’ve stood on this bridge many times with smaller groups, and people drive by and give us the finger and yell at us, and there can be a sense of being alone — feeling this fierce sense of protection for our river, but not feeling incredibly empowered. To have all these people come from everywhere to be with us is really helpful, emotional, empowering and inspiring. I think the whole world is waking up and feeling that sense of urgency.

Tess Athena and Brandon Jonutz

Residents of California.

Athena: We signed up to participate in a fast tomorrow as part of a ceremony, as part of an offering to help with the action. I feel like water is going to be the one thing that will connect all of us. It doesn’t matter what race or gender or beliefs you have. Everyone needs clean water. 

Jonutz: This specific action has had a really beautiful, grounded leadership from the Indigenous people, and I really respect that. It’s an honor to be invited onto their land and to stand beside them.

Mary Gagnon

Member of the White Earth Nation.

I’m so thankful that people from all stretches of the United States are here to stand in solidarity with us. I think that’s awesome, and I’m thankful that people are here in a good way. For people who aren’t here, I’d say: Get here. And keep watching RISE Coalition on social media for posts about what or who they need here.

Pati Quispe

Resident of Battle Creek, Michigan.

I came here to be able to hear the story of what’s happening. It’s hard to know and understand until you come to the actual site. I’m a storyteller, and it’s hard to separate that from the fact that I’m also committed to respecting the resources of the world — the water that gives us life, the land that gives us life that has been disrespected for so long. There’s no other time but now to put a stop to the disrespect.

It has not been comfortable camping here. I think it can look like camp, like it’s fun. But it has not been like that. It’s very hot, limited food, no showers. We’re very committed to ensuring the livelihood of the future generations, and we’ll do whatever it takes to make sure there’s water.

Gina Peltier

Member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe.

We share treaty rights with Red Lake, and it’s an honor to be standing with our sisters in this fight. Even though it’s an issue that affects everyone, it’s nice to have that connection.

I’m camping here because they said they were staying. These are my sisters, and I’m staying with them, doing whatever I can to help.

With the beauty of what happened and what’s happening, I’ll deal with anything. I’m here and this is where we need to be. It’s nice and peaceful here. Everyone is taking care of each other.

Photo: People opposed to Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline trekked through a marsh to a site where the pipeline will cross the Mississippi River on June 7, 2021. (Photo by Rilyn Eischens/Minnesota Reformer)

 If you enjoy the fine reporting at the Minnesota Reformer, please donate here.

 

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

NEW: I'm now on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

Freeborn County judge has a point about Interchange owner's counterclaims against state

In a 20 page order for judgement dated June 7, district court judge Joseph F. Chase  dismissed Interchange owner Lisa Hanson's counterclaims against the State. We embed the document at the bottom of this post.

Quite a read.

Like all of the documents in the case, the document announcing the judgement is available via the relatively new Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) system. The access portal for MCRO is here. The user needs a court case number to locate a case.

On page 13, Judge Joseph Chase observes:

I mean no disrespect to Ms. Hanson who is plainly a person of intelligence and conviction. But in the present case we see the problem that can result when those without legal training and knowledge, untethered from ‘the rules of law and the practice of courts,’ attempt to represent business entities in court. Ms. Hanson’s outlandish conceptions and filings (for example, the ‘orders’ and ‘judgments’ of the ‘Hanson court’) comprise a kind of Frankenstein’s monster of pseudo-legal nonsense that illustrates precisely why untrained and perhaps misinformed lay people are not permitted to practice law on behalf of business entities in Minnesota.

We found one example of this behavior on Hanson's Be The Interchange website.  On the Court Documents page, visitors can read this text (and we have saved a screenshot, should the text change:

Court Documents

The Hanson Court counterclaims are exposing fraud and corruption in the District Court of Minnesota – Third Judicial District.  Judge Joseph F. Chase and others are deliberately hiding these documents from the public and he orders the clerk to put my documents aside where the public does not have access. 

This is un-American. It is unconstitutional. It is treason as  an attempt to overthrow due process, public process and fundamentally change the judiciary as he usurps our republican form of government.   

Below are some of the court filings that are being hidden from you.  We need to fight this evil!  Please lend your support!

• April 8, 2021: Judge Joseph Chase’s Order to Hide Legal Documents from the Public
• April 10, 2021: Writ of Error Coram Nobis Orders of Restoration 
• May 2, 2021: Notice of Vacated Hearing
• May 5, 2021: Judge Chase Response to Coram Nobis Orders of Restoration
• May 7, 2021: Hanson’s Response to Judge Chase’s Denial of Coram Nobis Orders – A Lesson in Common Law 

Counter to this misinformation, none of the documents are put "aside where the public does not have access." Alll of the documents listed above--and more--are available via the Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) system, being that the case is post-July 2015. The access portal for MCRO is here.

Once a person clicks the Access MCRO button at the bottom of the page, a new screen pops up. There's a tab in the upper right hand corner called "Document Search," which can only be done by case number. In this instance, the case numbers are 24-CV-20-1788 and 240CV-21-159. Lots of PDFs of bedtime reading.

Since the development of the MCRO portal, this poor country blogger has been might pleased, since we can access all sorts of helpful information with a case number. If we're looking at an open criminal case--which wouldn't be listed in the older Minnesota Public Access (MPA) Remote system where case numbers  are part of the registry of case records--we've been able to get case numbers by calling around.

We're not an attorney and don't play one on the Internet. Sorensen Court has jurisdiction over three spoiled housecats, or so Oscar, Slipperpaws and Little Bear would have us believe.

Hanson is "plainly a person of intelligence and conviction." But her claim on the website that documents are hidden is a best very silly and at worst a fear-based appeal for support that's based on misinformation.

Here's the document:

24-CV-20-1788 - 24-CV-21-159 AG v. MLH 6-4-21 ORD MEM-FINAL uploaded by by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd

Photo: Lisa Hanson. From KARE-11's May 1 article, Albert Lea business owner who defied COVID lockdown says she's still committed to her cause. Pullquote about fundraising at the May 1 event in Albert Lea:

Those legal bills stem from charges that were recently filed against Hanson, and also lawsuits she is filing herself.

“We have over 30 lawsuits and counterclaims against over 20 litigants in the state,” Hanson says.

The charges filed against Hanson include nine misdemeanors that were filed after she violated a state lockdown last November.

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LCCMR part II: Republican senators think special session will run through end of June

After the  Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) approved the Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach's Emerging Issues LCCMR proposal addresses CWD prions at Beltrami deer carcass dump site, Chair Rick Hansen, DFL-South St. Paul, raised the  topic of the LCCMR's next meeting.

He suggested June 17, only to hear from Senators Torrey Westrom, R-Elbow Lake, and Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, that the special session, now scheduled for June 14, would last through the end of June.  

Watching the Facebook video embedded below, we were reminded of a Tim Pugmire story at Minnesota Radio, Clean car rules still a sticking point in budget deal:

The standoff is putting at risk the larger environment finance bill. That means money for environmental agencies and programs, including state parks. . . .

The key negotiators on the environment bill language are Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, and Rep. Rick Hansen, DFL-South St. Paul. Neither are talking publicly about the status of the talks. 

When it comes to environmental issues, there are big partisan divides that are hard to bridge, said DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman, but she remains optimistic that an agreement will be reached.

“In a policy area where there are big differences of opinion, usually changing from the status quo is not likely to be successful."

Jeepers. It's curious to see the guys who stalled the 2020 and 2021 Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) projects use their quarrel to delay the next round of funding. 

In the end, citizen membe Denny McNamara proposed setting a June 17 meeting, that could be delayed should the special session drag on.

Here's the Facebook streaming video:

Photo: Minnesota State Senator Torrey Westrom. Via MN Senate Republicans.

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

NEW: I'm now on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

Emerging Issues LCCMR proposal addresses CWD prions at Beltrami deer carcass dump site

We were out doing more heat stroke lawn care and garden work and so missed the Facebook livestream of Tuesday's Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) meeting. Fortunately, a reader sent a twitter direct message that "The Senate GOP is saying session will go until end of June."

That's newsworthy, as is her note that the beginning of the hearing was about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). 

We'll create a separate post about the Senate Republicans observations. First the CWD items from the agenda:

4. Action: Emerging Issues Proposal
   Environmental Assessment of CWD Prions at the Beltrami County Deer Carcass Dump Site, $108,232,
           ○   Dr. Peter Larsen, U of MN
           ○   Dr. Tiffany Wolf, U of MN
           ○   Marc Schwabenlander, U of MN
   -    Memo
   -    Proposal
   -    Emerging Issues Account Procedures
   -    Presentation on Emerging Issues Proposal

The proposal from the agenda:

LCCMR Emerging Issues Proposal: Environmental Assessment of CWD Prions at the Beltrami County Deer Carcass... uploaded by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd

Here's the slideshow from the meeting:

Slideshow-presentation Emerging Issues Account Accessible uploaded by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd

Here's the archive of the Facebook livestream of the meeting:

Citizen committee member Denny McNamara moved to approve the proposal and state representative Dale Lueck, R-Aitkin, seconded it, delivering a reminder of an earlier prion disorder, mad cow disease.

The roll call was a unanimous vote, 17-0.

The Minnesota Centerfor Prion Research tweeted:

Thank you #LCCMR members for the great discussion on #CWD and unanimously approving our proposal. These are steps in improving our understanding and management of CWD. https://t.co/JAaU2fk8Mr

— Minnesota Center for Prion Research & Outreach (@UMN_MNPRO) June 8, 2021

Related posts:

• Are deer farmers posing against MN DNR rule pausing movement of captive whitetails?
• MN DNR temporarily bans movement of farmed whitetails in state to protect wild deer health
• 5 more MN deer farm herds exposed to CWD; Beltrami carcass dump site inquiry continues
• News release: U of M testing finds presence of CWD prions at Beltrami Co. carcass dump site
• BAH: Southern Minnesota CWD investigation identifies new infection in Beltrami County
• Concerned about CWD in MN deer? Learn about new research from MNPRO's Peter Larsen 
• Some of the science at the center of Update on Chronic Wasting Disease Efforts hearing
• VIDEO: MNHouse passes bill for process to extend funding for ENRTF projects for one year 
• Session Daily: Experts want to study how CWD flows in state's waterways 
• Sen. Andrew Lang seems behind the curve on current funding & progress of CWD test research
• VIDEO: University of Minnesota scientists share CWD research, search for test with lawmakers
• Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund plan from U of M for CWD diagnostic test 
•  Peter Larsen slideshow: Development of Advanced Diagnostic Tests for CWD by U of M 

Photo: A whitetail deer with advanced CWD.

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

NEW: I'm now on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6