By Marya Hart
Stewards advocate for policies related to water, forests, and wildlife.
Forests and Wildlife
At their December meeting, the Forests and Wildlife Stewards hosted Craig Schmid, Deputy Director of Forestry at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), as a guest speaker. Craig is a member of the Natural and Working Lands sector of Governor Walz’s Subcabinet on Climate Change. This group is one of five action teams within the Subcabinet, united behind the common goal of identifying and championing innovative policies and strategies to mitigate climate change and achieve greater resilience.
Craig offered to be a conduit and point of contact for the Stewards to ask questions and provide feedback on important issues involving forests and wildlife. While the Subcabinet is still in the early stages of development, this new connection provides a great opportunity for the Stewards to be involved with the Natural and Working Lands sector of the Governor’s Subcabinet. The Stewards plan on fostering this relationship by meeting with Craig Schmid again soon.
Waters and Wetlands
The Waters and Wetlands Stewards are continuing to focus on key issues such as agricultural pollution, wake boat regulations, microplastics, and road salt legislation. They're excited to share that next month, a former member of their group, Lincoln Fetcher, will be returning to give a presentation on his work with the Climate Reality Project. This presentation will provide clear, simple information about the climate crisis, focusing on equipping individuals with the information and tools we need to help realize the hope of climate solutions through everyday action. The event will take place on January 14th, at 7pm, virtually.
Duluth Team
Sierra Club, Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, among many other allies, hosted a virtual town hall with Duluth area legislators about the pressing climate justice realities of the region and what possible policy solutions can help address our communities' needs and vision for our future. State Representatives Schultz, Olson, Murphy, Senator-elect Jen McEwen, and Senator Tom Bakk attended along with more than 100 folks from Duluth and northeast Minnesota. They discussed clean energy, just transition and public process and the fight against the Line 3 pipeline expansion. This was a great success in the Duluth team’s effort to build relationships between communities and elected officials.