SEE SCHEDULE O."ADVOCACY" - OUR KEY LEGISLATION TO STOP SULFIDE MINING, PROVE IT FIRST, CONTINUES TO GAIN SUPPORT FROM LAWMAKERS, VOTERS AND BUSINESSES. WE HAD ADDITIONAL LEGISLATORS SIGN ONTO THE BILL THIS YEAR AND HELD A VERY SUCCESSFUL RALLY DAY FOR CONSTITUENTS TO MEET WITH THEIR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES. WE ALSO HAD A BILL PASS THAT FUNDS AN IMPORTANT CLEAN WATER STUDY TO BE CONDUCTED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA."NO BOUNDARIES TO THE BOUNDARY WATERS" - WE HAD OUR MOST SUCCESSFUL YEAR OF THIS PROGRAM TO DATE, REACHING MORE THAN 2,500 STUDENTS IN THEIR CLASSROOMS AND ON THEIR LOCAL WATERWAYS WITH PROGRAMMING ABOUT THE BOUNDARY WATERS. WE ALSO HAD MORE THAN 70 STUDENTS GO ON MULTI-DAY WILDERNESS CANOE TRIPS IN THE BOUNDARY WATERS AND PROVIDED PREPARATION AND GEAR FOR THEM TO HELP ENSURE THAT THEY HAD GREAT FIRST-TIME WILDERNESS EXPERIENCES. THESE STUDENTS WERE FROM ALL OVER MINNESOTA AND REPRESENTED A DIVERSE RANGE OF COMMUNITIES AND BACKGROUNDS."THRIVING COMMUNITIES" - WE CONTINUE TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS IN ELY AND GRAND MARAIS THROUGH EVENT SPONSORSHIPS, VOLUNTEERING AT LOCAL EVENTS AND MEETING WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO LEARN HOW WE CAN BEST SUPPORT THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE GATEWAYS TO THE WILDERNESS. WE BEGAN TO HOST EVENTS FROM OUR OFFICE IN ELY. WE HAVE ALSO WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE US FOREST SERVICE TO SUPPORT VOLUNTEERS IN THE WILDERNESS.
