On mining: Some mistakes last forever

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My wife, son and I traveled 350 miles on a three-week summer canoe trip. Two weeks into the trip members of a northern Ontario native village invited us to participate in a community celebration as we paddled past. When we departed, Dashwa, our 4-year-old son, was given a helium-filled blue balloon with a ribbon.

Claire, my wife, attached the ribbon to the canoe, and we set off across the wind-swept lake. The balloon excited Dashwa. He tugged on the ribbon, making the balloon dance in the breeze and skip across the waves.

As we made camp, Claire tried to tie the ribbon to Dashwa’s wrist. He refused. He wanted to hold it. Claire warned him the balloon could fly away, but like most kids, Dashwa was certain. Reluctantly, Claire consented to his demand.

International conglomerates are seeking permits to mine or doing exploratory drilling for copper in northeastern Minnesota. The most recent review of copper mines, in 2012, found the 14 largest mines, representing 89% of copper production in the U.S., had all experienced pipeline spills or accidental releases. Thirteen of 14 mines had not controlled contaminated mine seepage, causing significant water quality impacts. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, hard rock mining releases more toxic chemicals, such as sulfuric acid and arsenic, than any other industry. Mining company lawyers assure us there is no chance of pollution this time.

Copper mining has never been tried in a land of water like northeastern Minnesota. Water can carry pollution far from its source, just as it carried our canoe a great distance. The lakes and rivers of northern Minnesota are at the beginning of three great watersheds. The late writer Sigurd Olson called the area the “ridgepole of the continent.” From northern Minnesota, water flows north to Hudson Bay, east through the Great Lakes and south down the Mississippi River.

I heard Dashwa’s cries over the camp stove’s hum while cooking. Claire was already consoling him. She pointed skyward at the dwindling speck of blue. I shared his sadness at losing the balloon but, of course, we had anticipated the outcome when Dashwa chose to hold it. A moment of inattention, one tiny mistake, and the beloved balloon was gone forever.

The mining companies assure us they will make no mistakes. They will not let go of the balloon. But we know what the result of mining will be. It has been the same 14 times. The problem this time is how far the water will carry the pollution. As parents we chose to let Dashwa make a mistake because the consequences were low. Mining for copper in a water-rich environment has never been attempted, and the consequences are high. The contamination could be carried a long way and destroy three special places.

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is the most visited wilderness area in U.S., and outside Alaska it is one of the quietest places, thanks to bans on motorized travel and overflights by small planes. Both the BWCA and Voyageurs National Park are international dark sky sanctuaries. At about one-quarter the size, Voyageurs is Minnesota’s only national park. Lake Superior holds 10% of the world’s fresh water, and is the cleanest and wildest Great Lake. Superior has a 191-year residence time, meaning a drop of water spends nearly two centuries in the lake. By contrast, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario have under 10-year residence times.

Claire and I fell in love in the BWCA. Dashwa went on his first trip at 29 days old. We have canoed the BWCA, Voyageurs and the North Shore as a family. And, like countless families, our lives are intertwined with the waterways of northeastern Minnesota.

These waters are too unique to risk. We must demand Congress and the Minnesota Legislature enact a permanent ban on copper mining in northeastern Minnesota. In November, please elect lawmakers who support clean water.

Last winter Dashwa was throwing his teddy bear near a wood stove. We cautioned him the stove could burn Teddy, and explained why Teddy would never heal. We retold the balloon story, a reminder some mistakes cannot be fixed and forever has no end, both difficult concepts for a child.

Dashwa stopped throwing Teddy. I don’t know whether he understood the risk or if he heard fear in our voices. Regardless, the image of his balloon disappearing permanently into the sky is a good reminder that some mistakes last forever.

Bear Paulsen, of Chisago City, Minn., is the general manager at Northstar Canoes.