Photo provided by Arrowhead Indivisible 

By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - August 21, 2025

Paula Maccabee, executive director and counsel at WaterLegacy, will deliver a presentation on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at Cook County Higher Education. The event will take place in Room 114, beginning at 6:30 PM.

WaterLegacy is a non-profit organization that focuses on environmental and legal issues related to mining in Minnesota. Since its formation in 2009, the group has addressed topics such as proposed copper-nickel sulfide mining and its potential impacts on wetlands, water quality, and tribal rights. The organization's work has included involvement with the proposed PolyMet mine.

Maccabee’s presentation will focus on the expansion of critical mineral mining, which has been encouraged by recent federal actions. These actions, which included an Executive Order from the Trump administration, aim to increase domestic mineral production.

A number of policymakers have supported this initiative. U.S. Senator Pete Stauber, who represents Minnesota’s 8th District in Congress, stated, “President Trump’s Executive Order directs the Secretary of the Interior to identify federal lands with known mineral deposits and prioritize mineral production as the primary land use on those lands. I’m confident that this directive will put the Duluth Complex and our tremendous mineral wealth in the Superior National Forest at the forefront of these important discussions.”

The event is open to the public and is hosted by Arrowhead Indivisible.