Fire Workshop moved to Friday Sept. 22, details here

September 2023 Breeze

Friday September 22, 7-9pm, Lafayette, 

Nimaawanji’idimin Giiwitaashkodeng: Together we are gathering around the fire; our guest speakers will be:

Evan Larson, Professor of Environmental Sciences & Society, University of Wisconsin-Platteville                

Melonee Montano, Graduate Fellow, Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Presentation Summary

The old pine forest on Minnesota Point is loved by many. Rooted in sand shaped by the waves of Lake Superior, the trees of this forest carry stories of ecological and cultural change that span centuries. In this presentation, Evan Larson and Melonee Montano will share the work and results of Nimaawanji’idimin Giiwitaashkodeng, a two year project funded by the Wisconsin Sea Grant program that is helping to tell a more complete, accurate, and truthful history of people on Zhaagawaamikong neyaashi, the places also known as Minnesota Point and Wisconsin Point. Fire history information derived from scars within the rings of long-dead red pine trees indicate the important role of fire in shaping the forests on Minnesota and Wisconsin Points; Indigenous Knowledge describing traditional Anishinaabe practices of using fire to promote blueberries and many other plants and medicines highlights the reciprocal relationship between people and land, moderated by fire, expressed in these tree-ring records. Dramatic and ongoing changes in the structure and composition of the forests coupled with increased fuel loads and fire risk on both points are expressions of settler-colonialism disrupting these long-standing relationships between people and place. Weaving together Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science vividly illustrates these changes and the processes driving them – the purpose of this presentation is to share these results and to help create space for conversations of what to do next as our collective understanding of the world around us changes and grows.

Hosted by Park Point Community Club, Friday, September 22, 2023, 7:00 – 9:00 PM, Lafayette Community Center (3016 Minnesota Ave., Duluth, Minnesota)

Fire, Blueberries and Treaty Rights

Sept. 19 Mayoral Candidates Forum

The PPCC Meeting is on Tues. Sept 19 and 7pm with 6:45pm the start of pre-meeting check in with neighbors. Mayor Emily Larson and Mayoral Candidate Roger Reinert will join us for a forum and q & a. They are also invited to stay afterwards from 8-830pm to meet and visit with neighbors.

Questions sent in advance to the candidates; each candidate will have up to three minutes to answer during this portion of the forum. During q and a, residents will have up to 30 seconds to ask and the candidates will have up to two minutes to answer. The candidates may stay until 830pm to connect with neighbors. A timer will be used to monitor progress of the answers.

Park Point Community Club’s Signature Civility Cookies will be served.