Reaching Out

Tucked among serene pines at the Cloquet Forestry Center, is a beehive of activity called the Northeast Minnesota Sustainable Development Partnership (NMSDP). The Partnership is reaching out to a wide range of groups in the region to find innovative ways to renew the countryside.

With the energetic support of its executive director, Okey Ukaga, the Partnership combines citizen leadership with the research and education resources of the University of Minnesota to foster long-term sustainability in the northeast region of Minnesota. The Partnership focuses its efforts on opportunities connected to:

• agriculture
• natural resources
• tourism

This Partnership is one of five in Minnesota that are each supporting vital work in their regions.
With funding provided by the people of Minnesota via the state legislature, the Partnership has helped start or has given critical support to a wide range of projects. For instance, landowners on the Gunflint Trail received assistance in dealing with thousands of acres of forest blown down in 1999 windstorms. Community members, Landscape Architecture faculty, and the Regional Rail Authority worked together to develop designs and plans for the Virginia and Eveleth segments of the Mesabi Trail, a major recreational trail crossing northeastern Minnesota.

Empowering the Community

While the University of Minnesota is best known for educating students and granting degrees, it is also a research institution, and much of the research that takes place at the University benefits the citizens of the state. Direct input from citizens into the University’s research agenda, however, is not common. In certain fields, like agriculture and natural resources, citizens increasingly feel that corporations and federal granting agencies have too much influence on what research is pursued. David Abazs, NMSDP board member, explains. “The Partnership helps bring the community into the driver’s seat by empowering members of the University to do sustainable work as opposed to research often tailored around corporate interests.”

Okey uses the term “active citizenship,” which means local citizen participation in identifying, designing and implementing projects in their region. Not only are citizens energized, but faculty members who see the need for citizen input are enthusiastic. “It has unearthed a lot of sincere University individuals who have been quietly working for similar goals and objectives despite the pressure of meeting the conventional University expectations,” says David.

Networks of Cooperation

The history of the Regional Partnerships can be traced back to active citizens, both inside and outside of the University of Minnesota, working together to develop a model of partnership. The NMSDP was one of three pilot Regional Partnerships and the process involved citizens from the start. Board members were identified through a nominating process, and members were selected to provide geographic and issue area representation. The board then interviewed and selected the executive director for the Partnership. And that was just the beginning — all projects that the Partnership supports must address issues identified by and of concern to local people.

Developing networks of cooperation is also a primary role of the NMSDP. An example is the Northland Food and Farming Initiative. At the Partnership’s first annual planning retreat, community food systems emerged as a key interest. In response, a team was formed to develop a plan, and the Northland Food and Farming Initiative was formed. This initiative is working to increase the use of locally produced food in Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin and strengthen the infrastructure necessary to do this. Many people are involved in the process, including University of Minnesota — Duluth professor Dave Smith.

Dave, who teaches Human Ecology, has his students, as part of their coursework, do community projects related to food systems. Students have interviewed people developing farmers’ markets, talked to restaurant owners and grocery store managers about using locally produced food, and interviewed farmers about their work and the future of local farming. One student recalls, “I experienced a shift in my reality — that my research project was not just academic learning, but a real effort that was being made by real people to put into practice the sustainable values I have learned in the classroom and through books.” The information that students gather is developed into reports that help direct the work of the Northland Food and Farming Initiative.

True Partnerships

Building true partnerships is not easy, as the NMSDP board members have learned. “It’s been like searching in the dark for a common understanding of sustainability and then moving projects into action,” explains David Abazs. What makes the Partnership effective is that it lives up to its name. The partnerships that make this project a success include the one between the citizens and University of Minnesota faculty members on the board, and those between the organization and the surrounding community. “We are trying to foster a rich and vibrant relationship between citizens and their Land Grant University,” says Okey.