Minnesotans know about being good neighbors—after all, our state is the home of the Mississippi River headwaters, and many of us are aware of our downstream impacts. We understand that pollution, wildlife, and water doesn’t stop at the border and that we need a broad coalition of partners to help protect the health of all who call Minnesota home.
It takes an all-hands-on-deck approach to protect the Minnesota we love, address climate change, and solve our state’s most important conservation problems.
We work with our national partners at the League of Conservation Voters to protect important cultural and ecological areas across the United States. In a recent letter, we asked President Biden to permanently protect Ave Kwa Ame (Av-VEE kwa-meh), home to Spirit Mountain in Nevada, an area that’s vital to many Indigenous tribes who have called the region home since time immemorial.
At the White House Tribal Nations Summit last Wednesday, the Biden Administration announced a commitment to designate up to 450,000 acres as the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. This designation will help the United States reach its goal of protecting, enhancing, and preserving 30% of America’s lands and water by 2030 through the America the Beautiful Initiative. The initiative is focused on quality public land that plays a crucial role in fighting climate change, reducing pollution, protecting wildlife, and providing quality outdoor recreation opportunities for all.