In May of 1960, my brother and i were playing in the newly seeded yard of the house my dad had just finished building when we noticed a large turtle moving toward us from a drainage ditch across the road. It was the largest turtle we had ever seen, certainly bigger than the painted and mud turtles we were familiar with. We watched it move with surprising speed and were curiously engaged for a time. i ran into the house eventually to ask my biology teacher father what it was and became alarmed at the speed with which he dropped his tool belt as he exclaimed we should not go near it (!). He bolted outside and saw my brother spellbound by the creature, scooped him up, and told us both to sit down on the front stoop. As we complied, Dad quickly stepped into the nearby forest and brought a thick green tree limb out. Billy and i looked at one another in puzzlement before Dad placed the fattest part of the stick near the turtle's mouth, who as if on cue, snapped the limb in two. 'This is why you leave it alone! He'll do the same to you if you get too close', as Billy and i sat looking astonished. Then Dad moved with all deliberate speed to the garage and emerged with his long handled axe, moved toward the rear of the creature, raised the weapon in the air and brought it down hard into the turtle's spine. The turtle was still attached to the blade as Dad tried to pry it loose; all the while the turtle's legs kept moving, its jaws snapping. i was so upset by this, i ran into the house, slammed the bathroom door behind me, and began to cry. i was upset that my dad could perform such a violent act on another living thing, i felt sad for the turtle who was clearly about to meet its demise, and i was angry with myself for having betrayed the poor thing.
Years later, in the summer of 1983, i had made a habit of going for walks at night around the lakes in Minneapolis carrying nothing with me but a 'for emergencies only' flashlight. sometimes with one other person, sometimes alone. It was cooler at night, though just as sticky, and quieter by far. Cedar Lake was one of my favourites because the walking path did not extend around the entire circumference of the lake and there was a deep cedar forest in a low-lying area that made me feel rewilded as i passed through it. That night, as a friend and i approached the place where the path ended, i stopped briefly sensing something was different. The ground beneath my feet was vibrating slightly and i thought i heard a very low humming sound just ahead. We proceeded with a sense of curiosity and caution as we entered the low lying moist ground of the cedar forest; the vibration becoming much more pronounced, as did the low groans that seemed to emerge from the earth itself. We proceeded forward and felt the coolness, smelled clean, woody air. When i flipped on my flashlight to take a look, i froze in place for a moment. There were around twenty snapping turtles who had all convened in that place. They stood their ground. No one turtle or human moved from the space they occupied. The biggest, oldest one looked me straight in the eye, opened its mouth, and let out a hiss. Once my fear passed, i calmly spoke to it in a low, quiet voice, and apologized to it for past wrongs, as well as for disturbing their peace. They watched us as we slowly, silently moved on.
— jester
P.S. The writer always stops to help turtles and tortoises cross the road, always carrying a square shovel in her vehicle and approaching from the rear.
Calls to Action ^
Demand a Two-Year Moratorium on Data Center Development!
Sign the Petition
Sign & share this petition to the Governor and leaders in the House and Senate to implement a two-year moratorium on data center development until a regulatory framework can be created. This petition will be delivered on June 26th ~ let's get to our goal!
A moratorium is necessary to prevent irreparable harm while policymakers and regulators develop clear, transparent, and science-based standards governing resource consumption, environmental impacts, land use, and community protections. In the absence of such regulations, continued development poses significant and potentially irreversible risks to human health and water supplies.
Thank Senator Grant Hauschild (03, DFL)
for his support of the comprehensive gun violence prevention package
Hauschild's moving speech was so personal and so strongly in favor of common sense gun laws.
It took real courage to take this stand. He is being targeted by MAGA and those who are stridently pro-gun-availability,
so he could use some letters or calls in support.
Be a walking voter registration booth
Talk to neighbors, friends, family, co-workers — Make sure everyone has a plan to vote.
We have business-size cards you can print & distribute.
Download & print on your own, send a digital version to your contacts, or arrange for us to get you
already-printed cards.
Once you have a card in hand you can help people you encounter use a handy QR code to get straight
to an online voter registration portal.
We've got this!
Updates from Cook Area Neighborhood Network
(CANN)
Offers: Now that spring has arrived, let's build up our list of offers. What skills, interests, and expertise can YOU share with others in our community? Email CANN today (cookareaneighborsnetwork@gmail.com) to be added to the next update.
Questions? Do you have a question about community programs, services, or assistance? Email CANN today (cookareaneighborsnetwork@gmail.com) and volunteers will help find an answer.
Needs: If you can help with any of the following needs, please let CANN know by sending us an email at: cookareaneighborsnetwork@gmail.com
- Someone is asking for help with housekeeping tasks.
- A Cook resident is asking for help splitting wood.
- A local family is looking for a volunteer to provide a few hours of occasional companion care to a senior citizen so their spouse may have a break from primary caregiver responsibilities. Reply to this email for more details.
- Help spread the word about CANN by sharing this email with your family, friends, and neighbors
To share a Need or Offer, please email us (cookareaneighborsnetwork@gmail.com) to be included in the next update or post a message on CANN's Facebook group. We do not publicize names in this email.
Minnesota Has the Power to Stop Twin Metals
Here’s How
Today, as HJR 140 evaporates federal protections, we revealed that Minnesota has a clear legal pathway to protect the Boundary Waters from copper-nickel sulfide mining.
For months we’ve watched the Trump administration and Representative Pete Stauber launch attack after attack on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Most recently, they’ve twisted the Congressional Review Act to overturn the 20-year mining ban protecting 225,000 acres of public land near the wilderness. It’s been relentless, and frankly, demoralizing.
But today at a press conference, we announced something that changes everything: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has the legal authority to cancel one of Twin Metals’ state mineral leases.
This isn’t wishful thinking. This is a concrete, actionable legal pathway that exists right now under state law. And it’s within reach if we act.
Indivisible Calls to Action
Search by issue
5calls
Pick an action & make a call
Training Opportunities ^
Movement Growth
Tactics Trainings for Groups
- When:
- May 13, 3:00pm
- Where:
- Online
Groups employ several tactics in their Indivisible actions. Knowing what to do is only half the battle — knowing when to do it, and whether it's working, is what separates groups that stall from groups that win. In this session, we'll work through how to use power mapping to identify your path to a goal, how to choose tactics that match the moment, and how to honestly assess whether an action moved the needle or whether it's time to escalate. You'll leave with a practical framework for making sharper tactical decisions before, during, and after your group's actions.
Post-Session Debrief Webinar
from Rise & Repair
- When:
- May 26, 6:30–7:45pm
- Where:
- Online (RSVP required)
We'll be hosting a "Post-Session Debrief" to help us unpack the outcome of the 2026 session and take a look at the roadmap over the summer through elections & next session.
Freedom Trainers
Register for free online trainings
Today, Freedom Trainers is a decentralized network of experienced educators and organizers, including leaders from the Horizons Project, Beautiful Trouble, and Free DC. Together, we work to counter democratic backsliding by equipping people with the skills and strategies of strategic noncooperation.
Our trainings are grounded in three core pillars:
- Know the authoritarian playbook — Understanding how authoritarians consolidate power.
- Understand the pillars of support — Develop a sense of how authoritarian power is vulnerable.
- Build noncooperation skills — Developing the noncooperation practices that fracture authoritarian support.
Inspiration ^
New podcast!
We are excited to announce plans
We at Northern Civil Defense Network and Democracy Defenders are introducing a new podcast. Our goals are to reach a wider audience of like-minded people in Northern Minnesota, to offer another way for people to be informed about news that matters, and to serve sight-impaired people and non-readers who prefer audio communications to those that are visual. It is becoming clearer every day that mass media doesn't cut it anymore; many media outlets have been taken over by Big Brother and corporate interests. Many small town and local newspapers have gone out of business, as well.
We aim to present our take on what's happening in our country as well as to offer new ways forward through action and thoughtful insights by people who live, work, and recreate in our Great North Woods. Because we are a grassroots and amatuer endeavour, we will begin with a lot of experimentation which includes interviews with community members and local newsmakers alike, story telling, events calendars for folks who are looking for ways to be in community and to make some noise, deep dives into topics that affect Northlanders, and things we haven't thought of yet. And, that's where you come in! You will have an opportunity to suggest topics and people you'd like to hear from. We will need your feedback to make each show better than the last one; we welcome your constructive comments, ideas, and questions.
We will be printing flyers that will be distributed from Bemidji to Two Harbors and the North Shore, and everywhere in between. If you like what you hear, spread the word! If you don't like it, change the channel and let us know why. We hope you enjoy this new effort and, if you are able, please make a donation. New podcasts will air on every Sunday, unless circumstances are prohibitive. Watch for a first episode next week!
Great photos from the May Day Festival
Mayday festival in Minneapolis, usually a celebration of spring, grieves neighbors lost to ICE surge
"Thousands of people gathered in south Minneapolis for the Mayday parade, ceremony and festival on Sunday. The annual spring celebration was marked by themes of resilience, grief and anti-ICE sentiments."
