Tuesday Group

This is one of our most beloved Tuesday Group traditions. In lieu of our regular programming wherein speakers present on a particular topic, we will hear from a handful of new Ely-area residents. We'll learn about how they came to select Ely as their new home, what they like to do for fun, and more.

The Tuesday Group presentation on May 27, 2025 was given by Julie Lucas, the Executive Director of MiningMinnesota. As the Executive Director of MiningMinnesota, Julie Lucas leads a coalition of community and industry leaders who advocate for responsible production of mineral resources in Minnesota. Julie previously served as the Environmental Manager of Hibbing Taconite Company and the Director of Water Resources for Twin Metals Minnesota. She attended the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) and has a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and an M.S. in Water Resources Science. Mining often evokes conflict—between industry and environment, progress and preservation, us and them. But the materials that shape our lives, from smartphones to solar panels, start in the ground. This talk explores how environmental stewardship and mining are not mutually exclusive, and how we, as consumers and citizens, are already part of this complex system. It’s not about defending mining, but about understanding it—so we can make more informed, ethical, and realistic choices for the future.

The Tuesday Group presentation on May 14, 2025 was give by our friend and neighbor, Joshua Forsman — a lifelong Ely local who’s turning passion into purpose through the power of play. As a professional board gamer, national chess player, and experienced educator, Joshua invites the community to explore a new way to learn, grow, and connect through his latest project: Xogos Gaming. With over 12 years of experience in educational and strategic games, Joshua has competed nationally in chess, and played and coached competitive games like Catan and Historical Conquest. He’s also participated in major tournaments for Backgammon, Splendor, and Ticket to Ride, gaining firsthand insight into the power of gamification — the process of learning through games. His work focuses on using game-based learning to build critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership skills in both youth and adults. Rooted in his identity as a fifth-generation Ely local with proud Finnish heritage, Joshua now introduces Xogos Gaming, a forward-thinking educational platform that blends on-screen learning with real-world experiences, emphasizing entrepreneurship, volunteerism, and the life-changing potential of gamified education. Xogos empowers learners to grow intellectually while developing character and making a difference in their communities. To celebrate the launch of Xogos, Zack Edwards, creator of Historical Conquest, joined live via Zoom to share exclusive insights and walk participants through the vision behind the platform. Whether you’re a student, teacher, parent, or game enthusiast, you’re invited to discover how learning through play—right here in Ely—can unlock new pathways for growth, connection, and purpose.

Rotary Youth Exchange: Ely meets the World was presented to the Tuesday Group on May 6, 2025 by Susan Polege. Our Ely Rotary club is proud to sponsor sophomore Tracy Thibodeaux outbound on an exchange to northern Italy, and will be welcoming a youth named Piotr from Poland inbound to Ely Memorial HS! These kinds of exchanges are incredibly valuable for participating communities, and this particular exchange will take place fall 2025- spring 2026. This presentation will included Susan’s international experience as a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, and other travels; Rotary Youth Exchange students and how they are supported; and Ely’s embrace of exchange students in past and future. Susan Polege is a boomerang Elyite and a Wisconsin dairy farm girl who first came to Ely to work at Voyageur Outward Bound School in 2005. Since then Peace Corps - Zambia and several US state locations have been her home between returns to Ely in 2011, 2014-16, and since 2023. You may have met Susan in prior times at the Pebble Spa, Wintergreen Northern Wear, Ely Folk School, or she is currently a banker at Frandsen Bank, with a side of spin instruction at HMS Functional Fitness and retail at Ely Outfitting Company. Susan Polege has stepped into the role of Youth Exchange Officer for the local Ely Rotary club and is helping to organize the exchange. Both Tracy & Piotr are excited for their upcoming experience.

The Tuesday Group presentation on April 29, 2025 was a facilitated discussion about water, featuring the Ely Folk School and the MN Humanities Center. This conversation is part of the We Are Water MN exhibit now at the Ely Area Community Hub. Learn about what the exhibit is and how it came to be before diving into reflection on and sharing about personal experiences with water. We all have connections to water, from the everyday and to the deeply personal! Presenter-facilitators include Lucy Soderstrom, Anna Heil, and Mary Prather. Lucy Soderstrom is the Executive Director of the Ely Folk School. Lucy first started volunteering for the Ely Folk School in November 2020. Since then Lucy has developed the Ely Folk School into a community focal point. She is proud that the EFS is a place for new residents, visitors, and lifelong Elyites alike. Lucy found a fulfilling community in Ely through the Ely Folk School and is always excited to help facilitate that experience for others. Her favorite water-based activity is floating. Anna Heil is the Program Director of the Ely Folk School, and is celebrating a year of employment there this May. Anna brings a passion for experiential learning and community building to EFS, and is always eager to learn from the experts and enthusiasts in our town. Anna's favorite water-based activity is night swimming.

Join us for a photographic journey through the daily lives of loons, and learn how the grassroots management project on Big Mantrap Lake is “Answering the Call of the Loon.” Our Tuesday Group speaker on April 22, 2025 was Steve Maanum from Park Rapids. Steve was a middle school teacher for 34 years and during that time he developed lessons that combined traditional inside learning with outside hands-on activities to help his 5th grade students make connections to their natural world. Some of those connections included accompanying researchers to black bear dens and bald eagle nests, assisting the DNR capture and band Canada geese, and sitting in blinds to observe and photograph prairie chickens booming. In his retirement Steve continues to help others make those nature connections through his writing, photography, workshops and presentations. In 2010 Carrol Henderson hired Steve to be the Greater Minnesota project coordinator for DNR’s statewide Digital Photography Bridge to Nature project. From 2010 – 2013 Steve planned and conducted many of the 114 teacher workshops and student photo safaris throughout the state. He has been a loon volunteer on Big Mantrap Lake since 2007 and has been given the unofficial title of Loon Educator and Outreach Coordinator. His presentation will take us on a photographic journey through the loon management project that Carrol Henderson has called, “The Gold Standard for Loon Conservation.”

Are you curious about how tourism works in Ely? Watch this recording of the April 8, 2025 Tuesday Group presentation to learn how lodging tax dollars fund the Ely Area Tourism Bureau, how the tourism bureau builds and executes marketing campaigns, how the tourism bureau supports local programs and promotes Ely as a whole, and what its goals are for the region. Abby Dare is the Community Relations and Administrative Coordinator for the bureau; she was our featured Tuesday Group speaker on April 8. This mission of the Ely Area Tourism Bureau is to highlight the full richness of what Ely has to offer—recreation, culture, history, community, and business—and to invite people to visit, stay a little longer, and fall in love with the area. Whether they return year after year, bring friends, or even choose to move here, tourism strengthens our community.

The Tuesday Group presentation on March 25, 2025 was provided by Maggie Schuppert of CURE. Maggie discussed the proposed acquisition of ALLETE/Minnesota Power by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). GIP was recently acquired by BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager. If approved, Minnesota Power would be majority-owned by BlackRock/GIP. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is poised to determine if this deal serves the public interest. This Tuesday Group presentation features CURE's analyses and position on the proposal before the Minnesota PUC -- just in time for a series of public hearings on the topic. Maggie Schuppert serves as the Director of Strategic Initiatives for CURE. Before moving to Minnesota from the East Coast in 2015, she worked around the world with communities that have been adversely impacted by large-scale energy and development infrastructure projects, helping them fight for their rights. Maggie has an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, an MA from the University of Essex (UK), and a postgraduate certificate in Evaluation Studies from the University of Minnesota. When she is not giving corporations and state agencies a hard time, she can be found here in Ely, trying her hand at cold-climate gardening or DIY home improvement with her partner, their dog, and five cats.

Tuesday Group on March 18, 2025 was a presentation led by Chris Riccardo from the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), who explored pressing environmental issues and the nationwide impact of the America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act (ARRWA) and its reintroduction into the 119th Congress. The program highlighted how the fight to protect Utah's Red Rock wild lands is not just a regional issue—it’s a national one, with implications for places like Ely and beyond. Chris discussed the importance of preserving wildlife habitat, ensuring the health of biodiversity, and creating wildlife corridors to sustain ecosystems, with Utah's Red Rock country serving as ground zero for public lands issues—where decisions made today could shape the future of our nation's natural heritage. These challenges don’t recognize state borders—what’s at stake in Utah can have ripple effects here in the Midwest. Chris also explored how protecting clean air, water, and vital ecosystems is crucial to our collective future. Whether you're dedicated to conservation efforts in your local community or eager to understand broader environmental policies, this program will offer meaningful insights and motivation to take action. Raised exploring the Pine Barrens of New Jersey and Florida’s Palmetto Woodlands, Chris later co-owned a disaster restoration business in Illinois while raising two daughters. His love for the wild led him to ecological restoration, where he became a volunteer leader in over 30 projects across Southern Utah and the Colorado Plateau. Before joining SUWA in 2023, he worked with Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium installing floating wetlands. A longtime SUWA activist, he discovered the job opportunity through a lucky scroll on social media. When he’s not fighting for wilderness protection, you can find him performing in bands across Chicagoland, the Midwest, and beyond.