Tuesday Group

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.

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.

Tuesday Group on March 4, 2025 featured a presentation about Arrowhead Transit by Dominick Olivanti. Dominick Olivanti is the Communications Manager at Arrowhead Transit, where he leads strategic messaging, public relations, and digital content to enhance brand awareness and community engagement. With a background in public transit advocacy and storytelling, he is dedicated to making rural transportation more accessible and well-understood. Dominick is passionate about highlighting the impact of public transit on communities and ensuring clear, effective communication between Arrowhead Transit and the people it serves.

The Tuesday Group presentation on February 11, 2025 was given by Anna Farro Henderson, author of Core Samples: A Climate Scientist’s Experiments in Politics and Motherhood. Grounded in her experiences as a climate scientist, an environmental policy advisor to Minnesota Senator Al Franken and Governor Mark Dayton, and a constant juggler of the many roles and responsibilities of professional moms, Henderson’s essays range from observations, confessions, and meditations on lab and fieldwork to a packing list for a trip to the State Capitol and a lactation diary. She invites you on voyages as far afield as the Trinity nuclear test site in New Mexico, the Juneau Icefield in Alaska, and a meteor crater in Ghana—and as close to home as a town hall meeting. Anna Farro Henderson is an author and PhD scientist. Her first book, Core Samples: A Climate Scientist’s Experiments in Politics and Motherhood, came out at the end of 2024. She served as an environmental policy advisor to Minnesota Senator Al Franken and Governor Mark Dayton. She lives in Saint Paul where she spends her free time ice skating with her two sons (who are now taller than her) and reading books. She teaches creative writing at the Loft Literary Center.

The Tuesday Group presentation on February 4, 2025 was provided by Lucy Soderstrom, the executive director of the Ely Folk School. The Ely Folk School celebrates its tenth birthday this summer. You are likely well acquainted -- or at least familiar -- with our local folk school, so you might be thinking, what else is there to know? Beyond the Ely Folk School and Grand Marias' North House Folk School is a rich and fascinating history. In this presentation Lucy shares the history of the folk school movement through anecdotal stories associated with key characters.

In honor of the Ely's Dark Sky Festival (January 10 -11, 2025), we heard a presentation from an amateur aurora borealis chaser and photographer, Alex Falconer. He provided novice-friendly tips on how to locate and track aurora activity, as well as share a dazzling display of his own photography from his journeys across the country in pursuit of northern lights.

Manager of Boundary Waters Connect Lacey Squier gave a presentation summarizing 2024 BWC events and programs, including but not limited to Tuesday Group.