Why removing the dams and restoring the river Is an act of resistance and faith

Removing dams is an important step toward building a world of sustainability and resilience. The Mississippi Headwaters dams were built on lands taken illegally from Anishinaabe people more than 100 years ago. The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe was compensated for the lands lost to the impoundments in 1985, nearly 100 years after the dams were built. Today, these dams support federal recreation areas, but block the Mississippi River’s natural functions such as movement of sediment, fish and other aquatic life. The dams do not generate electricity or aid downstream navigation. On Sunday, May 5, Itasca Unitarian Fellowship member Molly MacGregor will talk about the historic, ecological, and practical issues of dams associated with the Mississippi River, based on her 40-year career in natural resources management. Replacing dams has been done successfully on the Mississippi River at Cass Lake, and in watersheds around Minnesota, including the Red River of the North, as well as the Mississippi.

Removing the dams will restore balance to the Mississippi River. Service is 10am-noon with the program starting at 11am. Linda Flanagan is host. All are welcome.

As a member of the UUA, the Itasca Unitarian Fellowship supports and affirms the UUA Seven Principles, which include treating all with compassion and justice, seeking truth and meaning, promoting peace and honoring the democratic process, and respecting the interdependent web of life. Our spirituality is unbounded, drawing from scripture and science, nature and philosophy, personal experience and ancient tradition.

Services are 10—12 p.m. Sundays, September to May, at the Unitarian Chapel, except for an outdoors service the fourth Sunday every other month, at a place to be announced. The Unitarian Chapel and meditation trail are located in the pine woods at 3906 East Highway 169, Grand Rapids. More information is at www.itascaunitarianfellowship.org and on Facebook. Visitors are welcome.