Northeast RSDP

Our Northeast region spans a large, geographically diverse area that spans the North Shore, Iron Range and beyond. The Northeast RSDP serves Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, Pine and St. Louis counties and the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Fond du Lac Bands of Lake Superior Chippewa and Grand Portage Bands of Lake Superior Chippewa sovereign Native nations.

We support projects in the areas of agriculture and food systems, resilient communities, clean energy and natural resources across the region. All projects we support are connected to University of Minnesota resources.

Fond du Lac-UMN Miinan Project: Anishinaabe Blueberry Production

The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s Agricultural Division is working towards increasing tribal community access to and knowledge of Anishinaabe blueberry production. In partnership with the University of Minnesota Cloquet Forestry Center, FDL is creating a wild blueberry agroforestry demonstration site with unique community events, showcasing opportunities for restoring culturally significant foods and medicines using both traditional and modern agroecological methods. 

Through this FDL-UMN partnership, this project supports a healing ecosystem, expands Fond du Lac access to ancestral blueberry grounds, promotes Ojibwe food systems and cultural reclamation, and reinforces traditional economies. Staff and Fond du Lac community members will harvest blueberries and plant medicines; gather data on yield and soil condition amid ancestral burning; process blueberries, teas, and plant medicines at Fond du Lac’s commercial kitchen Na’enimonigamig; and share these gifts during gatherings at Giizhimiijimewining classroom and Gitigaaning tribal farm. 

This project aligns with the Agricultural Division’s primary mission to help support and empower the Fond du Lac community to reclaim and build a sovereign, holistic food system rooted in Anishinaabe values that is environmentally responsible and empowers a thriving, resilient community.

Green Design Building Capstone Project

Wrenshall and Cloquet

Designers from Just Housing worked with carpentry instructors at Wrenshall and Cloquet high schools, local professional carpenters, and high school students to design and build two solar-powered, well-insulated and airtight “tiny buildings” through the Green Design Building Capstone project. These two collaboratively designed buildings were donated for local community use. Students in these interdisciplinary projects gained hands-on experience in green building and clean energy as well as exposure to clean energy careers and the value of contributing to community benefit. This initiative, funded by Northeast RSDP and supported through a collaboration of organizations like the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), aimed to equip students with essential green building skills.

Northwoods Food Project - Food Processing Equipment Library

Grand Marais

The Northwoods Food Project connects, grows, and supports a sustainable local food system in Cook County, Minnesota from farmer to fork. Lack of access to equipment and space to preserve, process, and prepare local foods is a barrier to expanding the local food system in Grand Marais and across Minnesota. This project addressed this barrier for home producers, farmers, and local food entrepreneurs in rural Cook County by creating a local food processing equipment library and shared space for food processing activities. 

Food Equipment Library website

Learn more about projects supported by Northeast RSDP in our storymap.

Northwoods Sustainable Housing Project

The Northwoods Sustainable Housing Project will explore existing alternative housing, new technologies, building methods and materials, while gathering community together to creatively re-think what is possible in Cook County MN. The short-term goal of this project is to create a community resource that presents building techniques, skills, and materials that encompass sustainable, healthy, affordable, and resilient design, demonstrating what is possible in our Northwoods bioregion.

The four areas of focus for these alternative housing technologies are: environmentally sustainable materials, healthy for humans and other beings, affordable for all, and resilient in a changing climate.

This resource will showcase homes around Cook County, MN, and explore new and old technologies to uncover solutions that work well in this specific place.

Northeast RSDP board members

• David Beard, [email protected] - Duluth
• Keri Cavitt, [email protected] - Cloquet
• Jim Goodman, [email protected] - Two Harbors
• Kris Hietala, [email protected] - Hibbing
• Rumbidzai (Rumbi) Faith Masawi, [email protected] - Duluth
• Laura Mendoza, [email protected] - Aitkin
• Stefan Meyer, [email protected] - Kettle River
• Kelsey Myhre, [email protected] - Duluth
• Richard Pierce, [email protected] - Gilbert
• Jolen Simon, [email protected] - International Falls
• Shannon Walz, [email protected] - Finland

Greetings from the Northeast RSDP! Have a project idea? Learn more about what we look for in a partnership and how to share your idea. We would love to hear from you!