Photo Credit: Stephan Hoglund
January 13, 2022 – For those who may not know, Minnesota lost a great man this week. Frank Moe was a Water Warrior. Frank represented Beltrami, Cass, and Itasca counties for two terms at the State Legislature, and later served as a Cook County Commissioner. Known for his incredible energy and enthusiasm, he was an educator, an avid sled dog musher, and a champion of wild rice, water, and northern Minnesota indigenous communities. He died January 12th of brain cancer.
Frank is survived by his beloved wife Sherri, his dogs, a vast network of friends and family. A fund has been set up to help Sherri pay remaining medical expenses at tinyurl.com/FrankMoeGoFundMe.
As a legislator, Frank authored many bills to promote the health and wellbeing of rural communities, including Minnesota’s groundbreaking law to protect natural wild rice (manoomin) from genetic modification. He was also a strong proponent of trails and outdoor recreation.
As a Cook County Commissioner, Frank passed a resolution to rename the second Monday in October Indigenous People’s Day rather than Columbus Day⎯perhaps one of the first counties in the nation to make that change.
Frank began lobbying for Prove It First legislation and caucus resolutions in 2011, insisting “Northern Minnesota’s natural heritage is not for sale.” He warned that the PolyMet/Glencore mine would create a “massive and toxic” mess, and that “when the mine is no longer profitable, it will be abandoned, leaving the state and Minnesota taxpayers with the impossible task of cleaning up the mess.”
In 2012, Frank led a team of sled dogs to St. Paul, in what he called the “Race to Protect Minnesota from Sulfide Pollution.” Frank and his team of dogs and humans brought more than 13,000 petition signatures 362 miles from Grand Marais to the Governor asking that Minnesota “deny any permits for sulfide mining that threaten Minnesota’s water or natural resources.” He documented his journey with a book and movie.
Frank taught, “Our water is everything to us. Our jobs, our food, our lives depend on it.”
Frank, may your name only be for a blessing. May the trails always be good, and may the eagle soar overhead and carry your spirit and your messages on its wings.