Community development in the face of resource extraction in northern Minnesota, USA

Abstract

The seven counties that make up northeastern Minnesota are known collectively as the “Arrowhead,” a region dominated by taconite mining, timber production, and tourism. Because of the Arrowhead’s long history of resource extraction and the boom-bust nature of resource dependence, there is recognition that to achieve long-term sustainability, economic diversification is critical. Complicating this narrative is upcoming decisions by the State of Minnesota to allow extraction of one of the largest undeveloped deposits of copper-nickel and precious metals worldwide; a decision that will determine the economic and environmental fate of the region for decades to come. The objective of this study was to determine how media coverage in six resource dependent communities in northeastern Minnesota perceived, prioritized and acted upon issues of community development and natural resource management, and how those perceptions and priorities differ spatially and temporally in the face of proposed copper-nickel and precious metal mining.