Erick Kaardal has been invited to speak on Neopopulism at a conference sponsored by the National Water & Conservation Alliance. The event is scheduled for February 26-27, 2010 at The Northland Inn, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.  More information about the conference follows:

Reinventing Environmentalism

Promoting Property Rights, Conservation & Prosperity

A Leadership Conference

February 26-27, The Northland Inn

Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
 

To:  State & local elected officials & candidates; grassroots & community leaders; public    

       lands & water users; property owners; nonprofit & trade association representatives; 

       businessmen & women; government agency personnel; students; concerned citizens

Fr:   National Water & Conservation Alliance  

Plan to join us at the Northland Inn in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota on Friday evening and Saturday, February 26 & 27 for the premier conference, "Reinventing Environmentalism." 
Be a part of this new initiative designed to change the course of the modern environmental movement by empowering people and communities at the grassroots level. 
 
In the words of the late author Michael Crichton in his powerful book, State of Fear, "We 
need a new environmental movement with new goals and new organizations."  The modern environmental movement has become extreme, elitist, and consumed with money, power and control from the top down.  With your help, the February conference will define practical ways to reverse this trend.  
 
The conference is suggested for people involved in and concerned about the impact of environmental policy on agriculture, energy, forestry, mining, recreation, jobs and small business.  It is designed for a wide range of constituents, including farmers, loggers, foresters, energy producers, trade unions, hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation interests, attorneys, small businessmen and women, representatives of non-profit organizations, government agency personnel, college students, elected officials and staff. 
 
The Friday reception will feature a pioneer biologist speaking on the dangers of politicized science. On Saturday, our lineup of experts will address topics that include eminent domain, takings, federal vs. state and local jurisdiction, hunting and fishing issues, access to and use of public lands and waters, documenting government abuses of citizens, overcoming partisanship and ideology, and analyzing watersheds as the new battlefields for controlling land and water use. The conference will wrap up with a presentation on how to make a grassroots movement work, followed by a general discussion of a proposed mission statement, guiding principles, and action items.  
 
One action item will be to finalize a model that can apply to all land and water within any given region of the country as an alternative to federal or state initiatives. This will involve cooperative arrangements among local elected bodies and their constituents.  It may involve state and/or federal legislative or administrative measures.  We want you at the conference to help design the most practical and effective model possible.  This needs to be able to make sense and work in your area.  If you are not able to attend, try to find someone in your community or county that can.    
 
We are offering a limited number of early registrations at $100./person  The regular registration fee is $150.  Registration includes a Friday reception buffet, a Saturday luncheon, and refreshments during the breaks.  For an additional charge, we will also have booths and tables available for organizations that wish to promote their interests and concerns. 
 
To register at the lower fee of $100., make out your check to the American Environmental
Institute and mail to: American Environmental Institute, 161 St. Anthony Ave., Ste. 935,
St. Paul, MN 55103, or register on line by going to our website National Water Conservation. Org., and clicking on Events. 
 
We are inviting organizations and businesses to co-sponsor the event at a cost of $100. Co-sponsors will be listed in the conference literature.  Co-sponsorships are important in order to show broad support for the event and to keep the registration cost as low as possible.  Please encourage organizations and businesses in your community to become a co-sponsor by responding to this e-mail or by calling one of the phone numbers listed below.   
 
We are also actively soliciting attendance by college students in the fields of environmental science, law, or public administration, so we encourage organizations and businesses to sponsor a student of their choice, or to let us designate an appropriate recipient.   
 
We have a block of suites reserved at the Northland Inn at a conference rate of $109.  These are two room suites that can sleep up to 4 people.  To make a reservation for Friday and/or Saturday evening, please call the Northland Inn directly at (763) 536-8300, or (800)
441-6422.  Say that you are registered for the "Reinventing Environmentalism" conference. 
 
We will be using e-mail as the primary means of communication about this event, so please forward this message to people in your network.
 
Sincerely,
 
Don Parmeter
Co-Chairman & Conference Organizer
National Water & Conservation Alliance
St. Paul, Minnesota - Vancouver, Washington
(651) 493-3532        (612) 558-2859 (cell)
 
Enclosure:  Conference Program

P.S.  I recently returned from a national strategy meeting in Washington, D.C., and there is growing enthusiasm for the timing, content and venue of this event.  Take advantage of the early registration fee by signing up by February 19th.   

On February 4, 2010, attorney Erick Kaardal gave a one-half hour presentation to the Northern County Land Use Coordinating Board at their regularly-scheduled meeting in Northome, Minnesota.

The Northern County Land Use Coordinating Board consists of Commissioners from Aikin, Cook, Koochiching, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Roseau and St. Louis Counties.  The represented counties finance the Northern County Land Use Coordinating Board.

Attorney Erick Kaardal comments, "I was very thankful to have the opportunity to speak about neopopulism to the Northern County Land Use Coordinating Board.  In the first instance, I was surprised at the umbrage they took when I introduced myself as a 'Minneapolis attorney.'  I quickly changed my stance that I was an attorney from one of the Southern Counties. The Northern County Commissioners seemed to like that better.  The Commissioners were very interested in neopopulism -- particularly the idea that avoiding bureaucratic mediocrity requires more people, more involvement and more democracy.  All in all, I was impressed by the Board and its interest in neopopulism."

On January 20, 2010, the Minnesota Court of Appeals held oral argument in the case titled "Paul Barry, et al. v. St. Anthony School District."  The Petitioners are represented by Erick Kaardal.  The Petitioners' claim is that the St. Anthony School District violated Minnesota's Campaign Finance Laws by spending approximately $60,000 on a referendum campaign and not file a campaign finance disclsoure report.

Attorney Erick Kaardal commented, "We appreciate the appellate judges taking time to consider our legal claims.  What is good for the goose is good for the gander.  When citizens spend their money to promote or defeat ballot questions, they have to file campaign finance disclosure reports.  When a school district spend taxpayer funds to promote ballot questions, the school district should have to file a campaign finance report, too.  In fact, it is more important because the school district is spending taxpayer funds.  We look forward to the Court's decision."

This year’s theme
Battling Bureaucracy
and Holding Government Agencies Accountable

• Introduction by Chairman Gordon L. Anderson, Ph.D.,
• Featured Speaker Erick G. Kaardal, Esq., Founder and General Counsel, Neopopulism.org
• Discussion with Awardees and Participants

We will give our award-plaques to those legislators we are honoring.

We are beginning a new year and annual memberships are due. They remain at $10 per person. We are happy to report that all bills are paid to date. Our costs are mainly the printing and mailing of the Legislative Report, and the expenses of the Awards Dinner. Many of you add a bit to your dues and/or dinner checks to help us balance our budget, and that is greatly appreciated.

Reserve your dinner using the dinner response form. Reservations must be received no later than Thursday, February 6th. The cost is $25 if paid in advance and $30 at the door. We look forward to seeing you at the banquet!

On January 13, 2010, the Supreme Court of the United States requested the Solicitor General to file a response in the Wolfchild case.  The response is due on February 12, 2010. The Supreme Court will consider granting the discretionary petition for review sometime after that.

Attorney Erick G. Kaardal responds, "My clients and I are very thankful that the Court is taking a close look at granting this petition.  It is a very important case of nationwide importance.  That is why we believe the Supreme Court should grant the petition to review the case."

The United States Supreme Court will consider the petition for writ of certiorari in Wolfchild, et al. v. United States on Friday, January 15, 2010.  The Court's order relating to the petition is expected to be issued on Monday, January 18, 2010.

The Wolfchild case involves claims brought by over 20,000 Minnesota Mdewakanton lineal descendants claiming the United States has breached its statutory obligations relating to the Shakopee, Prairie Island and Lower Sioux Reservations in Minnesota -- sometimes called the "1886 Lands." 

Basically, petitioners claim Interior violated its statutory obligations to the lineal descendants by not ensuring they are treated roughly equally.  Instead, Interior's intentional policies have allowed a few hundred Shakopee members benefit from the 1886 lands at the complete exclusion of about 95% of the lineal descendants.

Attorney Erick Kaardal comments, "Well, it's up to the United States Supreme Court now.  The petitioners and their attorneys have done everything possible to present their case.  If the Supreme Court grants the petition (and that's a big IF), the Wolfchild case will become the most important Indian trust case decided by the Supreme Court since it issued its second opinion in the Mitchell case in 1983."  

In the December 2009 issue of Minnesota Law and Politics, neopopulism's own per diem lawsuit was picked as one of the lawsuits of the year.  The article can be found here.

Attorney Erick Kaardal comments, "Minnesota Law and Politics again recognizing a neopopulist lawsuit as a lawsuit of the year is confirmation of neopopulist successes. Obviously, our work as neopopulists is credible with the public -- and the media.  By going to work on simply enforcing Minnesota's constitution and statutes -- as they are written -- against the government and its experts, neopopulists are making a difference.  These cases -- and the per diem case in particular -- are examples par excellence of the people managing the government's experts rather than the people deferring to the government's experts and their arbitrary subjectivity.  Bravo!  Neopopulists!  Bravo!"

The Minnesota Court of Appeals has set the hearing date for the citizens' case against St. Anthony School District for violations of the campaign finance disclosure laws.  The hearing is set for January 20, 2010.

Attorney Erick Kaardal comments, "The citizen-plaintiffs pursue their remedies in the Court of Appeals because the Office of Administrative Hearings mis-interpreted the campaign finance disclosure statutes which require all parties, even school districts, to disclose their election expenditures.  The Office of Administrative Hearings made a mistake when they interpreted the statutes to excuse school districts from disclosing that they are spending tens and, in some instances, hundreds of thousands of dollars advocating for passage of tax and bond referenda.  If the citizens of St. Anthony must report their campaign expenditures, so must the St. Anthony School District -- as the law requires.  The courts should not allow school districts to look for legal loopholes to avoid the campaign finance disclosure laws. We look forward to the Court of Appeals oral arguments on January 20, 2010."

The Prior Lake American, the local newspaper covering Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, has covered the filing of the Wolfchild petition in the U.S. Supreme Court.  The article can be found here.

Attorney Erick Kaardal comments, "The petitioners appreciate the coverage in the Prior Lake American.  People in Shakopee and the local area are well aware that the problems with beneficiary status go back to the founding of Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in 1969.  Ever since, the federal government has allowed about 200 people at Shakopee to benefit at the expense of many thousands of poor Indians.  The U.S. Supreme Court should take the case simply to review whether these absurd results which Interior permitted are what Congess intended.  The Shakopee Community seems to think so. The federal statutes suggest otherwise."

The Startribune printed an article on November 12, 2009 covering the filing of the Wolfchild petition for writ of certorari in the U.S. Supreme Court. The article can be found here.

Attorney Erick Kaardal comments, "The 1886 Mdewakanton appreciate the media coverage from the Startribune.  This case is very important and has nationwide implications.  Never have so few benefitted so much at the expense of so many.  We hope the U.S. Supreme Court will grant the petition and consider requiring the Department of the Interior to follow the statutes and fix the problems at Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and the other communities."