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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

“Meet the Tammens”

Retired Soudan couple inspires MPCA Commissioner for their tireless efforts to protect the state’s clean water

Marshall Helmberger
Posted 11/26/15

SOUDAN— “Meet the Tammens.” It may not be the big holiday blockbuster at the local theater, but John Stine hopes it might prove to be at least as inspirational to Minnesotans who care about the …

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“Meet the Tammens”

Retired Soudan couple inspires MPCA Commissioner for their tireless efforts to protect the state’s clean water

Posted

SOUDAN— “Meet the Tammens.” It may not be the big holiday blockbuster at the local theater, but John Stine hopes it might prove to be at least as inspirational to Minnesotans who care about the environment.

Stine is commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and earlier this year he asked a couple of agency staff members to tap their creative sides to produce a short video about Bob and Pat Tammen, a retired couple from Soudan who have made the protection of clean water the focus of their Golden Years.

“They inspire me,” said Stine, who came to know the Tammens after seeing them time and again, testifying or simply observing at legislative committees, public hearings, or at meetings of the PCA board, where the Bob and Pat are regulars despite the fact that such gatherings are invariably many miles from home.

Stine said there are plenty of Minnesotans who care deeply about protecting the environment, but most are simply too busy to invest the countless hours it often takes to follow the legislative and regulatory processes that shape Minnesota’s environmental laws and rules. Stine notes that the Tammens had busy lives themselves for many years—Bob as an electrician working mostly in Iron Range taconite plants and Pat as an elementary teacher in Ely.

They are probably just as busy since their retirement. But you likely won’t find them on the golf course, or in a fishing boat. Most days, you’ll find them traveling the state and even the country in their motorhome, heading for yet another meeting, conference or hearing, whether it’s on land use, mining, or, most particularly, clean water. Over the years, through sheer persistence if nothing else, they have become two of the most knowledgeable and respected environmental activists in Minnesota.

While some government officials prefer apathy from citizens, which can make their jobs easier, Stine said he appreciates the commitment the Tammens bring to their issues. “For those of us who work in state agencies, we can get in our own zone sometimes,” said Stine. “We think about things in a certain way, and it helps to have someone who doesn’t think like we do, to come along and ask a good question that helps us think about an issue a little differently.”

Stine said the knowledge that the Tammens bring to their issues is evident. “They’re both good citizen scientists,” he said. “They think critically about what they read and learn and they like to figure things out for themselves.”

According to Bob, he and Pat were at a mining conference in Duluth when PCA information officer Anne Perry-Moore told them she’d like to interview them for a video that the agency was hoping to make, starring them. Both Bob and Pat got a chuckle from that. “Pat and I just do what we do and suddenly we’re called ‘citizen activists,’” joked Bob. But they were pleased to realize that their comments at PCA meetings, while sometimes critical of agency decision-making, hadn’t upset the commissioner.

Yet both Bob and Pat share a sincerity and innate optimism that’s usually disarming, even to those who might be the subject of their occasional criticism. Bob, who speaks comfortably before any crowd, has an endearing and folksy style that, like a spoonful of sugar, helps his comments go down easier, be they directed at lawmakers, regulators, or mining representatives.

Pat’s almost elf-like countenance and warm smile belies her intense passion for clean water. For her, it’s a deeply personal issue. “To me, it’s so commonsensical. We need clean water for all living things, and certainly for these kids that I’ve taught over the years, and their parents. I came here in 1964, I can remember what was going on and how hard some people fought to protect the area.”

Bob is the numbers guy at any event the two attend. He likes to dig deep into the data and he remembers what he reads. Pat, always the elementary teacher, focuses on people and on making the case easy to understand. They acknowledge they make a pretty good team.

Stine agrees, calling both of them role models. He said it’s their optimism and their graciousness that won him over, even though, sometimes, it’s his own agency that’s the subject of their criticism. And they’ve become such a regular part of PCA board meetings that Stine recently said they’ve become like adopted grandparents to the agency— the kind that try to inspire the grandkids to straighten up and fly right.

The Tammens are always quick to downplay their efforts, and joke they attend so many events mostly for the free food. But others are regularly amazed by their sheer dedication and staying power.

Bob said sometimes just being there can make a difference. “I recognize that most of the time we’re just spectators, but every once in a while, you get a hold of a microphone, and as a citizen, sometimes you get a chance to weigh in.”

Bob and Pat say they meet lots of good people in the agencies that they watch over, and are trying to give voice to a perspective that public officials don’t hear as often as they should. “We have a lot of people in our agencies who go to work because they care about the environment, the same as Pat and I,” said Bob. “But we see too often that the agencies are subject to industry capture. And when that happens they need to see a little more citizen pushback.”

Maybe “Meet the Tammens” will provide the inspiration we all need to make a difference.

Catch them on youtube:

Will “Meet the Tammens” inspire you to get more involved? Why not find out? You can watch it by visiting youtube.com online.

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