MINNESOTA ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL CITIZENS ASSOCIATION:

An Inventory of Its Records at the Minnesota Historical Society

Manuscripts Collection

Expand/CollapseOVERVIEW

Creator: Minnesota Environmental Control Citizens Association, creator.
Title:MECCA records.
Dates:1958-2004.
Language:Materials in English.
Abstract:Administrative files (including bylaws, meeting minutes, financial information, member directories, and newsletters), subject files, visual materials, and task force files of an environmental citizens' action group, also known as MECCA, organized in 1968. The collection also includes meeting minutes, financial reports, tax forms, and a few select topical files of the Midwest Environmental Education & Research Association that were kept by Robert F. Nelson, a founding member of MECCA.
Quantity:11.4 cubic feet (18 boxes and 1 oversize folder) and 1 microfilm reel.
Location:See Detailed Description for shelf locations.

Expand/CollapseHISTORICAL NOTE

The Minnesota Environmental Control Citizens Association (MECCA) is a citizen action group organized in St. Paul in 1968 to oppose the depletion of natural resources and the pollution of air, water and soil. Its activities include research and evaluation of pollution problems, legislative lobbying, publicity and educational programs, and monitoring of agency and public meetings and hearings related to environmental issues in Minnesota.

Some of its primary concerns have been nuclear, thermal and emission pollution from Northern States Power Company nuclear generating plants; problems of nuclear power in general, and a proposed nuclear moratorium; dumping of taconite wastes into Lake Superior; mining and logging in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area; watershed drainage and lake pollution in several locales; a proposed coal terminal at Pig's Eye Lake; the actions of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; airports and noise pollution; a proposed metropolitan airport at Ham Lake; household ecology; and recycling.


Return to top

Expand/CollapseARRANGEMENT

These documents are organized into the following sections:

Administrative Files
Subject Files
Visual Materials
Noise Pollution Task Force
Midwest Environmental Education & Research Association (MEERA)


Return to top

Expand/CollapseADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. MECCA Records. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Microfilm Production:

Newsletters, 1969-1974 (M244): St. Paul, Minn: Minnesota Historical Society, 1974.

Microfilm available for sale or interlibrary loan from the Minnesota Historical Society.

Accession Information:

Accession numbers: 11,687; 12,102; 16,539; 16,715

Processing Information:

NHPRC logo

Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Additions by Shelby Edwards and Alex Kent, January 2010; David B. Peterson, February 2013.

Catalog ID number: 990017156480104294


Return to top

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Expand/CollapseADMINISTRATIVE FILES

Location
147.E.4.4FBackground:
Articles of incorporation, undated and 1968.
Bylaws, undated and 1971.
Charitable registration documentation, 1968-1970.
Order allowing writ, November 1968.
Operating manual, 1970.
Philosophy and goals, undated.
Proposed organization, undated and 1969-1970.
Purpose, 1968.
Task force organizations, undated.
Financial information, undated and 1969-1986. 7 folders.
Includes financial reports and journals, as well as tax statements.
General:
Board member biographies, undated.
Board of Directors and committee member directories, undated and 1979-1982.
Clippings, undated and 1968-1991. 2 folders.
Correspondence, 1968-1987. 2 folders.
Ecology Christmas cards, undated and 1970-1973.
Fund raising, undated and 1969-1970.
Grant proposals, undated.
Location
M244Newsletters:
June 1969-June 1974. 1 microfilm reel.
Includes membership appeals.
Location
147.E.4.4F 1969-1986. 2 folders.
Issues wanting.
Publications, undated and 1982.
Resolutions, 1972.
Speeches, 1968-1970.
Stock certificates, 1983.
Membership:
Annual meetings, undated and 1971-1977.
First general membership meeting materials, April 1970.
Membership and board member photographs, undated.
Membership directories and lists, undated and 1986.
Membership dues paid, 1975, 1979.
Location
147.E.4.5BMeeting minutes, 1968-1983. 10 folders.
Includes board and general committee minutes.
Prospective members, undated and 1981.

Return to top

Expand/CollapseSUBJECT FILES

Location
147.E.4.5BActivists' checklist, undated.
Air pollution, 1968-1978. 2 folders.
Boundary Waters Canoe Area, 1970-1978.
Carson, Charles, 1970-1971.
Chemicals and pesticides task force, 1969-1977.
Christmas cards, 1970.
City planning, undated and 1968-1975.
Congressional correspondence, 1968-1977.
Consumers Interest Task Force, 1072.
Correspondence, 1974-1978.
Crisis in Eden speech, April 1970.
Dutch elm disease, 1970-1971.
Elk River, 1969-1970.
Energy policy, 1973-1975.
Energy Task Force, 1977-1978.
Engstrom, Paul H., 1970-1974.
Environmental Balance Association, 1975.
Environmental Quality Council, 1973-1975. 2 folders.
Finance: Pollution control, undated.
Finance committee, 1071-1973.
Finance Subcommittee, 1971.
Fleming, Fred, 1970-1973.
Fund Raising Committee, 1971.
Gadler, Steve J., 1969-1974.
Gavin, Judy, 1970-1972.
Gove, Peter, 1975.
Ham Lake airport, 1968-1969. 2 folders.
Location
147.E.4.6FHennepin County works, undated and 1993-1994.
Herbicides: 2,4,5-T, 1974-1976.
Kacmarcik, Frank, 1970.
Lake Superior, 1969-1976.
Land use and zoning, 1970-1976.
Lead Coalition, undated and 1984-1989. 7 folders.
Legislative, 1970-1977.
Legislative committee, 1973-1978.
Loeb Lake, 1968.
Lyon County chapter, 1971.
Mayor Byrne, undated and 1968.
MECCA Report, January 1969.
Membership surveys, 1972.
Memorials: $100 and up, 1970-1974.
Merritt, Grant, 1974-1975.
Methane, 1975.
Metro Council, 1967-1968.
Metropolitan Airports Commission, 1968.
Minnesota Energy Agency, 1975.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 1970-1975.
Minnesota River Watershed Association, undated.
Mississippi River pool 2, undated and 2002.
Mississippi Watershed, 1968-1976. 2 folders.
Monticello, undated and 1967-1973. 3 folders.
Location
147.E.4.7BMosquito control, undated and 1972-1985. 3 folders.
Nader, Ralph, 1969-1973.
Natural resources management plan for Battle Creek Park, undated and 1996, 2004.
Nelson, Robert F., 1970-1973.
News releases, 1969-1976. 2 folders.
Noise pollution, undated and 1970-1971.
Northern Environmental Council, 1976.
Northern States Power Company, undated and 1968-1974. 2 folders.
Nuclear radiation, 1958-1970. 2 folders.
Pesticides in the environment, March 1970.
Pig's Eye, undated and 1968-2003. 7 folders.
Pollution Control agency, undated and 1968-1971.
Port Pirie studies, undated.
Power generation, 1969-1970.
Prairie Island nuclear generating plant, 1969-1972.
Radioactive waste disposal, 1986.
Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District (Battle Creek), undated and 1975.
Reserve Mining company, 1985.
Resource recovery, 1970-1975.
River bluffs scenic easements, undated and 1969-1973.
Save America's Vital Energy, inc. 1973.
Skinner, Don, 1973-1977. 2 folders.
Snowmobiles, undated.
St. Paul parks and recreation, 2002.
St. Paul Port Authority, 1968-1975, 1988. 3 folders.
State fairs and conventions, 1976.
Thompson, Philip, 1970-1973.
Timber wolf in Minnesota, February 1971.
Upper Mississippi River national recreation area proposal, 1969.
Visual pollution, undated and 1970-1971.
Location
147.D.15.4FVogel, Howard, 1970-1974.
Water resources, 1968-1977.
Wildlife, undated and 1977-1978.
Woodview Detention Center alternative uses, 1968-1988. 4 folders.
Workshops, 1970-1971.
Youth Action Board, 1971-1972.
Miscellany, undated and 1968-1990. 3 folders.
MECCA statements, newspaper clippings, published reports, brochures, correspondence, circular letters, and similar materials relating to the Monticello nuclear power plant, the dumping of taconite tailings into Lake Superior, decorative gas yard lights, and other issues of concern to the organization.

Return to top

Expand/CollapseVISUAL MATERIALS

Location
142.H.12.3B-1Photographs, undated and 1968. 55 photographs, b&w; 11x14 in. or smaller.
Location
142.H.12.3B-2Photographs, undated and 1968. 61 photographs, b&w; 11x14 in. or smaller.
Location
142.H.12.4F-1Photographs, undated and 1968. 29 photographs, b&w; 11x14 in. or smaller.
Photographs, undated and 1972. 1 folder, 25 photographs, b&w; 11x14 in. or smaller.
Photographs, undated and 1972. 1 folder, 18 photographs, b&w; 11x14 in. or smaller.
Posters, undated and 1972. 3 items.
Location
++9Pig's Eye Lake Coal Terminal pictorial layouts, 1974.
Location
147.D.15.4FIndex cards to photographs, photographs, and slides, undated.
Photographs and slides, undated and 1972. 3 folders.
Includes images of the nuclear power plant at Monticello, Minnesota, and of Pig's Eye Lake in St. Paul.
Photographics Committee, 1966-1974. 3 folders.
Newspaper clippings, meeting notes, brochures, news releases, and other materials relating to a MECCA committee involved with photography and graphic design for the organization.
Location
147.D.15.5BSlides, circa 1972. 2 slide carousels.
Slides relating to air pollution, land use, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, the insecticide DDT, and other issues of concern to MECCA.
[0.6 cubic feet empty, letter sized]

Return to top

Expand/CollapseNOISE POLLUTION TASK FORCE

MECCA's Noise Pollution Task Force was created in 1970 to serve as an information source on noise pollution, to prompt community support in educating the public about the effects of noise pollution, and to seek solutions to known and potential noise problems. The task force was interested particularly in establishing state and local noise ordinances, and was concerned about aircraft noise in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. It was opposed to the construction of a second metropolitan airport near Ham Lake in Anoka County and fought for measures to decrease the noise emanating from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (Wold-Chamberlain). The group also supported a state bill (1971) prohibiting the supersonic transport plane (SST) from landing in Minnesota and helped pass a noise control ordinance in Minneapolis in 1971.


The files include newspaper clippings, printed material, minutes, newsletters, and correspondence. General reference files on the airline industry, proposed metropolitan airport sites, airport noise pollution, and the supersonic transport plane (SST).

Minutes and newsletters of the Metro Clean Air Committee’s noise committee (1973-1976), the Metropolitan Airports Commission (1969-1974), and the Metropolitan Aircraft Sound Abatement Council (1968-1976) are also included.


LocationBox
P13711Air industry, 1969-1974. 7 folders.
Includes newspaper clippings and related material about the air industry, especially information about individual airlines, route changes, strikes, and fares.
LocationBox
P13712Airport site, 1968-February 1972. 7 folders.
Information about proposed sites for a new commercial airport for the metropolitan area.
LocationBox
P13713Airport site, March 1972-1974. 4 folders.
Includes information on proposed airport sites, proposed state and local legislation to establish noise standards (which would include aircraft noise guidelines).
Airport site: Ham Lake - A Rush to Judgment, 1970.
Legislation, 1969-1972. 3 folders.
LocationBox
P13714Legislation, 1973-1974. 2 folders.
MAC Condemnation Suit, 1970-1976.
Refers to a lawsuit instituted by south Minneapolis residents in 1971 for personal and property damages caused by aircraft noise.
Meeting notes, 1970.
Metro Clean Air Committee: Noise Committee, 1973-1976. 2 folders.
Metropolitan Aircraft Sound Abatement Council, 1969-1971.
LocationBox
P13715Metropolitan Aircraft Sound Abatement Council, 1972-April 1976. 6 folders.
LocationBox
P13716Metropolitan Aircraft Sound Abatement Council, May-September 1976.
Includes news clippings about the Metropolitan Aircraft Sound Abatement Council and the Metropolitan Airports Commission and general information about non-aircraft related noise pollution.
Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Airports Commission: Minutes, 1969-1974.
Noise:
General, 1970-1974. 3 folders.
Health effects, 1969-1974.
Industrial, 1969-1970.
Litigation, 1967-1974.
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, 1967-February 1970. 2 folders.
LocationBox
P13717Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, March 1970-May 1972. 7 folders.
LocationBox
P13718Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, June 1972-December 1973. 7 folders.
LocationBox
P13719Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, 1974.
Recreational, 1970-1974.
Transportation/Traffic, 1970-1974.
SST (Super Sonic Transport Plane), 1970-1972.
Statements: Jan Del Calzo, 1970.

Return to top

Expand/CollapseMIDWEST ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION & RESEARCH ASSOCIATION (MEERA)

Location
147.D.15.4FBoard meeting minutes, 1970-1977, 1990, 2000. 2 folders.
Donations, 1993-2003.
Environmental lead database management project status report, April 2002.
Financial reports, 1969-1971, 1990-2002. 2 folders.
Grant applications and related materials, 1991.
Tax forms, 1969-1981.
Urban Corps program, 1980.

Return to top

Expand/CollapseCATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:
Airlines.
Airport noise.
Airports -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.
Airports -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.
Airports -- Law and legislation -- Minnesota.
Airport zoning.
City noise.
Conservation of natural resources.
Environmental health.
Noise control -- Law and legislation -- Minnesota.
Noise pollution.
Nuclear power plants.
Pollution.
Supersonic transport planes.
Persons:
Del Calzo, Janice.
Nelson, Robert F.
Organizations:
Metro Clean Air Committee (Minneapolis, Minn.)
Metropolitan Aircraft Sound Abatement Council.
Midwest Environmental Education & Research Association.
Minneapolis-Saint Paul Metropolitan Airports Commission.
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Northern States Power Company (Minnesota)
Document Types:
Photographs.
Microforms.

Return to top

To search within this finding aid,
expand all and use 'ctrl+f' (PC)
or 'cmd+f' (Mac)

Overview
Historical Note
Arrangement
Administrative Info
Detailed Description
Catalog Headings
Finding Aids, A-Z
New Finding Aids
Search Library & Archives Catalog
Search Collections
Library FAQ
Copy Services
Research Services
Take-Down Procedure
Library Facebook
Collections Management Toolkit