A quiet Minnesota community has been shaken by a contentious dispute over a proposed “green cemetery,” with accusations of intimidation and even gunfire emerging. Matt Connell, a landowner in Blackhoof Township, has found himself at the center of this controversy. His vision was to convert a 20-acre hayfield into a natural burial ground called Loving Earth Memorial Gardens. This eco-friendly cemetery would allow families to lay their loved ones to rest beneath native flora instead of traditional granite headstones, focusing on biodegradable methods rather than chemical embalming and metal caskets.
Hostility in the Community
Connell explained to CNN that as news of the cemetery spread, community resistance grew dramatically. He described how drones began to buzz over his property while gunshots rang out nearby. Connell remarked, “A lot of what I think Americans know about cemeteries comes from Scooby Doo,” highlighting how cultural portrayals have shaped perceptions of burial grounds. He believes cemeteries are often seen more as “toxic waste sites” than as places of healing and remembrance. Collaborating with Ed Bixby of Steelmantown Church, which manages several green cemeteries nationwide, Connell purchased the land in 2022, thinking local zoning laws permitted cemetery use without needing a permit. However, neighbors quickly voiced concerns, fearing potential groundwater contamination, wildlife disrupting graves, and declining property values. Connell recounted how a neighbor warned him they would “shut us down” soon after hearing about the plan.
A Lone Voice for the Cemetery
Among the few supporters of the cemetery was Blackhoof resident Barbara Nichols, who reached out to Connell directly to understand his intentions. “We had a long discussion about what he was trying to do,” Nichols stated. She attended township meetings on his behalf due to Connell’s apprehension about the hostile environment. “I read the statement and people were so upset with me,” Nichols remembered, describing the charged atmosphere. Some even suggested she should swap properties with Connell if she was so supportive of the green cemetery. Connell also claimed the intimidation escalated when someone rode a dirt bike through the property, causing damage, and accused a neighbor of using drones to harass him. The controversy has now extended beyond Blackhoof Township, drawing wider attention.
In 2023, Minnesota lawmakers imposed a two-year moratorium on new green cemeteries while conducting a statewide environmental study on natural burials. The findings, released earlier this year, concluded that properly managed green burials pose little environmental risk and can even enrich soil. The report recommended that bodies be buried at least 50 feet from water wells and roughly 3.5 to 4 feet deep to maximize decomposition while preventing contamination. Even after the study, opposition continued mounting. As the state moratorium approached its expiration, Carlton County enacted its own one-year ban on new natural burial sites, prompting Connell and Bixby to file a federal lawsuit accusing county officials of unlawfully blocking the project and violating their rights. In March, however, a judge dismissed the lawsuit, ruling the pair failed to state a valid legal claim. Connell said they plan to appeal.
‘They are using new arbitrarily made green burial guidelines simply to find a way to stop us,’ he said, pointing to complaints that the property’s sandy soil and slight slope make it unsuitable for burials. The battle unfolding in Minnesota mirrors a broader national debate over changing burial practices in America. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, more than 60 percent of Americans over 40 are interested in natural burial options. More than 500 cemeteries across the US and Canada now offer green burial services, up sharply from just over 100 in 2015. Similar battles are erupting across the country as Americans increasingly turn toward environmentally focused burial practices.
In rural Michigan, Peter Quakenbush and his partner Anni became embroiled in their own legal war after proposing a woodland burial forest near Manistee National Forest. The couple said the idea was born from personal tragedy after they lost their first child during pregnancy while living in the Philippines and later held a small memorial ceremony in a forest after bringing the baby’s remains home. ‘The two of us held a little ceremony in the forest and laid our hopes and dreams for our first baby to rest,’ Quakenbush said to CNN. But like the conflict unfolding in Minnesota, the project triggered fierce local backlash over fears of groundwater contamination and increased traffic, eventually leading to lawsuits and zoning battles.’ Tanya Marsh, a funeral and cemetery law expert at Wake Forest University, said skepticism toward green burials is common because many Americans have become disconnected from deathcare practices.
‘We’ve outsourced death so completely to a professional industry that when people encounter it in a more natural form, it can trigger panic rather than recognition,’ Marsh said. ‘And that panic often leads to misinformation, fear, and stigma.’ Supporters argue many cemetery regulations were designed for traditional burial grounds with paved roads and large infrastructure – not meadows and forests meant to preserve nature. Modern regulations can create major barriers for families seeking more hands-on burial traditions. For now, Loving Earth Memorial Gardens remains trapped in legal limbo while the conflict continues dividing the rural Minnesota community.
