nmw

Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness

Saving Natural Gems from Development
From Wilderness Society's Newsletter, Spring 09

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is one of the most distinctive and popular areas in the National Wilderness Preservation System. Located in northeastern Minnesota along the Canadian border, it features 1,500 miles of canoe routes, 2,200 designated campsites, and more than 1,000 lakes and streams.

Many summer visitors who arrive by canoe paddle across Burntside Lake, known for its loons and other birds. A number of paddlers pass the lake’s largest undeveloped island, 43-acre Long Island. “A couple of years ago the owners decided that they needed to sell the island, and the most likely outcome was construction of large homes,” says Jim Sanders of the U.S. Forest Service.

That did not sit well with Becky Rom, a long-time member of The Wilderness Society’s Governing Council. “That has happened to too many wonderful places in the North Woods, and I was ready to move Heaven and Earth to save Long Island from development,” she says. Rom led our efforts to help convince Congress to appropriate money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to buy Long Island.

“Fortunately,” observes Sanders, “the owners—Lexi, Jeff, and  Sharon Rome—shared our interest in keeping the island in its natural condition and worked cooperatively with us on the sale.” Since LWCF funding is often slow to arrive, The Trust for Public Land (TPL) stepped in to purchase the acreage and hold it until the Forest Service, which manages the Boundary Waters, received the congressional appropriation.

“Most islands in this region have rocky beaches,” says Rom, who grew up canoeing in the area. “One of the special features of Long Island is its beautiful sand beach. It also has a historical pedigree because the noted conservationist Sigurd Olson looked out on Long Island from his cabin at Listening Point.”

Along with TPL and many other allies, we are urging Congress to save additional places from development this year. “The annual budget process is beginning, and we are making the case for taking full advantage of LWCF,” says Alan Rowsome, who coordinates our work on appropriations. “With prices lower, we can get more for every dollar.”

The fund is the primary source of money to acquire at-risk places inside or close by national forests, parks, and other public lands. It was created in 1964 to save areas with high natural or recreational value, and each year the fund draws $900 million from offshore oil and gas royalties. Another vital land conservation funding source is the Forest Legacy program.

Our priority list for the next fiscal year includes Cascade Siskiyou National Monument in Oregon, Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge on the Maine-New Hampshire border, and Santa Rosa and San Jacinto National Monument in Southern California. “Investing in these and the other special places on our list would pay real dividends in protection of ecosystems and the wildlife that depend on them,” Rowsome points out. “Unfortunately, in recent years Congress has diverted this funding to totally unrelated federal programs.” He urges our members to ask those who represent them in Congress to support “full funding” for LWCF.

Ben Beach, Wilderness Society's newsletter editor