New Burntside L wild area near Ely

[Lee Borgersen]

       St. Louis County Board approves Burntside Lake wild area near Ely.

The St. Louis County Board on Tuesday approved expanding the state’s Burntside Islands Scientific and Natural Area to include three additional islands on the west end of the lake near Ely.



The three islands totaling about 10 acres contain what forestry experts say are prime stands of virgin cedar and pine forest. They are within sight of the Listening Point property where famed conservationist Sigurd Olson did much if his writing, and there’s an active bald eagle nest on one of the islands.

As an SNA the islands will be preserved as-is and can never be developed.

The Department of Natural Resources is in the process of buying what have been called the Gaul Islands from the nonprofit Trust for Public Land. Two larger islands already are designated as SNA.

The site’s significance comes not just from its natural features but also because it helps establish a string of wild, old-growth forest that will remain undeveloped amidst the lake that lies just outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, DNR officials said. That offers scientists and the public a chance to use the area “in a wilderness-like setting but with easy access.”

Several county commissioners have expressed concern in recent years at increasing the amount of public land in Northeastern Minnesota. St. Louis County, already 63 percent government-owned, has a policy of no net gain in public lands, and some commissioners said losing taxable land puts more pressure on landowners who pay taxes.

“There’s a direct impact to taxpayers when we start taking property off the (tax) rolls,” said St. Louis County Board Chairman Chris Dahlberg of Duluth.

Several commissioners said it’s important that public land end up in its “highest and best use,” which many contend usually is private development. But Commissioner Frank Jewell of Duluth said one person’s highest and best use is different than another and that ecological value should be considered.

Craig Engwall, regional director of the Minnesota DNR, told commissioners at Tuesday’s meeting that the agency is committed to selling nonessential, state-owned lands to balance the acquisitions of more-sensitive or ecologically valuable lands such as Scientific and Natural Areas. The agency has plans to sell some small parcels of state land in the county to private developers, Engwall said.

The state will pay the county about $5,000 per year in so-called payment in lieu of taxes, which is more than the current county property tax bill. The resolution passed unanimously.

The newly protected area is one of 159 Scientific and Natural Areas across the state, most of which are in remote areas of northern Minnesota. SNAs generally are open to foot traffic but closed to camping, trapping, off-road vehicles and other motorized traffic. Some SNAs are open to hunting, although not Burntside Islands. They are aimed at preserving ecologically important areas for future generations and scientific study — from native prairies and rare bogs to virgin forests and habitat for rare animals.