Preservationists at it again

[BDub]

Motor-Use Violations in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Documented in New Report


Today four conservation organizations released the results of a year-long study entitled "Wilderness Between the Cracks." The report shows a troubling pattern of motor use violations in the eastern part of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). Snowmobiles, ATVs, chain saws, and high horsepower outboards have all been used illegally in the BWCAW. Volunteers documented the violations with photos taken over several seasons from a variety of areas in the eastern BWCAW.

The BWCAW is the largest wilderness in the eastern United States and is the most-visited area in the entire National Wilderness Preservation System. The BWCAW attracts visitors from across the country who come to experience the area's unspoiled wilderness character. Motor use violations are documented for the Border Lakes and connecting portages, Stairway portage, Daniels portage, Clearwater and Pine Lakes, Saganaga Lake, and North and South Fowl Lakes.

"We know law enforcement can be difficult in a remote wilderness," said Clyde Hanson of Lutsen, representing the Sierra Club. "But it makes me sad to see this illegal motor use in the wilderness. It's senseless vandalism like drag racing on the Capitol Mall. It shows a lack of respect for law and nature."

The four sponsoring organizations are scheduled to meet with the Forest Service to discuss the report and the implications of budget cuts facing the Superior. "The documented violations have degraded the qualities that people seek in wilderness," noted Kevin Proescholdt of the Izaak Walton League, the report's main author. "Compounding the problem, the Bush Administration has scheduled more cuts in the budget of Superior National Forest, including its Recreation, Wilderness, and Heritage funds. Our report demonstrates the need for more Forest Service staff on the ground, not fewer."

The four organizations that collaborated on this report include the Izaak Walton League of America, Sierra Club North Star Chapter, Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness, and Wilderness Watch. A copy of the full 20-page report, including more than 20 photos, can be obtained on the web at:

http://northstar.sierraclub.org/campaigns/forests/WildernessBetweenCracks.pdf
http://www.iwla.org/publications/wilderness/wildernessbtwcracks.pdf
www.nmw.org