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SUNDAYLAKE.COM

Update

Location: [Sunday Lake, Home] Update

It has been a few months since I prepared an UPDATE. During that time I suffered a couple of hard drive crashes and other technical difficulties, but things seem to be running smoothly again.

Management Plan
The public input period for the Superior National Forest Management Plan has ended. I will keep you updated on the progress of the plan.

Wolf Agreement
Groups representing a wide range of interests reached a consensus agreement on wolf management. The US Fish and Wildlife service will remove protections for wolves under the endangered species act. The wolves will then be turned over to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The agreement will be forwarded to the Minnesota legislature for action. It is unlikely the legislature will make substantial issues to the agreement since many of the groups involved in the issue support the agreement.

According to the agreement:
No sport hunting or trapping of wolves.

Wolves attacking livestock or pets may be killed by property owners. All kills must be reported to the DNR.

Illegal hunting or killing of wolves may result in up to a $2000 fine and jail time.

There will be no restrictions on wolf numbers or range.

A program will be established by the DNR to remove aggressive or problem wolves from populated areas.

If wolf populations drop below 1600 individuals the state will increase protections. The present population is about 2200.

Motorized Portages
We will keep you posted on any issues regarding the return of the portages. There is little doubt that the controversy will continue.

The transportation bill containing the Oberstar rider that will return the truck portages to Prairie Portage (Moose and Basswood Lakes) and between Vermillion and Trout Lakes has cleared the conference committee. The bill was sent to the President on 5-28-98, he is expected to sign it.

The motor restrictions scheduled for Seagull Lake remain in effect, motor access to Canoe and Alder Lakes will be eliminated.

This is a good time to reflect on what has happened since the controversy began. The original Oberstar bills included provisions that would require the Forest Service to clear virtually all decisions through a management council consisting of road commissioners, local politicians and others.

The management council has been defeated.

The motor restrictions on Seagull Lake have been preserved.

Snowmobile routes have been restricted.

There is now a vibrant and active wilderness group in NE Minnesota, NMW (Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness).

This struggle has gone on far too long to think that this is the last chapter. I would like to thank those of you who took an active role in determining the future of wilderness in NE Minnesota, regardless of the position you took on the issues. We all need to continue to work together to preserve this wondrous resource we call the BWCAW and Quetico for future generations. If we lose our wilderness a part of each of us will be lost forever.

THE SIERRA CLUB
FRIENDS OF THE BOUNDARY WATERS WILDERNESS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS DENOUNCE BWCAW DEAL, PROMISE CONTINUED FIGHT

MINNEAPOLIS -- Local, state and national environmental organizations reacted with outrage at the news that Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) had attached an unrelated provision to a huge federal transportation bill that allows trucks and jeeps to haul boats on two of the controversial portage trails in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW).

"Rep. Oberstar has broken the peace established by the 1978 BWCAW Act of Congress," said Becky Rom, member of the Governing Council of the Wilderness Society. "Oberstar has added motorized vehicles to America's most popular wilderness, and America's largest canoe wilderness, to satisfy a very small constituency against the wishes of the vast majority of BWCA visitors and Americans," she continued. "If America's most accessible and most popular wilderness area can be degraded against the will of the people, and through such a backdoor dishonest manner, no wilderness is safe. We will work tirelessly for as long as it takes to reverse this terrible wilderness attack."

The Sierra Club's State Director, Ginny Yingling, said that the portage issue will certainly be reversed over time, but that Oberstar and Sen. Rod Grams (R-MN) (who has also pushed legislation to motorize the wilderness) had actually helped wilderness advocates by showing how much support wilderness protection actually has in northern Minnesota.

"We should actually thank Oberstar for one thing, and that is proving to the world that northern Minnesota is more pro-wilderness than pro-motor. He could never pass this bill in the light of day, but had to attach it to the biggest pork barrel bill of the year. Thanks to his and Grams's attacks on wilderness, public support for wilderness grew even greater. Poll after poll proved the public wants more wilderness protection, not less. Even in Oberstar's own district, the anti-wilderness interests are a clear minority."

Yingling and others credited the three year fight with creating a new wilderness constituency in northern Minnesota that is willing to speak out and fight for greater wilderness protections.

Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness, with chapters across the Iron Range and the rest of northeast Minnesota, has become a political force. The group repeatedly sent members to Washington to oppose Oberstar and Grams, and more recently helped organize a pro-wilderness groundswell in the DFL caucuses.

"The numbers of wilderness supporters will continue to grow," said Carl Zichella, the Sierra Club's Midwest Regional Director, "while those in the pro-motor camp will gradually dwindle. Current trends and the history of this century are against them. Demand for wilderness -- real wilderness devoid of motors -- will only increase. This will prove to be a pyrrhic victory for Oberstar and Grams."

Kevin Proescholdt, Executive Director of the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, concurred. "We believe that this priceless treasure should be protected for the people as wilderness, where travel is by non-motorized means, with the goal to keep the area as wild and natural as possible," he said.

Proescholdt spoke of the thousands of phone calls that came from around the nation to block the Oberstar rider, as well as the opposition from wilderness enthusiasts, the national environmental community, and other Members of Congress. "Representative David Minge (D-MN), Representative Jim Ramstad (R-MN), and Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN) deserve particular thanks for their efforts to block this attack on the Boundary Waters," he said. Proescholdt promised that the fight would continue.

"It took us more than a half-century to pass the 1978 Wilderness Act. We have the commitment and the patience to continue this fight for the wilderness and for the American public for as long as it takes. Eventually we'll remove all motors from the BWCAW. Oberstar and Grams may have won this round, but it's only a temporary one. The wilderness and future generations deserve better," Proescholdt said.

Congressman Bruce Vento has apparently agreed to a deal with Congressman Oberstar that permits the return of the truck portages in exchange for the elimination of motor access to two lakes in the BWCAW, Canoe and Alder. They are attempting to attach the rider to the federal transportation bill in conference committee. Senator Wellstone and others from the Minnesota delegation have so far opposed "the deal".

Both the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and the Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness have announced their opposition to the rider. Both groups indicate that such an important change should be debated in public. They believe that such a deal would set a precedent for other wilderness areas.

Advocates of motorized portages have been quiet on the issue. It seems they are hoping that the "deal" will pass without a great deal of discussion or opposition.

For Immediate Release:

Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness, a regional wilderness advocacy group based in Ely, Minnesota, expressed disappointment today in reports of a "back room deal" in Washington D.C. which proposes to return trucks to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

"We feel the proposed deal is bad for wilderness and bad for the people of northeastern Minnesota.", said Bill Hansen, spokesperson for the 300 member group. "People across the country will feel the BWCA Wilderness has been compromised and that will tarnish Minnesota's image as a state that protects its scenic natural areas." continued Hansen. "The vast majority of Minnesotans want the BWCA Wilderness to remain the way it is, or receive more wilderness protection. Ultimately, that sentiment will prevail and the BWCAW will get the full wilderness proctection it deserves."

The BWCA Wilderness is the most popular wilderness area in the nation and a major contributor to the economy of northeastern Minnesota. It has been the subject of political controversy for more than fifty years.

For more information, contact Bill Hansen. Phone - (218) 387-1360; FAX (218) 663-7980; Email - bill@sawbill.com

Members of the Minnesota delegation opposed to the rider have asked that we contact the following legislators.

Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana)		Senator John Chafee (R-Rhode Island)
Hart Senate Office Building			Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510			Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-2651			Phone: 202-224-2921
max@baucus.senate.gov			senator_chafee@chafee.senate.gov

Also on the Transportation Conference Committee

Congressman Thomas Petri
Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-2476
tompetri@mail.house.gov

Duluth News

Hi Folks -- it has been a while since I have put out an UPDATE.

The Grams bill S 783 and the Oberstar bill HR 1739 (bills to return the truck portages to the Boundary Waters and return motor access to parts of Seagull Lake) have cleared their respective committees and could be voted on at any time. It seems more likely that their sponsors will attach them to another bill to bring them to the floor. Congressman Oberstar is the highest ranking democrat on the Transportation Committee. Many have suggested that he will attach his legislation to a transportation bill. This could bring about a confrontation similar to 1996 when the white house issued a threat to veto the Omnibus Parks bill if the bill contained truck portage provisions.

I will keep an eye on congressional action and send an immediate update if any action is taken.

Wolf Roundtable

The wolf roundtable discussions have begun. Participants have laid the ground rules for future meetings. The next meeting is scheduled for May 1. The following is an excerpt from an AP report on the meeting

"The federal government is expected to remove the timber wolf from the endangered list by as early as 2000. Management of the wolf would be the responsibility of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the sponsor of the round table.

The timber wolf was placed on the endangered species list in 1973 after its population dropped to just a few hundred in Minnesota, and almost none in the lower 48 states.

Protected from hunting and trapping, the wolf population has increased sixfold over the past 25 years. Biologists now estimate up to 2,200 timber wolves inhabit Minnesota.

The DNR is holding the meetings in an effort to find some middle ground between organizations such as the Trappers Association and the Help Our Wolves Live; two groups with very different views on what should be done."

Isle Royal National Park

The management plan for Isle Royal National Park, located in Lake Superior, is under review. Once again motorized access is a contentious issue. For more information about the various management plans visit the National Park Service site at

Isle Royal Management Plan Izembeck National Wilderness

Another bill that may be of interest to you would effect the Izembeck National Wilderness in Alaska. Supporters of opening a corridor for a road and utilities through the park have worked with Grams and Oberstar in the past and it is likely they will support each other again. The text of the bill is available at my site

Other Wilderness Areas

It is time to be thinking about making your reservations to visit the BWCAW. If you are planning to enter Quetico Park from the South remember you will need a Remote Area Border Crossing Permit this year.

Things have been pretty quiet in the political arena surrounding the BWCAW recently. Don't expect that to last long. With several bills still waiting for committee action and the Grams-Oberstar bills headed to the floor. I expect things will be heating up very soon.

While the BWCAW controversy was taking a brief rest, wolf management became the hot topic in NE Minnesota. With the possibility that the wolf will be removed from the endangered species act some are proposing Minnesota return to a hunting/trapping season on wolves. Supporters cite concerns that wolves are reducing the deer population and effecting hunting and loss of livestock. During public hearings several participants rallied around ancient prejudices and stated their belief that soon wolves might attack a human. Most seem to support some means of state operated population control rather than a hunting/trapping season. For more information I recommend the International Wolf Center web site www.wolf.org

Congressman Oberstar has been active in supporting other "anti-environmental" legislation apparently in an attempt to rally votes for his BWCAW bill. Last fall he voted for HR 2493 which encourages subsidized grazing on public lands, HR 2107 which discourages ecosystem protection and HR 1127 to repeal authority granted under the antiquities act. I plan to set up a section of my web site for those who wish to read the text and summaries of these and other bills that might be considered trade votes.

A state Senator from Minnesota has introduced a bill that would block changes to motor restrictions on Seagull Lake that are part of the Grams/Oberstar bill. Bill #2002, proposed by Senator Morse, uses Minnesota's right to supersede federal jurisdiction on waters in Minnesota. If the bill becomes law in Minnesota the phase out of motors on Seagull lake will continue regardless of what happens in congress. The bill does not address the truck portage provisions of the Grams-Oberstar bills. I will be posting the text of bill 2002to the web site.

UPDATES from 1997