December 14th, 2012
White Pine Lake, Superior National Forest
On Tuesday, December 18, the St. Louis County Board of Commissioners is expected to vote on a resolution that asks Minnesota’s Congressional Delegation to support a massive exchange of lands out of the Superior National Forest and to the State of Minnesota for logging, mining and leasing purposes.
More than 86,000 acres of land would be lost from the Superior National Forest with potential limitations to public access to fish, hunt, snowmobile, hike, and engage in other activities.
The resolution is especially designed to put pressure on Senators Franken and Klobuchar to introduce land exchange legislation by showing local support for the idea. Please take a moment to contact both Senators and the County Commissioners to voice your opposition to the exchange.
If you are a St. Louis County resident, please inform them of this. If you have questions, contact Ian Kimmer, Northern Communities Director for Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness: ian@friends-bwca.org.
St. Louis County Commissioners
Find contact info for your commissioner.
Senator Amy Klobuchar:
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
phone: 202-224-3244
email through webpage: http://klobuchar.senate.gov/
Senator Al Franken:
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5641
email through webpage: http://www.franken.senate.gov/
Reasons to oppose this legislation:
- Points North: BWCAW Land Exchange—Another Failed Effort? – Shawn Perrich, Northern Wilds
- BWCAW Land Exchange – Timberjay
- BWCA land swap does, too, mean a loss of protection – C.A. Arneson, Minnesota Public Radio
- Proposed BWCA land exchange is a bad deal – David Lien, MinnPost
- Editorial: Scrutiny needed on BWCA swap – Star Tribune
