User:Joshpopelka/Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness

The Friends of the Boundary Waters, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a non-profit organization that was formed in May of 1976 whose mission is “To protect, preserve and restore the wilderness character of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Quetico-Superior Ecosystem.”

The Friends have helped increase the size of the wilderness area, limited motor usage in accordance with the Wilderness Act, established the nation’s first acid rain laws to protect Minnesota’s aquatic ecosystems, increased buffer zones for aircraft flying over wilderness areas, and raised public awareness on the issues surrounding sulfide mining and logging near the wilderness area.

Early Legal Battles to Establish the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
In May of 1976 The Friends of the Boundary Waters was formed with Kevin Prescholdt as chairman in opposition to Representative James Oberstar’s bill that would have split the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness into two areas. The proposed bill would have kept 625,000 acres as wilderness, while 527,000 acres would have been declared a National Recreation Area that would remain open to motorized use, logging, and mining. The Friends of the Boundary Waters supported Representative Bruce Vento’s bill that kept all of the Boundary Waters as wilderness. This bill was a precursor to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act which was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on October 21st, 1978. The act increased the size of the wilderness area by 50,000 acres and created the 1,098,057 acre wilderness in Northern Minnesota.

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act (Public Law 95-495) was contested in court from 1978-1982 by the National Association of Property Owners, The State of Minnesota, and other property owners within the wilderness area.

The Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness joined with Audubon of Duluth, Izaak Walton League, League of Women Voters, MECCA, Minnesota Rovers, Minnesota Ornithologists Union, Wilderness Society, Wilderness Inquiry, and the Sierra Club in favor of the wilderness designation.

The ruling was eventually upheld and declared constitutional by the Supreme Court by a decision of 8-1 on March 8, 1982.

Acid Rain Awareness
In November of 1979 the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness co-sponsored the world’s first International Acid Rain Conference in Toronto, Ontario. This conference was the first of its kind and brought awareness to the detrimental effects of mercury pollution, mercury in fish, and acidification of the lakes and rivers of the United States.

The Friends sponsored a local conference in February, 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and this led to the State of Minnesota calling for state study of the acid rain problem. The Friends pushed for legislation and the State of Minnesota passed the 1982 Acid Deposition Control Act representing the world’s most stringent acid rain laws. This act recognized that acid rain and mercury pollution posed a major threat to the Boundary Waters and the extremely fragile ecosystem which is represents. In 1986, Minnesota become the only state to set a specific standard to protect its sensitive aquatic ecosystems at about 10lbs/acre of sulfate thanks in part to the efforts of the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. In 1990 the federal government set their standards for acid deposition. Four years behind the State of Minnesota.

Other Issues and Current Concerns
In 1988 the Friends filed a Lawsuit over the Minnesota Air National Guard’s flights above the BWCAW. Sonic booms and jet noise had the potential to disrupt wildlife and threaten the wilderness character of the area. The Minnesota Air National Guard eventually settled in November of 1989 and the flight area’s northern boundary was redrawn. This was the first time in history that the military had changed a flight path due to a wilderness area and set a precedent for other wilderness areas around the country.

The Friends have fought an ongoing issue to close the motor portages between Vermillion & Trout Lake and the portage between Moose & Basswood lakes. These motor portages, under the 1964 Wilderness Act, are mechanical in nature and have no place in a wilderness area. The portages are still operating and the issue is unresolved.

The Friends have fought for protection of the wilderness’ character and have opposed mining and logging on parts of the Superior National Forest that border the wilderness. Current issues involve the proposed opening of mines near the BWCA and the potential for water pollution and watershed degradation.