REGIONAL— A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate calls for the dismantling of key elements of the Wilderness Act ostensibly in the name of conservation. The measure, known as the Border Lands Conservation Act, or Senate File 2967, would give the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, the authority to build roads, border fences, observation posts, communications facilities, and fly and land aircraft across any federal lands located within 100 miles of either the Mexican or Canadian border.
The measure, which has the backing of Eighth District Rep. Pete Stauber, could permanently alter the character of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Voyageurs National Park, as well as virtually all of the Superior and Chippewa national forests.
Under Sec. 4 of the bill, the 1964 Wilderness Act would be amended to allow DHS to do the following:
 Build access structures, installations, and roads.
 Execute search and rescue operations.
 Use motor vehicles, motorboats, and motorized equipment.
 Conduct patrols on foot and on horseback.
 Use aircraft of any kind, including both landing and takeoff.
 Deploy tactical infrastructure and technology.
 Construct and maintain roads and physical barriers.
The measure, which is strongly opposed by both of Minnesota’s U.S. senators, is also facing criticism from a wide range of groups concerned about the impact to the environment, hunting and fishing, and other outdoor activities on federal lands.
“Sen. Mike Lee’s Border Lands Conservation Act has nothing to do with international border security and everything to do with weakening protections for federal public lands,” said Becky Rom, who heads up the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters. “Couched in terms of preventing damage to public lands, the bill in fact would cause tremendous damage to some of America’s greatest wild places.
In a press release making the case for the bill, Utah Sen. Mike Lee argued that the measure is needed to protect federal lands from being overrun by undocumented immigrants. He cited large amounts of trash that is left on federal lands, wildfires from abandoned campfires, and illegal roads used by immigrants.
While those are longstanding issues along the U.S.-Mexican border, critics of the measure argue there is no equivalent impacts on the northern border, a point stressed by Rom. “There is no illegal invasion flowing south from Ontario’s Quetico [Provincial Park]. Mike Lee’s bill is a waste of resources and a not-so-subtle attempt to ruin the wilderness character of the Boundary Waters,” she said.
The Timberjay asked Rep. Stauber’s office for examples of trash, wildfires, or any other damage to federal lands caused by undocumented immigrants in northern Minnesota, but his office did not respond. The Timberjay also requested data from the U.S. Forest Service on the number of reported instances of illegal border crossings in northeastern Minnesota over the past three years. Forest Service officials were unable to provide that information as of press time.