Border security is a current political talking point that rarely focuses on the Minnesota-Ontario border. Recently, that's changed.
The Borderlands Conservation Act has been proposed by Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah, a political move that would allow for the construction of roads, bridges, video surveillance, and more in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. "It has nothing to do with conservation," says Chris Knopf, Executive Director of the Friends of the Boundary Waters. "This bill would allow the federal government to put roads and fences and whatever else in the wilderness area."
For Knopf, the idea of constructing robust infrastructure to defend against illegal border crossings via the BWCAW is illogical. "This is a tough area to access... we do not have hordes of people coming across for whatever reason," says Knopf. The potential disruption would oppose the 1964 Congressionally passed Wilderness Act, which was instated to protect such wilderness areas from further development. In 1978, an additional act was ratified to specifically protect the BWCAW.
Currently, the bill has not been advanced by Congress, but Friends of the Boundary Waters is working to take action now. Interested individuals are welcome to join the Citizen Action Network by visiting the Friends of the Boundary Waters website. The organization is also looking for civic groups and businesses to join the Clean Water Coalition. Additionally, Knopf is open to conversations and can be reached by phone at 651-999-9565.
For Knopf, the way forward is clear. "The only reason that the Boundary Waters is protected as it is is because of people."
You can hear Green Visions at 8:20am every Wednesday on Northland Morning.
