What the Boundary Waters Land Deal Means for Minnesota Schools

A land purchase proposal is under discussion between the U.S. Forest Service and the Minnesota DNR that would transfer 80,000 acres in the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness to the Superior National Forest.

The land is part of Minnesota’s Trust Fund Lands which provide revenue for the state’s public education system under management by the Minnesota DNR, (largely from timber harvesting).

However, revenue provisions of the 1964 Wilderness Act and the 1978 BWAW Act “have severely limited the state’s ability to use the 80,000 acres confined in the BWCAW to generate revenue for Minnesota’s public education system”, according to the state’s announcement of the potential transaction.

The proposal would consolidate federal ownership of the land within the Boundary Waters and secure long-term revenue to schools from school trust lands, according to the announcement. It also would address tribal government concerns that a land exchange would have resulted in a loss of tribal land where tribal members could practice treaty rights.

The DNR announcement is available here: https://mn.gov/school-trust-la...