Dear friends, On February 3, Wilderness Watch filed a lawsuit challenging unlawful commercial, motorized towboat use in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). The judge has scheduled a hearing for this Wednesday, 3/29 at 10:00 a.m. in federal court in Minneapolis. It would be great to see wilderness advocates fill the room as a show of support for the Boundary Waters. Here are the details:
What: Preliminary Injunction hearing on towboat use in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
When: Wednesday, March 29 at 10:00 a.m.
Where: United States District Court, 300 S. 4th St. #202, Minneapolis, MN 55415. Courtroom 13W (MPLS) I hope to see you there!
—Kevin Proescholdt
Conservation Director
Minneapolis, Minnesota |
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Some background on commercial, motorized towboat use in the Boundary Waters: While political pressure prevented Congress from fully outlawing motorboats in the BWCAW, the 1978 Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act prohibited all motorboat use except on a few specifically named lakes, instituted phase-outs of motorized use on other lakes, and imposed motor size restrictions. However, the ensuing decades brought confused and inconsistent statutory application, an indecipherable hodgepodge of management policies and practices, multiple rounds of litigation, and an increase in particular types of motorized use—such as commercial towboats—to the detriment of the Wilderness. Today, roughly one-fifth of the waterways within the Wilderness are subjected to the persistent buzzing of motorboats. Because the Forest Service has failed to meaningfully address the problem and comply with its legal obligations, we’re asking the federal court to enforce the law and hold the agency accountable for protecting the Boundary Waters’ precious wilderness. Read more on this issue. |
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