The Boundary Waters Act of 1978
The Wilderness Act of 1978 was a huge stepping stone towards the conservation of the BWCA. The act had difficulty passing because of all the opposing viewpoints on the rights and responsibilities in the BWCA. This act was a result of the issues left unsolved by the Wilderness Act of 1964. Over a three-year time period, many people and groups wrote drafts, compromises, and agreements in an attempt to solve the recreation, logging, mining, and motor issues in the BWCA. On October 21st, 1978, the Boundary Waters Act of 1978 was signed into law and the disagreements were put to rest.
"The Congress finds that it is necessary and desirable to provide for the protection, enhancement, and preservation of the natural values of the lakes, waterways, and associated forested areas known (before the date of enactment of this Act) as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and for the orderly management of public use and enjoyment of that area as wilderness, and of certain continuous lands and waters, while at the same time protecting the special qualities of the area as a natural forest-lake land wilderness ecosystem of major esthetic, cultural, scientific, recreational and educational value to the Nation."
The Friends of the Boundary Waters wanted to preserve the primitive character of the BWCA by eliminating motor use, mining, and logging.
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Two key groups were established during this debate. The Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and the Boundary Waters Conservation Alliance.These two groups shaped much of the debating and drafting of the 1978 Act.
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The Boundary Waters Conservation Alliance wanted the BWCA to be multiple-use area with motors, logging, and mining.
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PURPOSES
"It is the purpose of this Act to provide for such measures respecting the areas designated by this Act as the Boundary
Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Mining Protection Area as will --
(1) provide for the protection and management of the fish and wildlife of the wilderness so as to enhance public enjoyment
and appreciation of the unique biotic resources of the region,
(2) protect and enhance the natural values and environmental quality of the lakes, streams, shorelines and associated forest
areas of the wilderness,
(3) maintain high water quality in such areas,
(4) minimize to the maximum extent possible, the environmental impacts associated with mineral development affecting such
areas,
(5) prevent further road and commercial development and restore natural conditions to existing temporary roads in the
wilderness, and
(6) provide for the orderly and equitable transition from motorized recreational uses to non-motorized recreational use on those lakes, streams, and portages in the wilderness where such mechanized uses are to be phased out under the provisions of this Act."- 1978 Act
The main purpose of the Wilderness Act of 1978 was to protect the BWCA and its rights by giving visitors the responsibility to protect the BWCA.
After the act passed, the Ely-Winton Alliance formed to keep the battle going. They filed suit against the 1978 act, but the act was left unchanged.
“What is at stake is the right of a state to manage its own waters, the citizen’s right to own property, the freedom to choose where one will live without fear of condemnation, the right of every individual to have the opportunity to experience the uniqueness of the area without discrimination.”-Ben Wallis, Alliance member.
- Betsy Daub, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness