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Proposed Sales of U.S. Land Opposed: Forest Service Urged to Find Other Ways of Subsidizing Schools

Posted on: Monday, 10 April 2006, 06:00 CDT

By Dennis Lien, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.

Apr. 10--For sale: 80 acres of prime, wooded real estate just inside a Minnesota state park. Will sell at market value.

That ad hasn't been placed yet, and it wouldn't be worded quite that way.

But there could be bids if the federal government goes ahead with a proposed sale of more than 300,000 acres of national forest land, including 2,622 acres owned by the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota.

Seventy parcels have been proposed for sale in Minnesota, including an 80-acre site just inside the eastern border of Judge C.R. Magney State Park and two parcels totaling 120 acres just outside the park's borders. The other 67 chunks are scattered throughout the northeast, with one near Voyageurs National Park.

The federal government wants to sell the land to raise $800 million to fund a five-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools Act, which helps pay for roads and schools in rural areas. Because the Forest Service has limited authority to sell forest system land, Congress would first have to endorse the proposal, an action that is not at all assured.

Under the proposal, local, state and tribal governments and nonprofit land-trust groups would be given first rights to buy parcels at market value, according to the Forest Service. If they choose not to, others could submit bids.

"The reality is lots of state and local governments don't have cash on hand for land purchases of this sort," said Kevin Proescholdt, wilderness and public lands program director for the Izaak Walton League of America. "Nor do lots of nonprofits."

Environmental groups such as the Izaak Walton League have criticized the proposed sale of public land, saying better ways should be found to pay for rural schools. Last week, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources added its opposition.

"The DNR recommends no public sale," according to a letter the agency sent to the Forest Service. "The State of Minnesota or appropriate counties should have the first opportunity to acquire these lands through exchange or purchase if disposal becomes necessary."

Jim Willford, the DNR's regional state parks manager for northeastern Minnesota, said the agency took a detailed look at the parcels before reaching that conclusion.

"Most, if not all, of them fit into management units of state and county lands," Willford said. "If they want to divest themselves of them, we would suggest it would be good to sit down and work through a number of options for transfer of the lands."

The DNR is especially concerned that the federal land inside Magney State Park could be sold to private interests and developed, said Willford, who added that the agency prefers the Forest Service simply retain all of the parcels.

Barb Soderberg, a spokeswoman for Superior National Forest, said the scattered 40- to 80-acre parcels are separated from other blocks of federal forest and, accordingly, have a lower priority. Although owned by Superior National Forest, 58 of 70 are actually outside its defined borders.

"They just aren't next to any other Forest Service land, so historically they have been identified as parcels to trade out of as the opportunity to arose," Soderberg said. "They are very isolated and difficult to manage."

Proescholdt, however, said only four parcels do not appear to be connected to other publicly owned land.

"Those lands provide great values for the public and the ecosystem," she said. "It doesn't make sense for us to fragment the public land ownership by selling off these parcels. Chances are they would be sold to private parties. That could mean seasonal cabins and homes, roads punched in to provide access, and it would further lead to fragmented forest landscapes up there."

Dennis Lien can be reached at dlien@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5588.

FYI

The public can comment on the proposal, which is available on the Forest Service Web site, www.fs.fed.us, in any of three ways until May 1. Comments can be sent to SRS_Land_Sales@fs.fed.us or to USDA Forest Service, SRS Comments, Lands 4S, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Mailstop 1124, Washington, D.C., 20250-0003. Comments can be faxed to 202-205-1604.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.

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Source: Saint Paul Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.)

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