80,000 Acres for Education: Landmark Land Transfer to Boost Minnesota Schools

(KNSI) — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Office of School Trust Lands, and the U.S. Forest Service – Superior National Forest are collaborating on a plan to transfer approximately 80,000 acres of school trust lands within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to federal ownership, benefiting Minnesota’s public education system.

For years, the state, the U.S. Forest Service, and The Conservation Fund worked on a proposal to exchange school trust lands inside the BWCAW for lands outside it. The two sides have so far been unsuccessful, leading the DNR to withdraw its land exchange proposal submitted to the U.S. Forest Service on August 22, 2012. Consequently, the U.S. Forest Service canceled the Environmental Impact Statement for the original exchange proposal, with the cancellation notice to be posted on the Federal Register.

Additionally, due to the original land exchange’s cancellation, TCF plans to sell up to 15,000 acres within the Superior National Forest proclamation boundary, outside of the BWCAW, to the U.S. Forest Service. The DNR is also evaluating TCF lands for potential state acquisition in consultation with the U.S. Forest Service, counties, and Tribes, with necessary funding to be sought.

The new proposal involves the DNR removing the school trust designation from about 80,000 acres of state lands within the BWCAW. The federal government would purchase these lands from the DNR using federal Land and Water Conservation Funds.

The agreement aligns with the state’s legal obligation to generate income for the Permanent School Fund and provide continuous funding for Minnesota’s K-12 schools. Sale proceeds will be deposited into the Permanent School Fund, benefiting 850,000 students in public and charter schools across the state.

Minnesota’s school trust lands have been a reliable revenue source for the Permanent School Fund for over a century. However, the 1964 Wilderness Act and the 1978 Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act restrict the use of the 80,000 acres within the BWCAW, hindering revenue generation for public and charter schools as required by the state constitution.

The DNR will soon begin working with the Office of School Trust Lands to remove the school trust land designation from state lands within the BWCAW and appraise approximately 80,000 acres for acquisition by the U.S. Forest Service.

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