ELY, Minn. (Northern News Now) - The BWCA is a specially protected area under the Wilderness Act. That protection has stood since 1964, and now a new federal proposal aims to change that.

In October, a new bill was proposed called the Borderland Conservation Act. It would be implemented nationwide if passed, but Northern Minnesotans are saying this unfairly impacts them.

“This proposed legislation is as ludicrous as it is brazen.”

It’s a common sentiment among those who live and work closest to the BWCA, and for this third-generation business owner, Clare Shirley, it’s just another indicator of what they’ve already felt for years.

“We’re not being heard and we’re not being represented, and that is frustrating for the people who live here. That is indicative of how out of touch the repu

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