a century of wilderness preservation - rainy lake conservancy

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A Century of Wilderness Preservation in the Rainy Lake Watershed Area Prepared by the Rainy Lake Conservancy Photograph by Mary E. Lysne

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Page 1: A Century of Wilderness Preservation - Rainy Lake Conservancy

A Century of Wilderness Preservationin the

Rainy Lake Watershed Area

Prepared by the Rainy Lake Conservancy

Photograph by Mary E. Lysne

Page 2: A Century of Wilderness Preservation - Rainy Lake Conservancy

The Rainy Lake Watershed,often referred to as the Quetico-Superior region,

is an immense area of 14,500 square miles.

Illustration from the Oberholtzer Foundation

Page 3: A Century of Wilderness Preservation - Rainy Lake Conservancy

A CENTURY OF WILDERNESS PRESERVATION INTHE RAINY LAKE WATERSHED AREA

Introduction

The Rainy Lake Watershed is an immense area of 14,500 square miles between Lake of the Woodsand Lake Superior. Often referred to as the Quetico-Superior region, it is a unique meeting place ofthree great North American ecosystems: the boreal, the Great Lakes-St.Lawrence, and the prairie.Although the following summary outlines major events in the struggle to preserve the wildernessqualities of the entire region, greater emphasis has been placed on the Canadian side of the border.(References for detailed accounts of the history of the conservation movement in the Quetico-Superior area are listed at the end of the summary.)

Background

Scholars agree that prehistoric aboriginal peoples inhabited the Rainy Lake area approximately10,000 years ago. By the time the French explorers arrived in the 1600s, Sioux and later Ojibwe(Chippewa) tribes were living in the region. Withthe explorers came the famous voyageurs whosymbolized fur trading and the spirit of Quetico-Superior country. Eventually fur trading waned andwas replaced in the 1880s by gold and iron mining.For a short time, gold mines at Mine Centre and theLittle America Mine on Rainy Lake flourished.Finally, in the last decades of the century, miningsettlements triggered big tree logging in Minnesotaand Ontario.

This was a period when some of the worst abusesand most significant reforms of government tookplace on both sides of the border.

In Minnesota, some “settlers” ostensibly acquiredland for farming, but, in reality, turned it over tolumber mills.

In Ontario, favoured lumbermen were allowed tobuy concessions on provincial land at low priceswithout public notice.

Heavy logging of old growth red and white pinechanged the landscape of the region. Virgin forestswere rapidly disappearing and with them, gamesuch as elk, moose and caribou. Thoughtful Americans and Canadians began worrying about the

Indian Encampment (Oberholtzer Foundation)

Detail from “Voyageurs at Dawn”by Frances Ann Hopkins

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future of their forests and wildlife. Over the course of the twentieth century dedicated individualsand governments in both countries combined forces to seek a balance between commercial interestsand the preservation of this magnificent natural area.

Pioneering Efforts

1899 The Ontario Forest Reserves Act set aside forest lands for more balanced land use.

1902 Minnesota withdrew 500,000 acres of land from sale. The Ontario provincial ministerof Lands and Forests stated his government would do all in its power to preserve naturalbeauty spots and the value of woodlands.

1909 The Ontario Government established the Quetico Forest and Game Reserve to preventwholesale logging and mining and to protect the remaining moose and caribou in the area. Thiswas accomplished through the efforts of W. A. Preston, Rainy River District Member of Parliament,Arthur Hawkes of the Canadian National Railway, and many others.Superior National Forest, encompassing much of the present boundary waters area, wasestablished by President Roosevelt.The International Joint Commission (IJC) was formed through the Boundary Waters Treatybetween the U. S. and Canada to prevent disputes in the use of boundary waters, to provide aframework for cooperation, and to provide for the regulation of water levels and flows.

1913 Quetico Provincial Park was created to protect wildlife, under the direction of the OntarioDepartment of Lands and Forests.

The Great Debate

Over the next decades, land use issues focused on producing timber vs. preserving wilderness vs.providing recreation. The leaders in the great debate were Ernest Oberholtzer who visualized a timewhen the land would be valued for its aesthetic and spiritual qualities, and Edward Backus who feltthat the wealth of the land belonged to those who could exploit its resources.

Old growth white pines (Phyllis Callaghan)

Shoreline damage caused by the lumber industry(Oberholtzer Foundation)

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Edward Backus, owner-manager of the Backus-Brooks lumber mill, a holding company for ascore of forest products subsidiaries, wanted to harness the power of the watershed by significantlyraising water levels to provide greater and more consistent hydroelectric power.

Ernest Oberholtzer, a recent graduate from Harvard University, experienced the unspoiled beautyof the region during the summer of 1909, when he traveled unmapped lakes in the Quetico-Superior

country. BillyMagee, hisOjibwe guidefrom MineCentre, becamehis friend andinspiration andincreased hisappreciation forthe native way oflife. In 1912, asix-month trip tonorthern Manitobaand the NorthwestTerritoriesdeepened his loveof the wilderness

and formed the foundation for his lifelong devotion to preserving the Rainy Lake watershed wherehe eventually settled.

Billy Magee, Oberholtzer’s Ojibwe friend and guide (Oberholtzer Foundation)

Edward W. Backus (E.W. Backus Family) Ernest C. Oberholtzer (Virginia Roberts French)

Page 6: A Century of Wilderness Preservation - Rainy Lake Conservancy

Major Events in the Great Debate

1925 Backus presented a plan to the International Joint Commission that would raise water levelson Rainy Lake by 3 feet, Little Vermillion Lake by 80 feet, Lac La Croix by 16 feet, Loon Lake by33 feet, Saganaga and Crooked Lakes by 15 feet. He contended that the resulting flooding wouldnot harm the public interest.

Oberholtzer countered that the benefits of additional electricity did not justify the destruction of14,000 miles of wilderness beauty. He proposed protecting the visible shorelines of lakes andstreams from flooding, logging, and exploitation while devoting the hinterland to practical forestry.

The other 45 spokesmen at the 1925 hearing, including the representative from Fort Frances,opposed the Backus plan. The city of Fort Frances objected to flooding that would damage themunicipal water system, cover the city park, and hurt tourist and resort business.

1928 The Quetico-Superior Council was formed by a group of concerned citizens andorganizations as a vehicle for fighting the Backus proposal and preserving the Rainy Lake area.Oberholtzer was president, supported by many allies including Sewell Tyng, Frank Hubachek,Charles Kelly and Fred Winston.

1930 The Shipstead-Nolan Act prohibited logging on U.S. federal land within 400 feet ofrecreational waterways and forbade any further alteration of natural water levels affecting federalland in the Superior National Forest and boundary water lakes westward to Black Bay on RainyLake.

1934 The International Joint Commission ruled against the Backus proposal. The final reportadvocated the status quo with respect to dams and water levels and stated that “nothing should bedone that might mar the beauty or disturb the wildlife of this last great wilderness.” (IJCCommission, 1934, 48). The report reflected a change in values which had taken place over theprevious 9 years. The land and its resources belonged to the public as a whole, not just to

Dam built by the Backus enterprises at International Falls, c.1908

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aggressive men who sought to monopolize them.Edward Backus died Oct 29, 1934, in New York. Itwas the middle of the Great Depression and hiscompanies were bankrupt.

1935 The Quetico-Superior Committee,appointed by President Roosevelt to advise on theQuetico-Superior area, proposed a treaty whichwould have created an International PeaceMemorial Forest in Quetico-Superior. Although theOntario Government rejected the idea, Americanand Ontario Governments, as well as other agencies,met regularly over the next 40 years to discussmutual interests in the watershed and to ensure theretention of its wilderness values. Canadiansupporters included Arthur Hawkes, public relationsman for the Canadian Northern Railway; Jules F.Prud’homme, city solicitor for Winnipeg; John W.Dafoe, editor of the Winnipeg Free Press, and H. H.Richards, manager of the Royal Bank in FortWilliam.

Problems and Solutionswilderness preservation vs. commercial interests vs. recreation

1938-1967 On the American side of the border, the establishment of roadless areas and no-cutting regions along the international border accompanied on-going motorboat, snowmobile andlogging conflicts.

Sewell T. Tyng and Ernest C. Oberholtzer at the IJC hearings on Rainy Lake(Oberholtzer Foundation)

The tow (E.W. Backus Family)

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On the Canadian side, controversy centered mainly around increased logging in Quetico Park.Large timber licenses had been granted in the northwestern and northeastern sections of theQuetico. As a result, clear-cut areas, roads, and logging debris were changing the landscape of thepark.

1960 An exchange of diplomatic notes indicated that the Ontario Government would collaboratefully with the U.S. Forest Service in seeking common policies for the Quetico-Superior country.

1964 The Wilderness Act protected the Boundary Waters Canoe Area but with “established uses”of limited logging and motorboats/snowmobiles.

1970 The Quetico Advisory Council wasappointed by the Ontario Government to solicitpublic comments on the future of Quetico Park.

1971 Voyageurs National Park was approved byCongress. The 218,055-acre park preserves thescenery, geologic conditions, and interconnectedwaterways for the inspiration and enjoyment ofpresent and future generations. The Ontario Government placed a moratoriumon logging in Quetico Park.

1973 Quetico became Ontario’s first realwilderness park, with restrictions on the use of motorboats, cans and bottles, visitor group size anddistribution.

1975 The Ontario Government purchased Sandpoint Island, Rainy Lake, from ErnestOberholtzer who had kept the property undeveloped and the beach open to public swimming,picnicking and camping for 50 years. In keeping with Oberholtzer’s wishes, the public continues to

Voyageurs National Park andQuetico Provincial Park

Sandpoint Island beach (Mary E. Lysne)

Page 9: A Century of Wilderness Preservation - Rainy Lake Conservancy

enjoy the spectacular beach in what is now Sandpoint Provincial Park. 1983 Fort Frances District Land Use Guidelines limited development on Rainy and NamakanLakes by: allowing only a specified number of individual and subdivision lots on Northwest Bay,Swell Bay and Redgut Bay of Rainy Lake; requiring an official plan and ministry approval ofCrown land disposition for residential development; providing for new tourist camps on NamakanLake and the South Arm of Rainy Lake, based on consumption of fish and wildlife resources;permitting current forestry activity but not on the islands of Rainy Lake, and requiring modifiedmanagement areas close to the lake. Mining activity continued on the lakes, subject to the operatingguidelines for the protection of tourism, residential and recreational values. The Atikokan DistrictLand Use Guidelines specified a 200-metre no-cut management area (MMA) along theinternational boundary Waters for Namakan Lake upstream to Lac La Croix. A 120-metre MMAalso applied along the Namakan River canoe route.

Developments at the end of the Century

1989 Turtle River/White Otter and La Verendrye Provincial Parks were established by theOntario Government. Turtle River Park, located near Atikokan, has many Indian pictographs and“White Otter Lake Castle.” La Verendrye Park, located on the international boundary betweenMiddle Falls on the east and Quetico Provincial Park on the west, is adjacent to Grand PortageState Park, Minnesota. The parks lie within some of the best wilderness canoeing country of NorthAmerica.

1996 A group of concerned summer residents, who laterformed the Rainy Lake Conservancy, challenged sale andsubdivision plans for Goose Island, a 300-acre, privatelyowned Rainy Lake island. Their efforts resulted in itspurchase by an individual who donated approximately 2/3 of the property to the NatureConservancy. This portion of Goose Island, now owned by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, ismanaged as a nature reserve by Ontario Parks, with input from the Rainy Lake Conservancy.

Goose Island (Phyllis Callaghan)

Goose Island life science inventory by Leslie Ng and Steve Kingston

(Mary E. Lysne)

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1997 Ontario Lands for Life Initiative In February, 1997, the Ontario Government announced aprogram for planning all aspects of the future use of Ontario’s Crown land. The Boreal West RoundTable, composed of representatives from industry, tourism, mining and environmental groups, heldpublic hearings throughout Northwestern Ontario to seek public input into the process. Individualswho went on to become founding members of the Rainy Lake Conservancy, attended the publicmeetings and submitted a proposal to designate Crown land islands and selected mainlandshorelines on Rainy Lake as conservation reserves.

1998 The Ontario Government designated Crown land on the islands of Rainy Lake, andBrowns Inlet Peatland, as conservation reserves. Conservation reserves permit traditional publicuses such as hunting, fishing, trapping, camping, hiking, picnicking, but prohibit logging, miningand development.

The Ontario Forest Accord, one of the key features of Ontario’s Living Legacy Program, providesfor an advisory board, with equal representation from the forest industry, an environmentalcoalition, and the Ministry of Natural Resources, to resolve differences over how Ontario’s Crownland is used and protected. This board should help to provide a balanced approach to land use.

2000 The International Joint Commission established new rule curves for Namakan,Kabetogama and Rainy Lakes. Resource agencies in Ontario and Minnesota, Voyageurs NationalPark, and the International Joint Commission will monitor the effects of the rule curves on theecology of the lakes.

The New Millennium

2000-2001 The first systematic inventories of flora and fauna on the Canadian side of RainyLake were conducted by the Rainy Lake Conservancy, in partnership with the Nature Conservancyof Canada, the Ministry of Natural Resources (Fort Frances) and the Ontario Natural HeritageInformation Centre, Peterborough, Ontario. Researchers identified provincially rare species,significant wetlands, and sites containing high biodiversity values. The studies will provide ascientific base for land use decisions by governments, private landowners and other stakeholders.The Ontario Trillium Foundation* funded the 2001 inventory.

Marsh Island wetlands (Mary E. Lysne)

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2002 The Crossroute Forest Management Plan established cutting setbacks for area lakesand designated Rainy Lake as a tourism lake. The guidelines for shoreline cutting are designedto screen cut-over areas from view, and to protect fish habitat and water quality. A minimumreserve of 100 metres is in effect but that allowance may change, depending on shorelinetopography and slope. Shoreline reserves, or Areas of Concern (AOCs) vary from 30-90 metres onother area lakes and rivers.

2002 Improved Fishery on Rainy Lake. Walleye populationshave improved dramatically in the last 10 years due in part toefforts by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, MinnesotaDepartment of Natural Resources, and local sportsmen. RainyLake is also the site of the annual Canadian bass tournamentwhich attracts anglers from across the continent. A healthyfishery is an indicator of a healthy aquatic ecosystem.

Summary: Today, Rainy Lake is one of the last relativelyundeveloped boundary waterways in North America. For morethan a century, Canadian and American governments andcitizens have cooperated in preserving its natural scenic beauty,clean water, abundant plant and wildlife, rich aboriginal history

and historic canoe routes. Recent developments, however, such as the Ontario Government’shearings on Crown land use, indicate that the region is facing increased pressures for resourceextraction and for development. Challenges exist to identify priority sites for conservation andensure that the shorelines of the watershed are protected for present and future generations. In aworld where forests and clean lakes are rapidly disappearing, the Rainy Lake watershed is aprecious asset. It cannot, however, be taken for granted. Unlike the Great Lakes Heritage Coast,

The Nipigon Basin SignatureSite, and Quetico Park, the Rainy Lake Watershed has no official designation and therefore noguarantee that it will retain its present position as a magnificent natural area and a legacy for futuregenerations.

References: Heinselman, Miron: The Boundary Waters Wilderness Ecosystem: University of MinnesotaPress 1999; Peruniak, Shirley: Quetico Provincial Park, An illustrated History: Vistainfo Can, Inc. 2000;Searle, Newell: Saving Quetico-Superior, A Land Set Apart: Minnesota Historical Society, 1977.

Catch of the day(Phyllis Callaghan)

Field biologists Rob Foster, Sue Bryan, Al Harris

(Mary E. Lysne)

Aquatic pigmyweed on RainyLake, previously known at only

one other location in Ontario(Allan Harris)

Fragile prickly pear cactus listed as very rare in Ontario

(Mary E. Lysne)

Page 12: A Century of Wilderness Preservation - Rainy Lake Conservancy

Fort Frances Area Conservation Organizations andInitiatives

Fort Frances Sportsmen’s ClubSince its inception 50 years ago, the Fort Frances Sportsmen’s Club has contributed significantly toconservation in the Rainy Lake Watershed. An active membership monitors all projects todetermine their success. Major Projects:• Fish Habitat Rehabilitation: clearing debris from streams, washing silt from rocks where fishspawn, depositing cobble in lakes and streams to construct new spawning areas.• Fish Stocking: ongoing partnership with the MNR to transfer adult walleye into lakes wherepopulations are depleted; introduction of crappies into a lake where the biomass was insufficient tosupport resident northern pike.• Birdhouse Construction: provided approximately 2000 birdhouses for youth to build and set outin “bluebird lines” to establish cavities for birds. • Tree Planting and Erosion Prevention: helped youth plant thousands of trees provided byAbitibi Consolidated and MNR to improve habitat for wildlife; planted grass and clover seed alonglogging roads to help prevent erosion.• Introduction and Protection of Species: partnered with the MNR and an individual landownerto reintroduce breeding geese into the Rainy River District; tramped trails through deep snow toenable starving deer to access browse during severe winters; supported the reintroduction of elkinto NW Ontario by the Northwestern Ontario Restoration Coalition.• Youth Education: Members deliver a conservation program to the local schools. Pupils have theopportunity to become involved in various projects such as: building bird houses, planting trees,doing worm composting, constructing bird feeders, participating in field trips for nature study, andlearning the importance of habitat and how humans affect it.• Junior Conservation Club: Activities include collecting recyling materials, picking up garbage,building beaver bafflers, bird houses and bird feeders, monitoring galercella beetles which controlpurple loosestrife, and participating in the Feeder Watch program.• Kids for Fishing: This special annual event gives kids, who would otherwise not have theopportunity, a chance to fish. As well as learning how to fish, they also learn how to put watersafety rules into practice, to take only what they need, and not to waste what they catch.

Fort Frances Sportsmen’s Club Box 272 Fort Frances Ontario Canada P9A 3M6

Rainy Lake ConservancyThe Rainy Lake Conservancy (RLC) is a nonprofit Canadian charitable organization founded in1999. An eleven-member elected Board of Directors governs the affairs of the organization; fiveexecutive officers carry out the day-to-day activities and supervise subcommittees. The goal of the Rainy Lake Conservancy is to preserve and protect the natural beauty, historicfeatures, and ecological and recreational values of the Rainy Lake watershed. It works withproperty owners, governments and the local communities to achieve its objectives.The Rainy Lake Conservancy has the authority to hold and monitor conservation easements(voluntary legal agreements entered into by landowners who wish to protect portions of their land

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in perpetuity). RLC works primarily through conservation easements on private land, covenants,strategic land purchases, research, and education to help protect Rainy Lake for present and futuregenerations. Activities and Initiatives:

• Goose Island: In 2001, the Rainy Lake Conservancy worked with the Nature Conservancyof Canada and Ontario Parks to develop a management plan for approximately 2/3 of GooseIsland, now owned by the Nature Conservancy of Canada.• Ontario Lands for Life: In 1997, individuals who became founding members of the RainyLake Conservancy presented a successful proposal to the Boreal West Round Table to protectthe crown land on the islands of Rainy Lake as conservation reserves.• Environmental Research: The Rainy Lake Conservancy spearheaded the first systematicinventories of flora and fauna on the Canadian side of Rainy Lake during the 2000-2001summer seasons. Other partners in the project included: the Nature Conservancy of Canada,the MNR (Fort Frances), and the Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre, Peterborough.The Ontario Trillium Foundation funded the 2001 study. The studies will be used foreducational purposes and also as a science base to assist in future land use decisions.• Education: In August 1999, the Rainy Lake Conservancy and the Nature Conservancy ofCanada sponsored a workshop to explain conservation easements and other land protectionstrategies to conservancy members. In 2002, RLC, funded by an Ontario Trillium grant,produced an educational brochure, poster, and a summary of the last century of wildernesspreservation in the Rainy Lake watershed. This information is available to schools and to thepublic through the Rainy Lake Conservancy and at the Fort Frances Museum Exhibit, “Livingby the Lake” (summer 2002). Other educational activities include organized nature hikes onRainy Lake to promote knowledge, enjoyment and appreciation of nature, participation inconservation workshops, and partnerships with larger organizations.

Rainy Lake Conservancy Box 223 Fort Frances Ontario Canada P9A 3M6 www.rainylakeconservancy.org

Rainy River Valley Field NaturalistsThe Rainy River Valley Field Naturalists (RRVFN) promote appreciation, conservation and wiseuse of the natural environment in the Rainy River Valley. Membership is open to all. Members overthe age of 18 are eligible to hold office and vote on club matters. The club holds monthly businessmeetings, featuring informative speakers, from September through May. RRVFN also organizesregular outings as well as club activities from September through June.Project Involvement:

• Annual Christmas Bird Count• Project Feeder Watch• Participation in The Breeding Bird Atlas survey• Participation in the IBA (Important Bird Area) projects along Lake of the Woods and on

Sable Island• Adopt A Highway project and cleanup• Wetland habitat protection and public education project (Bog Walk Project which is in its

infancy)• Hazardous Waste Disposal project

Rainy River Valley Field Naturalists Box 253 Fort Frances Ontario Canada P9A 3M6

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Rainy River First Nations’ Watershed ProgramRainy River First Nations established the Rainy River Watershed Program in 1998 to protect,conserve and revitalize the Rainy River Watershed, both in Canada and the United States. With fewexceptions, all projects described here are bi-national. It is a cooperative effort with other partners,including local businesses, private landowners, and municipal, provincial, and federal agencies. Rainy River Watershed Program Objectives:

• Increase public awareness to promote involvement in the protection, conservation, andrevitalization of the Rainy River Watershed

• Monitor and inventory potential impacts to the Rainy River Watershed• Rehabilitate areas of concern

Education Programs:• Developing partnerships with local municipalities, private landowners, and local businesses

for expansion of the “Adopt a River” program to remove anthropogenic waste from riparianzones

• Incorporating the River Watch program into grade 7 curriculums for 200 students in Canadaand the U. S.

• Running a Summer Science Camp for 10 area bands, combining traditional ecologicalknowledge with mainstream science

• Developing a library of reference materials on the Rainy River watershed• Building capacity for First Nations through internal and external training• Holding Earth Week activities for the watershed community • Presentation to local agriculture societies to provide information on best management

practices and to facilitate their access to funds to improve their management practicesMonitoring Programs:

• Yearly registering of nesting areas of bald eagles, ospreys and herons using aerial surveys• Monitoring the relative health of the Rainy River using Minnesota Pollution Control

Agency’s protocols• Inventorying prairie-oak savannah to fill information gaps and identify conservation targets

and goals• Inventory land use along Rainy River’s tributaries and incorporating data into low-tech GIS

database• Assessing Rainy River’s tributaries using Ontario’s Stream Assessment Protocols• Developed a partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR)

for a detailed habitat assessment of the Rainy River to assess impact of fluctuating waterlevel from upstream dam

• Weekly E. Coli monitoring along the entire length of the Rainy River in the summer• Surveying the waste disposal site to determine the impact of Rainy River First Nations’

landfill on the environment• Funding a graduate student at the University of Guelph to study the genetic diversity of lake

sturgeon in Rainy River• Respond to municipal and local concerns regarding fish habitat and water quality

Rehabilitation Programs:• ManOMin Watershed Conference (2000 and 2001) to promote communication and

cooperation between government and non-government agencies in Canada and the UnitedStates

• Developing and implementing conservation plan to ensure prairie-oak savannahcommunities are conserved, fostered and restored

• Rehabilitation of Rainy River’s tributaries (8.5 kilometers rehabilitated to date).• Implementing Household Hazardous Waste days for the Rainy River District (27,000

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residents)• Restoration work at Manitou Rapids, Rainy River (Manidoo-Bawitigong, Gimiwani-ziibi)• Implemented a community recycling and composting program at Rainy River First Nations

(glass recycling and vermicomposting)Other Programs:

• Environmental Effects Monitoring (EEM) at Abitibi Consolidated, Instream Flow Study, Land Use Assessment, Mercury in the Manomin and its impacts on First Nations Communities, Health Fair, Library systems, Employee Training

Rainy River First Nations Box 450 Emo Ontario Canada P0W 1E0

Photographs of the children are from Rainy Lake families and the E.W. Backus family.

Rainy Lake, a legacy for future generations

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The Mission Statement of the Rainy Lake Conservancy is to work with property owners, governments,and the local communities to preserve and protect the natural beauty, historic features, ecological andrecreational values for present and future generations within but not restricted to Rainy Lake.

Rainy Lake Conservancy

*The Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, receives annually$100 million of government funding generated through Ontario’s charity casino initiative.

Post Office Box 223, Fort Frances, Ontario P9A 3M6www.rainylakeconservancy.org

Produced with assistance from the following organizations:

(Gordon Schlichting)