Commentary
The wilderness is a wilderness, with or without a cell tower
By Roger J. Skraba
Roger J. Skraba is mayor of Ely, Minn.
The recent Appeals Court ruling that reversed a Hennepin District Court's decision on the AT&T cell tower near Ely was a welcome reprieve from the endless opinions of people who do not live in or around Ely.
Some of us believe in process, and the Lake County Planning Commission did its job. The Appeals Court affirmed this.
If those of us who live here felt that a tower necessary to our safety was about to ruin our scenic and aesthetic resources, we would have enjoined the process and testified against it. We are very capable of making decisions to protect the resources that we enjoy, and we do so because we live here.
The tower in question is outside of the wilderness. I am on a canoe trip on Lac La Croix, and the Lac La Croix First Nation has a tower, a road bridge, a community with many buildings and constant motor vehicle traffic, all bordering the wilderness. The people who live here did not designate the wilderness; as a matter of fact, they were never asked. Should they be taken to court because their homes affect the scenic and aesthetic resources in a wilderness?
The Appeals Court's ruling, on a decision by a Hennepin District judge who does not live in or near Ely, was correct. The wilderness did not change. The perception of one's opinion on the wilderness may have changed, but the woods are still the woods.
Comments (14)
Your comments about who lives in Ely and who doesn't is getting really old. Its the visitors to Ely that do the most for the tax revune of Ely. Your town gives a kick back of 26 million dollars to mining companies and other corporate interests. The tourism industry of Ely is what pays the taxes and fees that supports your town. The more so called progress that you keep talking about the more you push people to other parts of northeastern Minnesota. In every vote that you have had on the theses subjects the split has been 4-3. I would hardly call that a mandate for your so called progress. Also I spend more money on a weekend or week in Ely than I ever do here in the twin cites, so I would say that gives me say in what happens in Ely. It belongs to all of us that love it.
Contrary to your beliefs Erik, it is "NOT"
the tourism industry that takes care of our tax base. Ely was not founded on tourism. Some citizens of Ely benefit from tourism. Retailers do quite well by those who come to visit. The many locals who work part time for slightly better than minimum are able to sustain on these sources of income. But for many, this is not our bread and butter.
It is the people working in industry that brought legs to this area. Many of these pristine areas had previously been logged out and had rail roads running through. Yet today, it would be difficult to tell.
There are numerous industries in northeastern Minnesota that bring a solid tax base and liveable incomes to the people who live here. We live here, are heavily affected by the decisions of those who do not. We will continue to speak out in regard to our interests, and how we will be benefit from it.
Yet you say nothing about the 26 million dollars that you are losing out on.
Nor the 4-3 split on the vote for mining.
Ely has the blessing of living next to a national treasure, it has responsibly to protect it. Unless you do not care about the money that we spend in Ely than I am sure Grand Marais would be happy to have it, on my visits to the BWCA.
The environment is fragile Ely is next to one of the worlds largest fresh water sheds, and densest population of lakes in the world. The more we take from it the worst it will get.
There are already consumption guide lines for the fish we catch around Ely. How much more will we allow.
I would like one place in this state to remain the same for the benefit of all Minnesotans.
This is definitely not an issue limited to just local people in favor of the tower. Ely businessman Steve Piragis published an excellent commentary last month explaining how the tower will indeed hurt the wilderness and his business. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/06/22/piragis/
And this isn't about service or no service. AT&T never told Lake County that two 199-foot towers (neither of which would be visible in the BWCAW) would provide 100 percent of the coverage of the 450-foot tower.
AT&T probably didn't mention that because the two towers would take 63 months to pay off, rather than the 60 month timeline the company prefers.
Owing to his record of ignoring & breaking regulations while in the BW, I would not expect Mr. Skraba to have the best interests of this national treasure in mind.
As is posted elsewhere in the comments, there are viable options that could be win-win for Ely, AT&T and the BWCA. If Skraba wants to think he has both his citizenry and the BW in mind, he needs to look into this.
I'm not sure what Mayor Skraba means about the "woods are still the woods." I've never seen a cell phone tower growing out of the woods.
I believe that Ely has fallen for At&T propaganda, when what At&T really wants is a higher tower so that it will outpower its cell phone competition and gain access to the cell phone market in the area.
There is no need for a 450 foot cell tower and there are lots of reasons against it--including migratory bird kill, as well as killing the quality of a wilderness experience. I can't believe there isn't opposition from property owners in the area who will also have to put up with flashing red lights all night. And this is not about safety when adequate local coverage can be obtained with smaller towers, and satellite coverage can be used in the BWCAW. If At&T wins this case (if it is further appealed), then it gives them legal claim to putting up 450 foot towers basically wherever they please. This is indeed a sad commentary on the state of our American culture, and our willingness to comply with industry manipulation of our fears.
The writer fails to mention that the Native American (First Nation) community on Lac La Croix is on the Canadian side of the border and outside of the BWCA. He also assumes that everyone in NE Minnesota (including Lake County where I live) supports the cell phone tower. That is not true. If it were up to folks like Mr. Skraba, America would have lost its wilderness areas decades ago, because wild lands are too much of an inconvenience for people like him.
This tower is not within the BWCAW. There is not a buffer zone around the BWCAW. It will take less than half a day to paddle yourself out of visible range, yet you will still be able to use the safety net provided. Most areas that you will be able to see this tower from are motorized areas. Tourism provides Ely with part-time, seasonal, minimum wage employment. Logging, mining, and related industries keep Ely alive.
You know what would help alleviate peoples problems on the tower is simply not looking at it at all while up there; look the other way. And with that dont bring the fancy 3g-4g phone up at all. That way when a bad storm hits like on the 4th or somthing goes wrong your to fend for yourself. Which in that case would result in alot of fatalities. Either way its going up so it might be better to accept it and worry about other things like how the Gov. is going to get homeless jake to pay for health care.
Not to mention if the mines shut down around northeastern MN you might as well say good bye to every town from Cloquet to Canada. Even Duluth would have a hard hit seeing alot of the exporting is........IRON ORE
I don't want to express an opinion about the tower itself; that has already been decided by the courts. But I find the mayor's comments about local rule really wearisome. To use his logic, the locals should be able to cut down all the trees in "their" forest, because they live there and they know best. I happen to live near the Mississippi River. So, Mayor, just as you can control the use of the forest near Ely, I should be able to divert the waters of the Mississippi for any use I want. These types of arguments are silly and very narrow-minded. Local opinions do matter; but they are not the end-all and be-all.
Roger has his fair share of dumb moments in his life. Thankfully (hopefully) thats over with. Whats in the past stays in the past. The town of Ely does not want to ruin its reputation for a small town at the end of the road. But for a safe net of the community that lives outside of it to be cut off from help due issues (Elderly aged folk or certianly getting there) or the inexpericanced camper its a good idea. Maybe the cell company profits from it; but its people first, not possession. And as far as the comment about the forest goes. If you really want to get away from it all maybe an idea might help you in four simple words...MOVE TO NORTHERN CANANDA.
The 200' now up and running. The friends; under oath, said a 200' tower would work. They used a free download map that does not take into account trees or terrain. AT&T said it would not work. I was on Disappointment L. 7/4/12 big storm blew in, no cell service. Back to landing, then to Fernberg RD. Trees down, I used my tow strap with my 4x4 to pull trees. The Fernberg was crisscrossed with trees. No cell service to call for help.
I get home on the E.T. trees down on driveway. No electricity, no land line phone. Cell phone, no go.
Why do you people insist on keeping a boot on our necks? Have some empathy, provide some help.
Show some class.
So the tower is completed. I never recall writing poetry about a cell phone tower. The woods is da woods but a tower is a tower and the only towers in BWCA are pine trees.
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