Minnesota Republican Senator Rod Grams wants to rename the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in honor of a prominent Democrat. Today, Grams introduced a bill to rename the BWCA the Hubert H. Humphrey Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Grams says doing so would honor the late Vice President.
ROD GRAMS: Mr. Humphrey did an awful lot of work back in the early '60s to bring about the BWCA and has also helped, I think, lay the groundwork or create the paths for many other wilderness areas and recreation areas to be born. And also, he was a very important part, especially in talking and negotiating with the residents of Northern Minnesota.
And we just like to pay a little tribute to the work that he did, the promises he made, and how it affects Northern Minnesota. So I think, you know, it's just a nice idea to, I think, pay a lot of respect to one of the state's greatest statesmen.
SPEAKER: So no partisan politics would be involved in this if it was renamed because you'd be giving recognition to a prominent Democrat?
ROD GRAMS: Well, like I said, you can put politics aside sometimes. But I think this is important. And I think it's just to pay respect for the person who helped create this. And we might be on the opposite sides when it comes to political parties a lot of times. But many times, we agree on many issues. And I think that makes us more bipartisan than partisan.
SPEAKER: Do you think this will help your support in Northern Minnesota in the next election?
ROD GRAMS: Well, if I wanted to do that, I'd name it the Rod Grams Boundary Waters, but no. I work very well with the people of Northern Minnesota. But this is something we've been thinking about for the last year or so. And right now, I don't want to tie any political connotations to it. I think if we're going to do well in Northern Minnesota, it's going to be because of issues that we're working on that's important to the residents up there.
Just to rename something I don't think is going to endear you to somebody to the point where if they disagree with you on policy, that they would vote for you. So, no, this is not a political thing that we want to hang our hat on, but something, I think, that the people of Northern Minnesota and probably all of Minnesota would agree that it's an idea that's worth consideration and support.
SPEAKER: Would Senator Humphrey have agreed with your policies on the BWCA?
ROD GRAMS: I always said many times that I was campaigning or working up there with the residents of Northern Minnesota and even in the Twin Cities working on, say, the portage, the two portages that we talked about. And we were going right off from language that Senator Humphrey had used in the shaping of the Boundary Waters and to get the support of the people of Northern Minnesota.
So many times, I said many, many times that if Senator Humphrey would be here today, he would have been supporting our proposal because it only built on the promises that he made. So, yes, I think if Senator Humphrey was alive today, he would be appreciative of what we do and what we've been doing. But also, I think, he would show the respect for, again, what I said, probably one of the better greatest statesman from the state of Minnesota.
In 2008, Minnesota's voters passed the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution: to protect drinking water sources; to protect, enhance, and restore wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat; to preserve arts and cultural heritage; to support parks and trails; and to protect, enhance, and restore lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater.
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