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Alton Lake, Minn.

Photos: School trust land inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area

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Bill Hansen
Bill Hansen, owner of Sawbill Canoe Outfitters, portages between Sawbill Lake and Alton Lake, Wednesday, May 2, 2012 in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The veteran outfitter grew up on the edge of the Boundary Waters, at Sawbill Lake. He says the economy of Northeastern Minnesota benefits from the wilderness and the semi-wilderness surrounding it, in the Superior National Forest.
Derek Montgomery for MPR

More than three decades after the controversial deal that established the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota, relatively small plots of land in the wilderness continue to generate big disputes.

Known as school trust lands, these plots were set aside to generate income for schools, primarily through logging or mining.

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Bill Hansen
For Bill Hansen, places like a Boundary Waters campsite on the northern edge of Alton Lake are a Minnesota treasure. Scrappy jackpine and cedars grow out of granite boulders and the entire landscape is reflected in crystal clear water.
Derek Montgomery for MPR
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Bill Hansen
Bill Hansen, owner of Sawbill Canoe Outfitters, portages between Sawbill Lake and Alton Lake, Wednesday, May 2, 2012 in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The veteran outfitter grew up on the edge of the Boundary Waters, at Sawbill Lake. He says the economy of Northeastern Minnesota benefits from the wilderness and the semi-wilderness surrounding it, in the Superior National Forest.
Derek Montgomery for MPR
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Campground
A rugged campsite overlooking Alton Lake is a popular destination for visitors to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This section of land is school trust land, and theoretically could be generating income for public education in Minnesota. But because it's inside the wilderness, no logging or mining can take place here. Minnesota owns 2.5 million acres of school trust land, mostly in the northeastern part of the state.
Derek Montgomery for MPR