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From Boreal Community Media - August 4, 2020

In a new report issued Tuesday, The onX and TRCP Minnesota/Wisconsin Landlocked Report, onX found that more than 300,000 acres of public lands in Minnesota and Wisconsin are entirely surrounded by private property and have no permanent, legal means of access for hunting and fishing.

In onX’s latest partnership with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP), the group identified landlocked public lands in Minnesota and Wisconsin. This report builds on the success of their past projects with TRCP, “Off Limits, But Within Reach: the Federal Landlocked Report” in 2018 and “Inaccessible State Lands in the West” in 2019.

Utilizing the onX land ownership, roads, trails, and water datasets, public land opportunities ensure that outdoor opportunities exist for all Americans, regardless of our income, connections, or property ownership. Even small parcels of undeveloped land can offer valuable outdoor opportunities, particularly for individuals and families with limited time and resources for travel. 

Some of the reports finings include:

• Minnesota—248,000 Total Landlocked Acres (18,000 Federal Acres, 121,000 State Acres, 109,000 County/Municipal Acres); 46,000 of which are adjacent to water. *  
• Wisconsin—55,000 Total Landlocked Acres (3,000 Federal Acres, 28,000 State Acres, 24,000  County/Municipal Acres); 16,000 of which are adjacent to water. *  
• Not all water-adjacent lands are accessible by canoe or other watercraft because they might be swamplands or otherwise not suitable for boat access, but some are.  
• Landlocked public lands are best made accessible through cooperative agreements with private landowners that result in land exchanges, acquisitions, and easements, but this critical work cannot be undertaken without funding.
• Land and Water Conservation Fund: With the recent passage of the Great American Outdoors Act, a bill that fully funds the LWCF at $900 million annually in support of wildlife conservation and outdoor recreation, this federal program makes available $27 million that is dedicated to public access.
• Wisconsin’s Knowles Nelson Stewardship Program: Created in 1989, this program exists to preserve valuable natural areas and wildlife habitat, protect water quality and fisheries, and expand opportunities for outdoor recreation. Knowles Nelson is set to expire in 2022 and will need to be renewed by the state legislature.  

The public will be able to access the full report by following this link sometime on Tuesday.  The official report will publish later today on https://www.onxmaps.com/landlocked-public-lands, or by accessing the attached PDF.