A partnership formed last year between 22 federal agencies from both the United States and Canada and several private organizations would like to promote the five million acres of wilderness in and around Voyageurs National Park, Quetico Provincial Park and the Superior National Forest as the "Heart of the Continent." The effort seeks to establish the borderland area as an international destination for recreation and adventure, but the marketing plan may have already hit a snag.

According to a report in the International Falls Daily Journal, the plan was never made public. A Koochiching County commissioner cited the involvement of the Izaak Walton League and The Nature Conservancy as red flags that suggests the partnership has more than promotion of the area on its agenda. Some fear that the partnership will bring increased regulation on development, ATV use and other forms of outdoors recreation.

A no-longer existent job posting on the Minnesota Environmental Partnership website describes the Heart of the Continent Partnership’s (HOCP) purpose, and sheds light on why the issue is controversial in the borderland:

"The international boundary and multiple owners in this extensive landscape have historically posed barriers to strategic collaboration among agency landowners," the description reads. "The HOCP collaborative was established to foster a dialog on a shared vision for the larger landscape and identify opportunities for engagement that transcend ownerships and the international boundary."

A website still in development and registered to Minneapolis-based Eaton & Associates, contains only the statement: "To sustain and celebrate the health, beauty, diversity and productivity of the natural and cultural resources of the Border Lakes Region through collaboration to meet the needs of present and future generations."