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Theborderlandpress.com
Friday, August 4, 2023
Volume 2, Number 29
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In this Issue:
Citizens group circulates a petition in Pembina County to reopen closed roads A group called Concerned Citizens of Pembina County is circulating a petition in the county with the goal of reopening roads that have been closed by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department and by private landowners. “I keep getting pictures from people - this one’s blocked and this one’s blocked,” said Deb Thompson, a spokesperson for the group.
News: Applications now being accepted for the Community Paramedicine program at Lake Region State College Pg. A2
Most of the roads that are closed are located in and near the Jay V. Wessels Wildlife Management Area. “These roads we’re fighting for, they are 80 to 90 years old. They were used by our grandparents,” Thompson said. Thompson said there is a process to vacate or close a road in the state of North Dakota that is outlined in North Dakota Century Code, specifically “Chapter 24-07 Opening and Vacating Highways 24-07-01” but said that process is not being followed. She said vacating a road is rarely done because the process takes so long, and the group isn’t happy with how this has been handled.
Community: Pembilier Nursing Center celebrates National Tattoo Day, Pg. A7
“Since June of 2021, we have found that not just Game and Fish – they’re the bulk of it – but there are a couple of private landowners who have done similar things,” Thompson said. “Roads that are still roads – these are all township roads that we travel on. If you look at some of them, they are minimum maintenance - at best - but until they are vacated, they are roads. Farmers, hunters, and walkers use
Sports: Langdon Post 98 Red Sox finish 3rd at State B Tourney for fourth straight year, Pg. B1
By Sarah Hinnenkamp
these roads - it isn’t just ATV enthusiasts.” According to Brian Prince, wildlife resource management supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department based in Devils Lake, the closures have been many years in the making. “The department has experienced a lot of destruction to state property because of ATV use, off trail ATV use specifically, tearing up habitat that is managed specifically for wildlife production and hunting access,” Prince said. Prince said his department has seen trails created in the Jay V. Wessels Wildlife Management Area, places where trees were removed and habitat was destroyed. He said the restrictions started in Aug. 2021 because motorized vehicles and wildlife do not mix. The Jay V. Wessels Wildlife Management Area, which has more than 3,000 acres, is located seven miles south and three miles east of Walhalla. According to the North Dakota Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov, the management area has moose, elk, deer, ruffed grouse, turkeys, snowshoe hare, and tree squirrels. “There’s been a handful of people at advisory board meetings that are not happy with it, and that’s understandable,” Prince said. “This is a situation where access was removed from something. There is going to be some angst from some people. The department felt very passionate that some-
Langdon Area School District leaders say THE SCHOOL YEAR WILL START ON TIME
Photo by Deb Thompson.
thing needed to be done. We went through the proper channels, and the department feels justified in the way it’s been taken.” Prince said his department went to the office of the North Dakota Attorney General, which provided the legal council saying the North Dakota Game and Fish Department had the legal ability to close areas within the wildlife management area. The Concerned Citizens Group doesn’t believe North Dakota Game and Fish took the proper channels to restrict access to
By Sarah Hinnenkamp
Teachers and students might be counting down the days to the first day of school in Langdon, which is Wednesday, Aug. 23. For district superintendent Daren Christianson, he’s happy to say school will start right on time thanks to the air handling project at Langdon Area Elementary staying on schedule. “We are on schedule to start the
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school year,” he told The Borderland Press last week. Work started in May and required an overhaul of the building’s boiler room, installation of fresh air ductwork, and installation of pipes that will move low temperature water throughout the building. Many classroom floors have been waxed and are ready for the new school year. Some classrooms have furniture moved in. Christianson said administrators are eyeing the week
of Aug. 14 to allow staff back in the elementary school building and allow them to get their classrooms in order. “All the experts – the engineers and contractors – are saying that’s going to happen,” Christianson said. “We will still have some work to be done in our mechanical rooms and so forth, but they can do all that mechanical work and all that controls work while we’re in session, and that won’t disrupt the educational process.” cont’d. on page A12
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“If they want to legally try to do this - we want to watch the process and watch them do it,” Thompson said. That’s where the group’s petition comes in. Thompson said 25% of the people in the county aged 18 and over who would be eligible to sign the petition would bring the number to around 1,400 signatures, but she hopes the number is way higher than cont’d. on page A12
North Dakota ports of entry reduced hours again By Nick Vorlage
Back in April, the Customs and Border Protection announced it would place a 120-day temporary expansion on half a dozen ports of entry on the northern border, increasing their hours of operation from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m to 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. During this expansion, CBP said they would be analyzing traffic flow and seeing if keeping the expanded hours would be beneficial. That expansion ended on July 30, and CBP has announced the Maida and Northgate ports in North Dakota will once again revert to their reduced hours of operation, only being open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those reduced hours are in effect.
Air handling project at elementary school on schedule
roads, and they want the roads reopened.
The Sherwood port, however, will remain at the expanded 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. hours, but even then - it is not the same hours seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic nor does it coincide with hours observed on the Canadian side of the ports, which further complicates traversal. Upon hearing this decision, North Dakota’s Congressional delegation has announced its displeasure. Senators John Hoeven (R-ND) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Representative Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), and lawmakers from Idaho, Montana, and Washington have introduced legislation which would require the CBP to restore
hours to match or exceed hours seen prior to the pandemic. “Our northern border communities, including in North Dakota, rely on legal trade and travel with Canada,” said Senator Hoeven. “That’s why we’ve been pressing CBP to resume pre-pandemic hours of operation at northern border crossings. Doing so would enable goods and people to move more efficiently, helping to address supply chain issues while supporting our ag, energy and tourism industries, among other priorities.” In a written statement, Senator Cramer addressed the issue, saying northern border communities rely on legal trade and travel with Canada, and expanding the hours to pre-pandemic levels would support ag, energy, and tourism. “Life is back to normal, and we all know the COVID-19 pandemic is over. Instead of returning all northern border Port of Entry hours to pre-pandemic levels, North Dakotans and border communities are forced to contend with shorter hours. It’s time to restore hours of operation at our border to previous levels and end this saga,” Senator Cramer said. The CBP said the reduced level or travel seen during the 120-day window would not constitute the need for additional staffing or resources.
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To stay up to date on ports of entry hours, visit cbp.gov/about/contact/ ports/ND before you travel.