International Cooperation

An International Treasure!

Spanning the international border between northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Ontario Canada lies a natural resource treasure: the largest expanse of public greenspace in the heart of North America.

This 5.5-million-acre (2.2 million hectares) landscape comprises a blend of working forests, recreational sites, rugged scenery, healthy watersheds, abundant wildlife, and outstanding biodiversity. Several separately managed natural areas are encompassed by this ecosystem at the “heart of the continent,” including Quetico Provincial Park, Superior National Forest, Voyageurs National Park, Grand Portage National Monument, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources State Parks and Forests, and Minnesota county lands. (See map.)

About the Partnership

Heart of the Continent is a Canadian/American coalition of public land managers and local stakeholders working together on cross-border projects that promote the economic, cultural and natural health of the lakes, forests and communities on the Ontario/Minnesota border. From out of a broad collection of separate entities, the partnership is seeking to develop a common identity and sense of belonging to the larger cross-border area. For much more information about the Heart of the Continent Partnership.

Mission

The Heart of the Continent works to inclusively promote vibrant and resilient gateway communities that value, conserve, preserve and protect the public lands in northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Ontario.

Values

The success of Heart of the Continent is based in trust and open communications. The Partnership is non-partisan forum where diverse groups can meet and work together to generate awareness of conservation issues throughout the region and find solutions. The partnership does not take positions, nor do they attempt to influence the policies of participants. Instead, the partnership focuses on creating and celebrating support for our public lands and our neighboring communities.

Why Heart of the Continent?

Because the Heart of the Continent ecosystem is an interconnected whole, a region-wide vision is helpful to ensure its sustainability. The ecosystem’s landscape is divided by all sorts of boundary lines: park and forest boundaries, county lines, private in-holdings, and even an international border.

These divisions have historically posed barriers to collaboration. Communities could better work together to reap benefits from protecting the region as a whole. Land managers could increase collaboration on plans that make sense for the connected natural areas in a larger context.

Cooperative leadership among the Heart of the Continent Partnership is fostering increased knowledge, trust, joint conservation/preservation projects, funding and effectiveness, which in turn will increase sustainability of the region’s public lands.

Heart of the Continent Goals

• To build region-wide dialogue, collaboration and capacity among visitors, communities, public land managers, and conservation/preservation and recreation groups to benefit our border region. This in turn will enable the protection of healthy public lands and help vibrant communities to flourish in the process.
• To create opportunities for groups to work together in new ways that can benefit the lakes, forests, flora/fauna and people of area.