Pete Stauber: “Amendment No. 88 to H.R. 8998 will ensure States and other cooperating entities that provide search-and-rescue services…”

“Amendment No. 88 to H.R. 8998 will ensure States and other cooperating entities that provide search-and-rescue services on Federal lands can receive reimbursement. In northern Minnesota, the St. Louis County Rescue Squad assists people lost or injured in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, which is Federal land in my district. According to a Duluth News Tribune article, the squad's reported budget is about $450,000 per year. However, with the roughly 30,000 hours volunteer members dedicate to the cause each year, it is estimated that the squad provides about $3.5 million in free labor annually. Recently, tragedy struck the BWCA. Two canoeists, Jesse Haugen of Cambridge and Reis Grams of Lino Lakes, fell over Curtain Falls. The St. Louis County Rescue Squad spent over 2 weeks on a search-and-rescue mission looking for these two individuals before they located their bodies. May these two souls rest in peace. Of the 95 members of the St. Louis County Rescue Squad, 61 took part in the Curtain Falls mission. Combined, they worked almost 6,000 hours. During a recent meeting I had with Squad Captain Rick Slatten, he estimated that the cost of the mission was around $150,000, over a quarter of their annual budget on one call. As a former law enforcement officer, I know that rescue squads are critical to ensuring the safety of the constituencies and the many tourists that visit each year.…”