I had a need to stop by at the ORS video phone at Bohmann Landing a little while ago. I could not help but notice the sign on the modest 5’ x 5’ structure: donated by Northern Lumber. They are to be congratulated for their civic interest in supporting this project. The ORS phone provides a more convenient means to meeting the US reporting requirements upon return from Canada over the water. I have also noticed the results of significant post 911 spending on border security. If all of the conveyances for air, land, sea and swamp were put on display on the grounds of the new border services facility it would be an amazing showroom for die hard motor heads everywhere. It does leave me to wonder though why we can spend without limit in one area and in another we essentially need to run a bake sale to raise a few bucks for a 5’ x 5’ shack with a telephone.
A basic essential of an effective border security plan is gaining the support and cooperation of the local people who are most likely to notice anything out of the ordinary in their daily routine. Having a dozen ORS phones on the US side of Rainy Lake is a cheap and practical way to facilitate this communication.
The current system forces someone who puts in at the Park boat ramp, ventures into Canada and then they must boat the 15 miles or so to Bohmann’s landing, say “I’m back” and then boat back to the Park boat ramp and continue on their way. If the border services folks would have elected to just put one 200 HP outboard instead of two on just one of their many watercraft this could easily be financed.
