Summer 2014 BWCAW Permits Available Starting Today
You may now reserve BWCAW permits for the 2014 summer season on a first come first served basis. Permits are required for all day and overnight visitors to the Boundary Waters …
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Helping Northern Forests Survive the Heat
On the front page of October 20 Sunday Star Tribune, an article “Saving the Great North Woods” addresses many climate-related issues and their implications to the future of the Quetico Superior …
Moose Calves Dying at an Alarming Rate
In one of the most innovative moose research studies ever, in May of 2013, 49 moose calves in northeast Minnesota were fitted with GPS transmitting collars. Just four months later at …
Fond du Lac Band Suspends Moose Hunt
As has been reported in Wilderness News Online, the moose population in northeast Minnesota has dropped from 8,800 moose in 2006 to 2,760 in last winter’s survey. Even more alarming is …
Peculiar Spring Ice-out Recapped
The final 2013 ice out dates have been recorded for the lakes in the Quetico Superior. For many, even those that have reliable records back over 50 years this was a …
Ontario Endangered Species Act Weakened
The Ontario Provincial Cabinet announced May 31st its approval of several exemptions for industry under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA). Many environmental organizations are incensed at the this government action. …
Re-engineering Campcraft
With the ice off the border lakes and the summer paddling season underway, it is a great time to refine some camping strategies. One of the rules commonly broken in the …
Longtime Sawbill Resident and Wilderness Advocate Bill Hansen YouTubes Two Lynx
Bill Hansen, whose parents began Sawbill Canoe Outfitters in 1957 and who has built his outfitting business into one of the most respected in the BWCAW, had the pleasure of spotting …
Cormorant Control Approved for Lake Vermilion
According to the Ely Timberjay newspaper the DNR recently announced their decision to kill up to 10% of the Double Crested Cormorants on Lake Vermilion, in Minnesota, this summer. In addition, …
Just How Late Will Ice-out Be?
The stubborn winter of 2013 seems to be baffling scientists and old-timers alike, but just how late will this year’s Quetico-Superior’s ice-out be? Following an extremely early ice-out in 2012 might …
Early Reports on Minnesota Moose Study Inconclusive
The Minnesota moose population has plummeted by 50% in just two years. In an attempt to discover what is causing this dramatic decline, this winter the DNR began an aggressive research …
Northern Forests Threatened by Global “Worming”
In the March 25 Minneapolis Star Tribune, Lee Frelich, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Forest Ecology notes that the lowly earthworm, often thought of as a friend to …
A Lingering Haze Over the Boundary Waters
Haze Over Voyageurs National Park. Photo courtesy MPR.org The clear skies of the Boundary Waters are sometimes compromised by haze. The Environmental Protection Agency is concerned that Taconite mines on the …
2013 Poll Indicates Public Opposition to Sulfide Mining Exceeds Support
48% of Minnesotans polled oppose sulfide mining in northeast Minnesota while 39% favor it. Results of the January, 2013 poll, sponsored by Minnesota Environmental Partnership, were the first to demonstrate that …
Local Musher Wins Beargrease
Nathan Schroeder from Chisholm, MN won the nearly 400 mile sled dog marathon which started Sunday, March 10, and ended Wednesday, March 13. This is the second John Beargrease victory for …
Minnesota Senate Panel Voted Today in Favor of 5-year Moratorium on Wolf Hunts
Although still a long way from suspending the hunt, this vote is seen by the St. Paul Pioneer Press as a victory for the opponents of wolf hunting in Minnesota. On …
The Minnesota Wolf Hunt: A Spiritual Perspective
The most visible opposition to the recently completed new Minnesota wolf hunting season was ecological. How could a animal go from the endangered list to the target of sport hunters in …
Warming Water and Invasive Species Changing the Character of Quetico-Superior Lakes
The Lake Superior summer water temperatures are increasing more rapidly than regional air temperatures. According to an article in the Ely Timberjay, the surface water temperatures of Lake Superior increased approximately …
Finnish Musher Wins WolfTrack Classic
The Duluth News Tribune reports that Musher Jennifer Freking of Finland won Sunday’s 10-dog, 60-mile WolfTrack Classic Sled Dog Race from Ely to Cook, MN. It was the 5th annual running …
20,000 Plan to Attend Canoecopia in Madison, Wisconsin
March 8-10 are the dates for one of the world’s biggest paddlesport shows, Rutabaga’s Canoecopia. Hundreds of vendors and dozens of presenters converge on the Alliant Energy Center and for three …