Small Fire Burning in BWCAW 2011
A small wildfire is burning on a peninsula of Gaskin Lake in the eastern portion of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
TOP STORY:
Wolf Meeting Scheduled for Tonight
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold a public information meeting tonight on its plan to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list.
State Mineral Lease Sales Postponed
A council of top Minnesota government officials has postponed the sale of 77 northeastern Minnesota mineral exploration leases on properties where the state holds the mineral rights but private individuals own the surface land.
Forest Officials to Pay for Pine Cones
Superior National Forest officials will pay citizens to collect native jack pine cones to replenish seed banks used in reforestation efforts.
Minnesotans Asked to Collect Dead Loons
Minnesotans are being asked to gather dead loons to help biologists learn the bird’s main causes of death in a statewide study sponsored by the state’s Department of Natural Resources.
PolyMet Mining in Need of Cash
PolyMet Mining, which hopes to establish an open pit copper-nickel mine near Babbitt, is running low on funds according to an independent audit of the firm.
Volunteers Sought for Voyageurs’ Project
Voyageurs National Park Association is seeking participants for its 5th Annual Volunteer Rendezvous in September at Voyageurs National Park.
No New Rules for Hunting Collared Bears
A rule requiring the Department of Natural Resources to ask bear hunters not to shoot radio-collared bears was removed from the Minnesota Legislature’s recently passed omnibus game and fish bill.
International Task Force Issues Report
The International Lake of the Woods and Rainy River Watershed Task Force recently released its draft report addressing how Canada and the United States should work together to manage water quality and related issues in the watershed.
Eagle Nests Prompt Voyageurs Restrictions
Voyageurs National Park announced the closure of four developed campsites and four undeveloped areas due to the presence of active bald eagle nests.
Wild Rice Rally to Greet Governor
Environmental advocates will greet Minnesota governor Mark Dayton with a rally in support of wild rice protection when he visits northern Minnesota for the walleye fishing opening this weekend.
Survey Seeks North Shore Impressions
Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program is surveying visitors and residents of Minnesota’s North Shore about the quality and quantity of public accesses along the coast.
Will Oil Spill Impact Loon Numbers?
With the ice now out on most Quetico-Superior area lakes, experts are wondering if the region’s common loon population will have been impacted last year’s Gulf of Mexico Oil spill.
Interior Secretary Announces Wolf Plan
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar formally announced his department’s plan to remove the eastern gray wolf from federal protection under the Endangered Species Act and return management of the animal to state and tribal governments by the end of this year.
Cell Tower Near Voyageurs Rejected
While a court ruling on an AT&T cellphone tower near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness awaits a judge’s decision, the Koochiching County Board rejected a request by the company to build a 350-foot tower near Voyageurs National Park.
Comments Sought on BWCAW Invasives Project
Managers of the Superior National Forest are seeking comments on a project that seeks to combat the spread of non-native invasive plants in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Chain of Lakes: No Quota Change
In the latest chapter of an on-going saga rankling local residents and outfitters, the U.S. Forest Service will not adjust permit quotas for motorboats on the Moose Lake to Prairie Portage chain of lakes leading into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness near Ely.
Mining Update
By Charlie Mahler While industry leaders, environmental activists, and northeastern Minnesota stakeholders await publication of the revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement for PolyMet Mining’s proposed copper-nickel and precious metals mine, mining …
Building Wooden Canoes for a Rite of Passage
Picture yourself venturing out for the first time into the wilderness of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Imagine the combination of serenity and wonderment you experience as you ply these pristine lakes and rivers, knowing that you are carrying all you need to survive in a sleek, seventeen-foot, skin-on-frame canoe. Now imagine that you just built that canoe with your own hands over the course of eight days. For six teenage apprentices with Urban Boatbuilders, this was the culminating event in the summer of 2010.
On the Scent of Adventure
By Rob Kesselring It’s the smell more than anything, whether you are varnishing paddle blades in preparation for the upcoming canoe season, or spring cleaning and deliberating on whether to put …