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Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness News

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) covers 1 million acres with over 1,100 lakes along 150 miles of the Minnesota-Canada border.  Get the latest news on BWCA regulations, the mining debate, wildlife, trail conditions, camping permits and more.

Meet Amy Freeman, Wilderness Guide

One winter day in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, an otter ran across the path of a dogsled team on Basswood Lake. Excited, the dogs picked up the pace, then Amy saw something else out on the ice: wolves…
Photos of the same site in 2014 and 1982, respectively, show how many campsites have become more open over time. All photos courtesy Dr. Jeff Marion.

‘Before and After’ Leave No Trace

Researcher warns of increasing impacts and urges end of axe and saw culture in Boundary Waters camping.
Rebecca Falls on the BWCAW-Quetico Park border. Photo by and courtesy of Terry Schocke.

State of the Boundary Waters

The Quetico-Superior region of Minnesota and Canada bring to mind lake country—a landscape characterized by glacier carved lakes filled with clear, cold and clean water. Yet the list of possible impacts on northern Minnesota water quality is long: proposed mining, climate change, invasive species, nutrient loading, and algal blooms to name just a few. In some places, like Lake of the Woods, evidence suggests that changes are already under way.
Dave and Amy Freeman portage their canoe “Sig” in front of the Washington Monument, photo by Nate Ptacek

Paddle to D.C. Ely Adventurers’ Latest Expedition Carries Concerns About Mining

This epic expedition was inspired by what the Freemans see as an existential threat to a national treasure: mining. “The Boundary Waters is our nation’s most popular wilderness area, it receives a quarter million visitors per year. Every year I guide people in the Boundary Waters from Texas and California and all across the country. We need to make sure people all across the country understand how special the Boundary Waters is and understand the threats it faces.

Reflecting on the Wilderness Act

By Alissa Johnson When I was a kid, paddling the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness with my family, I didn’t realize that the final word in its name had only been …

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Reconstructing the Past

By Rob Kesselring Archaeologists are painting a picture of Quetico-Superior’s first people and what the land looked like 12,000 years ago. Crouched behind a granite boulder we wait. A damp northwest …

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The 1999 Blowdown and Forest Management Practices Impacts the Pagami Creek Fire

By Charlie Mahler Natural fires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness – those started by lightning rather than, say, by careless campers – provide opportunities and risks for the managers …

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Proposed Legislation Could Undermine the Wilderness Act and the Protection of Wilderness

On the surface, two proposed pieces of legislation appear unrelated to wilderness protection. The Sportsmen’s Heritage Act seeks “to protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing and shooting.” The National …

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Discovering the Birds of the Boundary Waters

By Julie Neitzel Carr Trekking the Boundary Waters, my portages followed a predictable path; I would double-check the distance on my map, hoist up a heavy Duluth pack, or if it …

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Fostering Wilderness Advocacy – Wilderness News Spring Issue

The Quetico Superior Foundation launches a new look for the print edition of Wilderness News with the Spring 2012 Issue.

Pagami Creek Fire in the BWCAW

The Pagami Creek Fire burns 93,000 acres, blazes into the largest naturally occurring wildfire in a century. By Charlie Mahler In the heat of summer, with the Boundary Waters Canoe Area …

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Basswood Beach Resort and Canoe Trips

Travel back in time with an historic family fishing lodge that thrived in what is now the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness…

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 …

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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.

Photo Gallery: Superior National Forest Boundary Waters Historical Photos

These photographs were found in a U.S. Forest Service photo album, circa 1920. At the time the region was known as the roadless area of the Superior National Forest. Each photo …

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Andy and Sue Ahrendt

What it truly means to be a ‘Boundary Waters Family’ The Ahrendt’s personal histories are steeped in the Boundary Waters experience. Having spent summers as staff at a local camp, they …

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Women in the Wilderness

“We can do it. We can do it without a guide.” By Rob Kesselring Wilderness News Contributor It started with a dare in 1986. Seven female volunteers at a nature center …

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Moments of Clarity

By Andy Wright   All I’m saying is, you would just never expect to find jellyfish in the Boundary Waters. Sure, you always hope to spot wildlife on a trip; wolves, …

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New Trends in Visits to Quetico-Superior Wilderness

Fewer visitors are spending the night in the Quetico-Superior region’s wilderness areas compared to 15 years ago, but visits by day-trippers may be on the rise.

Big Bill Wenstrom – Last Man Standing

Sig Olson’s readers were introduced to Big Bill Wenstrom in Open Horizons (p. 97). Sig wrote: “It was Big Bill Wenstrom who taught me how to throw on a canoe. He …

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Evidence of Meteorite Impact Found off the Gunflint Trail

By Charlie Mahler, Wilderness News Contributor In the Gunflint Trail region, which has seen its share of calamity in recent years in the form of blow-downs and forest fires, geologist Mark …

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Transformation of a Landscape

What Global Warming Could Mean for the Boundary Waters   By Alissa Johnson, Wilderness News Contributor Mention canoe country to any canoeist familiar with the Quetico Superior region, and an array …

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2008 Brings Few Changes to BWCAW and Quetico Park Permits

For those planning trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park, 2008 brings the 30th anniversary of the BWCAW and new fishing regulations to the Quetico. The …

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One Big Fire

  In July of last year, a lightning strike ignited the Cavity Lake fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). Over 32,000 acres burned in what was then called …

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The Quetico Superior Region—100 Years of Stewardship Beyond Boundaries

1909 was a significant year for the Quetico Superior region of Minnesota and Ontario. Before the well-known legislation of the 1930s that officially designated the roadless areas and parks that we …

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Wildfires Strike the BWCAW and Quetico Provincial Parks

Over 31,800 acres have burned in the largest fire to hit the Boundary Waters Canoe Area region since 1894. A lightning strike near Cavity Lake on July 13th, started a wildfire …

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ATVs: Revving Up for More Controversy

Management of All-Terrain Vehicle riding in Minnesota, especially in the north, continues to rev as an environmental and recreational issue. Despite a compromise law initiated by Governor Tim Pawlenty in 2003, …

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Dolmen Stones in the Boundary Waters

Just an easy paddle from the Sawbill Landing you may find one of the Boundary Waters’ hidden mysteries. Dolmen stones are usually a natural boulder supported by “peg” stones. They are …

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Prescribed Burns Begin in and Near BWCA

A total of 1,000 acres underwent prescribed burns this fall, 360 of which were within the BWCA. Plans called for burning more than 4,000 BWCA acres this year, and all areas not completed are now on hold until 2002. These include top-priority sections totaling 5,200 acres in the Magnetic Lake and Kekekabic Lake areas, as well as 300 acres near Dogleg Lake.