September 3 marks the anniversary of The Wilderness Act of 1964, a landmark piece of legislation in American conservation history, which established a national policy to protect wilderness areas for future generations. The act included protections for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, which is not only the largest wilderness area east of the Rockies, but also the most widely used.
The oldest known tree in Minnesota grows in the Boundary Waters, estimated to be over 1,000 years old and informally known as the “Legacy Cedar.” Although past logging practices obliterated numerous trees, remnants of these ancient giants still linger in isolated pockets within the wilderness. Forest managers now consider their vulnerability to warming climate conditions.
Along the northern edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) lies an invisible line. The international border stretches over 150 miles of water trail, following the shorelines of Quetico Provincial Park to the north and the BWCA to the south. Careful observers may notice the subtle demarcation of the international boundary as they paddle by. Short metal reference markers are punched firmly into hard granite rock.
Boundary Waters Heritage Trails is a new non-profit with the expressed interest in promoting and preserving historic trails within the BWCAW.
On July 4, 1999, the sky fell. Or so it seemed. On that day the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was hit by a historic storm unlike anyone had ever seen.
Work is underway to ensure Wolf Island’s historic structures are preserved, while also providing a new recreation site.
Dig into the history of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, your next trip will be richer with an appreciation for how it came to be.
Three paddlers follow famous 100-mile route that helped shape the concept of wilderness.
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa and Ely Folk School create a new map showing traditional names for more than 100 lakes, rivers…
More than a thousand years ago, people living in what is now the BWCAW made a vessel from clay and stone, and cooked a meal in it. Then, a few years ago, archaeologists found fragments of the pot…
Site used for thousands of years and during recent centuries played an important role in metal trade over huge spans of time.
The Minnesota Conservation Volunteer has been published by natural resources departments for nearly half the state’s history.
New study shows how people shaped iconic canoe country forests with fire, authors say it’s time to get back to those roots.
A legendary BWCAW canoe route, almost 100 miles long, pioneered by early trappers and conservationists was nearly lost to time.
Extensive improvements completed as popular visitor destination is brought back to its original glory.
“Bud is one of our greatest and least recognized heroes. A giant figure in the battle for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness…”
The public is invited to submit comments on the environmental impacts of updates and upgrades to historic part of the park.
As far back as the 1930’s, airplanes have flown into the remote reaches of Quetico, patrolling for poachers, delivering supplies to rangers, fighting forest fires… Jill Legault from Quetico Provincial Park shares this look back to the ‘bush planes’ and intrepid pilots that flew into the border lakes backcountry.
National Park Service invites input on preliminary plans for changes to lodging, day-use recreation, and other improvements to the popular part of the park.
Exhibit at Minnesota History Center features large collection of historical materials connected to the famed early explorer and defender of the Quetico-Superior region.