Gypsy Moths Sprayed on North Shore
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has sprayed pesticide this week along the North Shore to slow the spread of invasive gypsy moths. The agency applied BTK via aircraft near Tofte and Lutsen.
Hot Topics
Groups Sue Over Wolf Decision
Five wildlife protection groups have filed a complaint in Federal District Court challenging the removal of federal Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the Upper Midwest.
Stimulus to Rehab Voyageurs Campsites
Voyageurs National Park will use $230,000 in federal stimulus funding to rehabilitate campsites over the next two years. The money appropriated through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will support work on some 38 campsites in the park.
Friends Spotlight Carbon Impact of PolyMet
The wilderness and environmental advocacy group Friends’ of the Boundary Waters Wilderness is concerned with the climate-change impact that destruction of 1000 acres of peat bog for the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine in Northeastern Minnesota will have.
Quetico Provincial Park Sturgeon Study Receives Funding
Canada’s Ministry of Natural Resources is funding a new study of the sturgeon population in Quetico Provincial Park. Once abundant, the sturgeon is now considered a “species at risk.”
Mining Projects Back in the News
Copper-nickel mining projects in northern Minnesota continue to move forward as environmentalists question the impact of the proposed mines and proponents hail the economic benefits. Meanwhile, the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness notes that the land for the proposed PolyMet mine was once identified for its ecological significance.
Report: State Sweetened Vermilion Park Deal
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune is reporting that the State of Minnesota looked for ways to sweeten the deal for U.S. Steel to sell land to the state for a state park on Lake Vermilion. The paper questions whether laws were skirted to procure land for the park strongly supported by Governor Tim Pawlenty.
Nature Rocks: Getting Kids Outside
A new program co-sponsored by author Richard Louv (Last Child in the Woods, reviewed in the Spring 2009 print edition of Wilderness News) and the Children & Nature Network inspires families to get outdoors.
Weather Hampers Voyageurs Burn Efforts
Rainy weather has confounded Voyageurs National Park’s efforts to conduct four prescribed burns this spring to further pine and oak regeneration in the International Falls-area park. While the window for spring burning may have passed, burning during the summer months is still a possibility.
New Book Spotlights BWCA Wildflowers
Betty Vos Hemstad’s new book spotlights Boundary Waters area wildflowers in a new way. “Wildflowers of the Boundary Waters: Hiking Through the Seasons” depicts northern Minnesota’s wildflowers in various stages of development — from bud, to flower, to seed.
Time-Out Called in Roadless Tug-O-War
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a temporary order requiring all new projects in U.S. Forest Service-managed roadless areas be approved by his office. Apart from the permanently protected Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness, the Superior National Forest contains roughly 62,000 acres of roadless areas, mostly adjoining the BWCAW.
Minnesota DNR Looking for Loon Counters
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is looking for volunteers to count loons on lakes in Cook and Lake county. The one-day count by volunteers is part of the Minnesota Loon Monitoring Survey, now in its 15th year.
Sentence Upheld in BWCA Incident
A three-year prison sentence for Boundary Waters terrorizer Jay Andrew Olson was upheld by the Minnesota Court of Appeals this week. Olson was one of six men convicted of participating in a drunken shooting spree that frightened campers on Basswood Lake in the BWCA in August of 2007.
Namakan Sturgeon Study Enters Third Year
A study examining the health of the Namakan Reservoir’s sturgeon population has entered its third year. The study, which could have an impact on proposed hydroelectric projects on Ontario’s Namakan River, seeks to establish baseline information on health of the species of “special concern” in both Minnesota and Ontario.
State Wolf Population Declassified
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has assumed management responsibilities for the state’s gray wolf population following the delisting of the wolf as a threatened species.
Loaded Guns to be Allowed in National Parks
A new bill will allow park visitors to carry loaded rifles, shotguns, and semi-automatic weapons in National Parks, including Voyageurs National Park in International Falls.
UMD Study Confirms Economic Impact of Mining in Minnesota
A recently released study of mining in Minnesota finds that its economic impact in the state is significant, tied to 34% of gross regional product and poised to grow.
Voyageurs National Park Association to Oppose Namakan River Dam
Voyageurs National Park Association is taking the lead in a cross-border effort to oppose a dam proposed by the Ojibway Power and Energy Group at High Falls on the Namakan River.
The Changing Nature of Wilderness Protection: Looking Forward
Special Feature Part II By Alissa Johnson In part I of The Changing Nature of Wilderness Protection, Wilderness News uncovered a transformation in the challenges facing the BWCAW. Where issues like …
Spring 2009 Issue of Wilderness News
The Spring 2009 issue of Wilderness News, the sister publication of Wilderness News Online is available now. Read highlights and download your copy today.