Securing the Wilderness Border
By Charlie Mahler, Wilderness News Contributor The Boundary Waters. The Border Route. Those dividing “B” words have long been embedded in the names used to describe the Quetico-Superior region. The notion, …
Hot Topics
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 …
White Pine: Can What Once Was–Ever Be Again?
Bold against the sky, the feathery branches of an old white pine have a distinctive silhouette. Although not the most abundant species in the Quetico-Superior forest today, generations have strongly identified …
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, …
South Fowl Lake Snowmobile Trail Access Project Stirs up Controversy
By Sally Nankivell, Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness Board Member A recent snowmobile trail controversy has resulted in a familiar scenario: local motor enthusiasts versus environmentalists, each passionately arguing over the …
Northern Minnesota Prepares for New Era in Mining
By Charlie Mahler, Wilderness News Contributor Three new mining projects inside and adjacent to the Superior National Forest signal a new era in northern Minnesota mining. In a region known world-wide …
Using Science for Sustainable Forest Management
The long-range health of Minnesota’s forests will some day be improved by management decisions that better recognize the opportunities for restoring ecological forest health while maintaining economic productivity. The Minnesota Center …
Invasion of the Great Gray Owls
by Anthony X. Hertzel Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union In the fall and winter of 2004-2005, Great Gray Owls moved into northern Minnesota in unprecedented numbers. By the end of the winter season, …
In View of Long Island
The Quetico Superior Foundation was excited to participate in the Trust for Public Land’s purchase of Long Island on Burntside Lake located northwest of Ely, Minnesota. According to the foundation, Burntside …
Natural Fire Management in Voyageurs National Park
Federal parks and forest officials had a perfect opportunity last summer to advance two of their goals for Voyageurs National Park: restoring fire as part of the natural ecosystem and regenerating …
The Roadless Area Conservation Rule
The Roadless Area Conservation Rule is the most significant public lands conservation measure of recent years. Protecting nearly 60 million acres of national forest land form logging and road-building, including 147,000 …
Fall Prescribed Burns Produce Positive Results
The US Forest Service, partnering with the Ontario Fire Service, carried out two successful prescribed burns within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) on October 10th and 11th. The Arc …
Wilderness News Fall 2003
The Fall issue of Wilderness News is in the mail and online. Download a PDF here. Highlights: Special Feature Part I: The Historic Lodges of the …
Protecting Gateways to Wilderness Areas
The Minnesota Land Trust uses conservation easements to protect tracts in three high-visibility lakes of canoe country. The Minnesota Land Trust, with funding from the Quetico Superior Foundation, has completed three …
Q&A with the Forest Service
Results of the prescribed burn that took place on Three Mile Island last September. With the completion last September of the Magnetic Lake and Three Mile Island prescribed burns, the Forest …
Preserving Wild Country Along the Pigeon River
The Nature Conservancy of Minnesota is making two land purchases that will help preserve the scenery, history and unusual ecosystem of the Pigeon River border area between Minnesota and Ontario.
Rare Species Watch: The Three-Toed Woodpecker
The 1999 blowdown in the BWCAW damaged many acres of undisturbed boreal forest, destroying the nesting habitats for
many species of birds. The Three-toed Woodpecker, (Picoides tridactylus) however, is benefiting from this disturbance twofold. Their preferred habitat is disturbed areas within coniferous forests, but recentlyburned conifers are an added attraction. Damaged conifers become home to many insects, and this abundant food source attracts Three-toed Woodpeckers.
Forest Service Hopes 2002 Will be Better Year for BWCA Burns
Skiiers and snowmobilers may be praying for more snow this winter, but officials in charge of the large backlog of prescribed burning in the Boundary Water Canoe Area (BWCA) say drier …
Learning From the Quetico Burns
Our Summer, 2000 issue reported the plan for controlled burns to be administered in Quetico Provincial Park in the fall of 2000. The results of the burns at Polaris, Knife, and …
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.