VNP Eagle Nesting Areas Reopened for Visitor Use
As Voyageurs National Park reopens eagle nesting sites closed to visitor use, the park reports a general increase in successful breeding and the overall health of the VNP eagle population.
Park Management
Voyageurs Plans Burn for Thursday
Voyageurs National Park officials plan to burn an area on Tar Point near Blind Indian Narrows in Namakan Lake Thursday. The burn is intended to help determine what effect fire has on archeological artifacts and help determine the effects of fire on vegetation.
Hummel Named New Deputy Supervisor
Mark Hummel has been named the Superior National Forest’s new Deputy Forest Supervisor. Hummel comes to the Superior National Forest after working in Alaska and Nevada.
Grand Portage State Park Closed Weekdays
Grand Portage State Park will only be open on weekends until mid-August, due to site preparation work for a new 5800 square foot visitor center. The park will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, but parking will be limited.
Guns in Voyageurs: Not Yet
A law passed in May that will allow loaded firearms in Voyageurs and other national parks is not in effect yet. That’s the message Voyaguers officials are spreading, noting that the law doesn’t take effect until February 22, 2010.
Cross-Border Study Examines Cormorants
An on-going study of cormorants on Rainy Lake will include increased attention on birds dwelling on the Canadian side of the international water-body this summer. Cormorants have been a lightening-rod species among some anglers who fear the birds are impacting game-fish populations
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.
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.
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.
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.
2009 Superior National Forest Prescribed Burn Plan
The US Forest Service recently released its Superior National Forest Prescribed Burn plan for 2009, including several locations in the Gunflint and Tofte Ranger Districts.
Moose Population Steady in Voyageurs National Park
According to a Voyageurs National Park press release, a recent survey of the park’s moose population revealted that it is holding steady. The aerial survey sited 45 moose–a pleasant surprise for park officials given the decline of other moose populations acrosss northeastern Minnesota and southern Ontario.
The State of the Wilderness 30 Years After the BWCAW Act of 1978
On the thirtieth anniversary of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act of 1978, Wilderness News set out to assess the current state of the wilderness and its management. We uncovered a transformation in the challenges facing the region. Where issues like motor use once topped management concerns, they are giving way to increasingly complex challenges that defy man-made boundaries and may have significant implications for how we think about — and manage — the Boundary Waters.
The Changing Nature of Wilderness Protection
Special Feature Part I: The Changing Nature of Wilderness Protection The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act from 1978 to Today By Alissa Johnson, Wilderness News Contributor October marked the 30th …
Crossing Boundaries for the Border Lakes Region
In an era of increasing partnership in the Quetico Superior region, the Border Lakes Partnership provides a model for what cooperative efforts can accomplish. The collaborative has been at work since …
Quetico Provincial Park — Management Plan Under Review
While the plants and animals of Quetico Provincial Park settle in for the winter, the Canadian government at all levels is examining the park’s management strategies and preparing for the years …
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 …
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 …
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.