The communications company AT&T Mobility has agreed to temporarily halt construction of a 450-foot-high cellular communications tower near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness until a court hearing in early August.
With an estimated $1 trillion worth of copper and other precious metals buried beneath the surface along the South Kawishiwi River near the southern border of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the tangle over mineral development and natural resource protection appears likely to continue well beyond those surrounding the PolyMet copper-nickel mine in nearby Babbitt.
The wilderness advocacy group Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness filed suit on Tuesday to halt construction of a 45-story cell-phone tower on a ridge close to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness near Ely. The group says the AT&T tower, which will be lighted, will be visible from within the BWCA.
The Fall 2009 issue of Wilderness News (the print edition) is here! If you’re a subscriber, watch for your mailed copy soon. Or download a PDF of the full issue, and read all of the stories, with full-color photographs, and help us save on mailing costs.
The Cook County Board of Commissioners recently voiced its opposition to the establishment of a buffer zone near the limits of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The statement comes as the U.S. Forest Service considers the impact of snowmobile noise in the siting of a new trail to South Fowl Lake.
In 1964, Fred Winston received an inquiry following Wilderness News’ inaugural publication: “I can see that there are many sides to Minnesota’s wilderness problem. But which side are you on? What are you trying to prove?” In his reply, Fred Winston set the tone for the Quetico Superior Foundation’s role in the ever changing wilderness debate and set an example of activism.
The Forest Service is accepting public comments on the development of a new snowmobile trail from McFarland Lake to South Fowl Lake in far northeastern Minnesota. The new trail was necessitated by the closure of the Tilbury Trail which crossed land included in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
It’s the 100th aniversary of Quetico Provincial Park this year, but 2009 is also the 25th birthday for the Friends of Quetico Park, an organization whose objective is “the preservation of Quetico Provincial Park as a unique wilderness area.”
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.
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.
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.
2009 marks the 100th Anniversary of the initial formation of what would become Quetico Provincial Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. What started as a long and jagged process of preservation and restoration resulted in a huge, roadless and protected forest being celebrated today.
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 …
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 …
Wolf Island is a place of legend and lore, holding the footprints of both Native Americans and Voyageurs. The Trust for Public Land (TPL) has taken advantage of a one-time opportunity …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …