Quetico closes parts of park as wildfires grow
Several fires are burning in Quetico, across a large area, near the border with Minnesota.
Parks & Regions
Boundary Waters permits will be issued in person starting mid-July
Forest Service will return to near normal permitting process as the public health threat passes.
Researchers to track human impacts on Isle Royale wildlife
Citizen science opportunity lets hikers share data that will help scientists understand how people affect animals.
SNF proposes to reclassify roads and trails, restore streams, allow dogsleds and off-road vehicles
Superior National Forest seeks comments on project that would officially designate dogsled trails, open campgrounds to off-road vehicles, and more.
Forest Service reports 2020 Boundary Waters visitor numbers, signs point to another busy season
A significant increase in visitors last year showed value of wilderness, while posing some challenges.
Minnesota representatives introduce legislation to block and boost mining proposals
Members of Congress offer competing bills on copper-nickel mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
Forest Service changes Boundary Waters permit process to increase Leave No Trace awareness
Permit holders will be required to receive training this year to help prevent problems seen last summer.
Former Minnesota governor calls on Biden to protect Boundary Waters from mining pollution
Mark Dayton: “…the only acceptable goal is permanent protection from copper mining near the Boundary Waters.”
Quetico Provincial Park receives Dark Sky designation, joins BWCAW protecting and promoting starry skies
Third preserve in canoe country region gets international recognition for lack of light pollution.
Adventurer skiing 250 miles through Boundary Waters to support Lakota people
Expedition raises funds and awareness for Pine Ridge reservation with trek across Border Route Trail from Rainy Lake to Grand Portage.
Incredible journey of collared wolf that left Isle Royale
GPS collar let scientists see where a wolf that was brought to Isle Royale as part of reintroduction effort went after crossing ice back to mainland.
Scientists: Northern Minnesota’s wolves have developed sophisticated methods to hunt beavers
New paper describes detailed ways that wolves use their prey’s sensory abilities against them — with unique research that required extensive exploration of boreal ecosystem.
Copper mines many millennia old on Isle Royale designated as National Historic Landmark
Site used for thousands of years and during recent centuries played an important role in metal trade over huge spans of time.
Celebrating 80 years of woods, waters, and wilderness in the Conservation Volunteer
The Minnesota Conservation Volunteer has been published by natural resources departments for nearly half the state’s history.
Book Review: Wolf Island – Discovering the Secrets of a Mythic Animal
L. David Mech draws us into daily life as a graduate student on Isle Royale with wolves, moose, bush pilots, wilderness neighbors and his family. His groundbreaking research kickstarted one of the world’s longest ecological studies of wolves…
Cell tower approved on Gunflint Trail, extending service into the Boundary Waters
County commissioners approve relatively short, unlighted tower primarily to serve emergency responders.
Snowshoes to Hok skis, exploring the Boundary Waters in winter
Snowshoes, boots or Hok skis? Enthusiasts share tips for heading off the beaten path so you can get the most out of canoe country in winter.
Ice skating in the Boundary Waters – the slightly obsessive search for “wild ice”
“It’s this magical moment that opens up between paddling and skiing in the Boundary Waters.”
Biggest jack pine in America discovered in Boundary Waters
Forest surveyors find massive specimen of the boreal tree species in remote area of wilderness.
Sixty-year-old seaplanes still serve in the Superior National Forest
Aircraft purchased by the Forest Service in the late 1950s work on everything from wildfire, search-and-rescue, to wildlife management.