Species Watch: Threatened Wood Turtles
Researchers scramble up river banks, edge along muddy shores, and step carefully through woods with eyes on the forest floor in Northeastern Minnesota tracking terrestrial Wood Turtles.
Projects & Organizations
Saving Minnesota’s Conifers
Minnesota’s iconic pine-studded northern forests are at risk and the habitat for conifer-dependent birds and animals is in decline. Crews and volunteers are responding by planting thousands of trees…
Museum on Gunflint Trail opens for summer with new facilities and exhibits
Chik-Wauk Museum invites visitors to learn about regional history and enjoy the natural surroundings.
Summer volunteer projects provide chance to be a Superior National Forest steward
Public land projects offer opportunities to help with trail-building, portage maintenance, and much more across northeastern Minnesota.
Ely Folk School creates and maintains small town culture on the edge of the Boundary Waters
Ely residents and visitors enjoy learning traditional crafts in a wilderness setting. Build a birch bark canoe, bake a traditional dish, sew a beaver hat, or explore night sky photography, classes connect to the past and to each other…
Young people invited to apply for Washington, D.C. trip to lobby for Boundary Waters protection
Youth organization that works to protect the Boundary Waters from copper-nickel mining pollution is organizing another event to provide high school and college students the chance to tell policymakers their stories and ask for stewardship.
Young crews restore historic Forest Service ranger station near Ely
Open house on Feb. 2 will give visitors the chance to check out the Halfway Ranger Station and learn about a program to train young people in preserving such storied places.
Quetico creativity: Park seeks artists for wilderness residency program
Deadline is March 31 to apply to live and work in the Ontario wilderness park at a rustic studio or travel by canoe.
Young Boundary Waters advocates go to Washington, D.C. to speak for the wilderness
Young advocates spend two days in the nation’s capital, sharing their stories and asking officials to protect the Boundary Waters.
Somali youth explore winter in the BWCAW
A collaboration between Wilderness Inquiry and youth advocacy group Ka Joog takes kids into the Boundary Waters to share new experiences…
University researchers working in the Boundary Waters face an uncertain future
The Hubachek Wilderness Research Center sits on the edge of northern Minnesota’s vast wilderness, a launching point into the Boundary Waters. The region has become a focus of controversy. The facilities, which date back to the 1930s, moved to the Fall Lake location…
Honoring Veterans with a Boundary Waters wilderness experience
In July, five veterans of our US armed forces gathered to celebrate Independence Day in the BWCAW. The group had never met and most had never paddled before, but they were all ready to leave civilization behind to enjoy peace and serenity, and hopefully some good fishing.
MCEA: Taking a stand for responsible mining
When it comes to the topic of mining in northern Minnesota, there’s often a familiar pattern to the discussion: people are for it or against it. And if they’re arguing for environmental protections, they’re probably against it. “There’s a false dichotomy that you’re either pro-mining or anti-mining…”
Three lawsuits filed to defend rejection of mineral leases near the Boundary Waters
Boundary Waters businesses, environmental groups challenge the Trump administration’s effort to restore leases to Twin Metals which are critical for its mine proposal.
A new generation continues the tradition of Boundary Waters outfitting
Across canoe country, the next generation is taking over outfitting businesses or starting new ones. These outfitters offer a fresh take on what it means to introduce people to the wilderness today.
Sharing the wilderness with women—of any age
“There is a measurable amount of growth with every trip and every person I take out… And it really is empowering, especially for mature women who think that, physically, they aren’t capable anymore,” wilderness guide Peta Barrett says.
Uncovering the secret lives of wolves
Imagine a wolf kill, and the remains of an ungulate—a hoofed animal like a moose—probably come to mind. Yet scientists have known for some time that wolves also eat smaller prey, like deer fawns and beavers. This is particularly true during summer, when wolf packs primarily hunt and travel as individuals or pairs.
Cause for Hope: a Q&A with advocate Becky Rom
We catch up with Becky Rom, she has been heavily involved in the fight against sulfide-ore copper mining near the Boundary Waters and offered some key insights into the current political landscape.
Meet Amy Freeman, Wilderness Guide
One winter day in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, an otter ran across the path of a dogsled team on Basswood Lake. Excited, the dogs picked up the pace, then Amy saw something else out on the ice: wolves…
Canoe building: A life-changing experience
Canoe builder Ken Koscik points to a canoe hanging in the rafters and says, “We’re going to build that.” Some students shake their heads. Some don’t believe it. He reassures them: it’s easy. “I have told hundreds of people that if you can tie your shoes, you can build this canoe. And that is the truth,” he says.