Superfluous stars: Boundary Waters gets rare “Dark Sky” designation
BWCAW awarded prestigious Dark Sky status from international organization concerned with light pollution.
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Orchids of the Northwoods – Lady’s Slippers and beyond
“It all began by happenstance…The trail was overgrown, littered with fallen boles, when I noticed a glimmering iridescence unlike anything I had seen before. I had stumbled upon on one of Minnesota’s most common orchid species, the stemless (pink) lady’s slipper, glimmering with rain drops…”
Boreal Birding in the Bogs of Northern Minnesota
The sun casts its auburn spell on the red osier dogwood of a sedge meadow…we head to a bog that attracts many boreal winter birds to the area, particularly in Cook, Minnesota. Why do they come to the bog? How do they live here? What attracts birds to this habitat in northern Minnesota?
Choose Your Own Adventure – Fall Hike on the Upper Gunflint Trail
A fall hike along the edge of the Boundary Waters. Ada Igoe shares one of her favorite trails, easily accessible from the Gunflint, on marked ski trails through aspen and jackpine to incredible vistas…
Wilderness Voices: Travis Novitsky
“Some of my most unforgettable moments are sitting on the shores of a boreal forest lake on a calm night with no wind, watching the northern lights dance overhead while the haunting calls of loons echo across the water.”
Environmental groups sue to stop PolyMet, strengthen Minnesota mining regulations
Eight organizations file lawsuits to challenge permits for the state’s first copper mine and revise rules.
The Banadad Ski Trail – from historic logging road to winter wilderness experience
Snow underfoot, dark pines above, a white path beckons cross-country skiers into the Boundary Waters and offers glimpses into its past.
Book Review: Hush Hush, Forest
Minnesota author and printmaker create a children’s book with the northern forest as backdrop. Seriously beautiful, reflecting their deep connection to the northwoods and inspiring …
Canoeists test wilderness paddling and portaging stamina with Border Route Challenge
Paddlers chase 50-year-old record time for completing historic travel route through the Boundary Waters and beyond.
Changes announced for Boundary Waters permitting system
National system managing access to public lands is being revised to increase security and adjust rules and fees.
What is Wilderness? Examining tree rings, researchers reconsider the history of human influence in the Boundary Waters
“By examining annual growth rings in increment cores taken from tree trunks, we found that many pines at this site were more than 250 years old. Distinct injuries recorded within their rings denoted the passage of multiple low-severity surface fires that damaged but did not kill many of these trees…”
The State of the Boundary Waters Report
How healthy is the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness really? Will the Boundary Waters survive climate change, mining, invasive species and the myriad of issues faced today? The Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness released an extensive and revealing report…
Businesses, sporting groups, and environmentalists call on federal officials to block mining near Boundary Waters
Letters to leaders of two government agencies seek completion of study of mining in the wilderness watershed before proposals move forward.
Twin Metals legislation passes House, Senate support seems elusive
A bill restoring mineral rights near the Boundary Waters squeaked through the House of Representatives last week, but doesn’t yet have a Senate author.
Plugged In
Dave and Amy Freeman spent a year in the Boundary Waters, using social media to inspire others to protect the wilderness.
State of the Boundary Waters
The Quetico-Superior region of Minnesota and Canada bring to mind lake country—a landscape characterized by glacier carved lakes filled with clear, cold and clean water. Yet the list of possible impacts on northern Minnesota water quality is long: proposed mining, climate change, invasive species, nutrient loading, and algal blooms to name just a few. In some places, like Lake of the Woods, evidence suggests that changes are already under way.
Paddle to D.C. Ely Adventurers’ Latest Expedition Carries Concerns About Mining
This epic expedition was inspired by what the Freemans see as an existential threat to a national treasure: mining. “The Boundary Waters is our nation’s most popular wilderness area, it receives a quarter million visitors per year. Every year I guide people in the Boundary Waters from Texas and California and all across the country. We need to make sure people all across the country understand how special the Boundary Waters is and understand the threats it faces.
Paddling on Route 66
by Larry Christianson Paddling season arrived for me with great personal meaning as this is the time where I planned to catch up to my age in the sense of arriving …
Controversial Snowmobile Trail Litigation Nears Conclusion
The South Fowl snowmobile trail is back in court after more than a decade of controversy.
Supreme Court Ruling Sought for Cell Tower
The Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness has petitioned the Minnesota Supreme Court to review an appeals court ruling on a cell tower to be constructed near the BWCAW.