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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?

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.”  

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 …  

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…  

Dave and Amy Freeman began and ended their year in the wilderness on the autumnal equinox, eventually spending 366 days in the Boundary Waters. All photos courtesy Dave and Amy Freeman.

Plugged In

Dave and Amy Freeman spent a year in the Boundary Waters, using social media to inspire others to protect the wilderness.

Rebecca Falls on the BWCAW-Quetico Park border. Photo by and courtesy of Terry Schocke.

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.

Dave and Amy Freeman portage their canoe “Sig” in front of the Washington Monument, photo by Nate Ptacek

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.

Duff Day, Larry Christianson.

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 …

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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.

Appeals Court Overturns Cell-Tower Ruling

The Minnesota Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling barring construction of a 450-foot cell-tower atop a 150-foot ridge at the edge of the Boundary Waters Wilderness.

BWCAW Campfire Ban Lifted

Superior National Forest officials lifted a ban on campfires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness today.