Microplastics found in Boundary Waters may threaten wilderness wildlife
Researchers find plastic particles at numerous sites in the wilderness, confirming another way humans are affecting the wilderness and its ecosystem.
BWCA
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: Kelly Beaster
“While I create each drawing, I get to re-visit past trips and adventures, and I notice things from the drawing itself that I didn’t from the photograph, details that were always there, but the drawing has brought out new details…”
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.”
Teenagers invited to enter wilderness essay contest for a chance to win a “no parents” Boundary Waters trip
An essay contest for high school students seeks to encourage outdoor experiences and promote paddling to a new generation.
Winter Patrol in the Boundary Waters
How is the BWCAW patrolled in the winter? When snow covers Boundary Waters lakes and portages, wilderness rangers turn to sled dogs, snowshoes, and cross-country skis to complete their work…
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…
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.
Former Forest Service leader calls for continued protection of Boundary Waters
Retired leader of agency who took steps to prevent mining pollution from harming the wilderness says continued protection is important.
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.
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…”
Report: Boundary Waters has greater long-term economic potential than mining
Harvard economist issue report comparing twenty years of wilderness protection to permitting the Twin Metals mine over the same span.
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…
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.
Video: A Day in the BWCA with Dave and Amy Freeman
Watch the Freemans’ winter routines and explain why they are spending a year in the wilderness.
‘Before and After’ Leave No Trace
Researcher warns of increasing impacts and urges end of axe and saw culture in Boundary Waters camping.
State of the Boundary Waters and Paddling to DC – Wilderness News Fall Winter 2014 Issue
Cover Story: How will proposed mining, climate change, invasive species, nutrient loading, and algal blooms change the border lakes? 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…
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.