is one of the most recognized wilderness area in America. Many of the 250,000 annual visitors to the BWCAW are not familiar with minimum-impact camping techniques and the need to protect the natural resources from damage. Litter strewn along portages and left in fire grates; birch trees stripped of bark; red and white pines with carved initials; and fire-blackened areas resulting from campfires left burning are just some of the signs of abuse seen far too often in the BWCAW.
Wilderness areas are managed to protect and maintain the environment in its natural state for our enjoyment and for the enjoyment of generations to come. The responsibility for protecting these areas lies not only with professional managers; All visitors share in this responsibility. You must realize that your place within the wilderness is not as a conqueror, but as a wise keeper and a good steward of this land and water. By ensuring a quality wilderness experience for yourself and others, you will be helping to preserve the area for generations to come.
Concern for the BWCA shouldn’t stop when you leave the waters. It’s also your responsibility to monitor the ongoing political debate that threatens to open up the area to other interests less suited to a tranquil canoe paddle. You might do this through one of the following organizations:
An organization that has worked diligently for years to protect and preserve the BWCAW is the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, 401 North Third Street, Suite 290, Minneapolis, MN 55401, 612-332-9630 or www.friends-bwca.org.
Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness is a regional grassroots organization that formed in the 1990s to represent people who believe that wilderness is good public policy and is worth defending: PO Box 625, Ely, MN 55731 or www.nmw.org.
The Izaak Walton League of America has been another long-term supporter of the Boundary Waters. The IWLA began its history of protecting what would later become the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in 1923 when Will Dilg, the League’s first president and founder, passionately opposed a plan to develop the area. Since then, the Izaak Walton League has brought its resources to bear whenever the BWCA has been threatened. For more information, visit www.iwla.org.
What You Can Do
What can you do? By adhering to the BWCAW rules and regulations and following Leave No Trace (LNT) principles, you can help maintain the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and preserve it as an enduring resource for future generations.
Some examples:
Be aware of campfire restrictions to prevent unwanted wild fires.
Help identify invasive species locations in the wilderness. Ask for the Non-native Invasive Species booklet available at Forest Service District offices and some cooperating businesses.
Follow Minnesota State law by packing out all paper instead of burning it. Burning paper releases harmful pollutants negatively affecting air quality.
Follow the Leave-No-Trace principle of being considerate to other visitors by letting nature’s sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices/noises, don’t crowd up at portages, and keep your dog under control to help promote opportunities for solitude.
Report any outfitter or guide that does not follow BWCAW and/or Superior National Forest rules and regulations.
Help maintain the wilderness by not creating resource damage.
Use the latrines and fire grates; do not bring glass bottles and cans; follow group and watercraft size restrictions; obtain the proper use permit; respect cultural heritage sites; do not cache equipment in the wilderness unless it’s in connection with your current visit; keep wildlife wild by not feeding them or leaving food behind for them to find; follow motor-powered regulations; use existing campsites; be prepared to prevent unnecessary search and rescues; and properly dispose of fish remains and other waste.
Wilderness Defined
There are those purists who would not classify the BWCAW as a true wilderness. In one sense, they are right. Forest Service personnel and dedicated volunteers regularly clear portage trails of fallen trees and clogging brush. Regulations require that you camp only on Forest Service campsites equipped with unmovable fire grates and box latrines. There are obvious signs all around you that other people have camped at the very same spot many, many times before.
“Wilderness” is as much a state of mind as a physical condition. Seldom are more than one or two long portages necessary for paddlers to feel a true sense of wilderness around them. The disquieting drone of motors fades into the past, and one enters a world of only natural sensations. Depending on your point of entry, it could take a day, or maybe two, to find your wilderness. On the other hand, it may be waiting only minutes from your launching site, scarcely more than a stone’s throw from the road’s end. Wherever you start, a magnificent wilderness is not far away in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The important point is to allow yourself the opportunity to experience the wilderness that fits your personal definition.
Wilderness involves emotions. A wilderness experience is an emotional experience. If a person cannot sense deep emotion while camped on the shores of some placid wilderness lake, hearing the cry of a loon, he will never understand the pleas of those who would save the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
—Charles Ericksen
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How to Plan a Wilderness Canoe Trip
PRE-TRIP PLANNING
A safe, enjoyable wilderness experience starts at home with careful planning. First, ask yourself and all members of your group if you really want a trip into the wilderness—a place where you will find no running water, prepared shelters, predictable weather, or easy travel. There are no signs to direct the way. You must know how to build a fire, administer first aid, read a map, and use a compass. In an area that is unfamiliar and sometimes downright hostile, you must rely on your own resourcefulness for your comfort and perhaps your survival. You must be your own doctor, guide, and entertainer. You must be prepared for accidents, extended periods of rain, and obstacles such as large waves whipped up by strong winds.
Keep your group size manageable. Few campsites have tent pads for more than two or three tents. Some are barely large enough for one tent. If your group is large, plan to split up and travel separately. Better yet, plan completely different routes. You’ll have more pictures and experiences to share when you get home. A small group has much less impact on the wilderness and on other visitors. You will also have better opportunities to observe wildlife along the way.
Vacationing with a group of people is always challenging because of variations in skills, interests, and physical strengths. Get your group together ahead of time to plan the trip. Talk about what each person envisions for the trip. Decide as a group where and when to go, what equipment to take, and what should be on the menu. By addressing these topics ahead of time, the entire group will get a better idea of what to expect from the trip. There will be fewer surprises later to dampen spirits. Consider the positive aspects of a BWCAW canoe trip—sun-drenched afternoons on sky-blue lakes, gentle breezes, magnificent orange sunsets, fish striking at every cast, and a refreshing swim in a cool lake at day’s end. Then consider the dreaded conditions that plague many canoe trips—hordes of hungry flying insects, fish with no appetite at all, long and muddy portage trails, prolonged periods of cold rain, and gale-force winds that make canoe travel extremely difficult or
