Wilderness News Online

Voyageurs’ Park Ice Road Open

It's truly winter at Voyageurs National Park these days: the ice road from the Dove Island Boat Landing to Rainy Lake City and the Black Bay Ski Trail is now open. In addition, all of the park's ski and snowmobile trails are groomed and open for recreation.

Cross-Border Partnership Recognized

The Heart of the Continent Partnership was honored recently for its “ongoing effort to promote trans-boundary cooperation and research” at the World Wilderness Congress, the organization has announced.

Fall Issue of Wilderness News

The Fall 2009 issue of Wilderness News (the print edition) is here! If you’re a subscriber, watch for your mailed copy soon. Or download a PDF of the full issue, and read all of the stories, with full-color photographs, and help us save on mailing costs.

Ely Mayor Charged with BWCA Violations

Ely Mayor Roger Skraba has been charged with three counts of federal wilderness violations in the BWCA. He is accused of entering the wilderness area without a permit, possessing a motor vehicle within the wilderness, and removing property.

Protecting a Scenic Entrance to the BWCAW

An 11-acre parcel of land on Fall Lake outside of Ely, Minnesota, will be protected thanks to the joint efforts of the landowners, the Forest Service and the Trust for Public Land (TPL). Located just across the lake from a Forest Service public campground and boat access, the parcel sits on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Hummel Named New Deputy Supervisor

Mark Hummel has been named the Superior National Forest's new Deputy Forest Supervisor. Hummel comes to the Superior National Forest after working in Alaska and Nevada.

Update: Namakan River Dam Project

The Spring 2008 issue of Wilderness News covered a proposed dam at High Falls on the Namakan River west of Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario. A project with environmental impacts on both sides of the border, the Ojibway Power and Energy Group (OPEG) is preparing to release its Environmental Assessment as part of a proponent-led approval process.

Report: State Sweetened Vermilion Park Deal

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune is reporting that the State of Minnesota looked for ways to sweeten the deal for U.S. Steel to sell land to the state for a state park on Lake Vermilion. The paper questions whether laws were skirted to procure land for the park strongly supported by Governor Tim Pawlenty.

Time-Out Called in Roadless Tug-O-War

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a temporary order requiring all new projects in U.S. Forest Service-managed roadless areas be approved by his office. Apart from the permanently protected Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness, the Superior National Forest contains roughly 62,000 acres of roadless areas, mostly adjoining the BWCAW.

Sentence Upheld in BWCA Incident

A three-year prison sentence for Boundary Waters terrorizer Jay Andrew Olson was upheld by the Minnesota Court of Appeals this week. Olson was one of six men convicted of participating in a drunken shooting spree that frightened campers on Basswood Lake in the BWCA in August of 2007.