Voyageurs of the North

We are six female adventurers and environmental activists with a passion for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park. We speak for those who do not have voices and search for truth in the wilderness.

[voyageursofthenorth]

Prose of the Boundary Waters

These are a few pieces of prose from my final BWCA project. Enjoy -Marta

Day One

There is a pale pink and rosy morning when the sunlight bleeds through the clouds. And you’re stepping around rocks and creeks, sneaking into the far off wilderness with elms and pines They tower into a deep blue sky that has long since shifted into a midday sun, hot and yellow glow that envelopes your limbs. The ice has long since melted from the first shaky water and the mist dissipated into the night with a strange gleam in the atmosphere. You are rising, growing and swelling with the waves that gather strength at the bow of your ship, your rock, your swaying canoe that has held dozens before you. Its only rented strenght, still unfamiliar with a clumsy paddle in your gloved hands but for the moment it is yours. So complete now, remembering the strokes and how to move the canoe so with the stern at your back you find yourself forgetting time and time is endless. There is no meaning at 2 am to the loon who sings her melodies at night and what does the moose care about 7:34 pm when all she needs is the young calf at her side? There is a Search For the Wild, and you hop from island to island, pushing forward with fresh lungs and newfound strength, a guarantee that you’ll make it this time.

Day Two

Traveling far and wide, there are never any pressing thoughts held in your mind. The only concern is the road ahead of you, but somehow the road is just a carved path through the rugged hills of a northern country you will never fully understand. Long nights drag on when you feel everything around you - the water kissing the barren shore and the trees whispering secrets from their leaves. What can you measure of the distance of your life? You are only eighteen, no future in mind and no desire for anything but your next cheap thrill. There is no space around you but that which you make and sometimes you’ll slip on the muddy rocks, and sometimes you’ll trip into the lukewarm water. There is a weight on your back you never realized you could carry, so when you notice it, you realize its only about how you balance it - not the weight itself. Your legs are young and your shoulders are strong and you can run across the path and you will dance through your hardships.There are journeys you never knew you could take and rods you never knew the length of until you sweated through their rocky terrain.What distance have you traveled? What is life but the process through it? Nothing matters but the moment itself, especially when the moment is early morning and you can’t sleep because of the rock digging into your sore back and your hair still damp from when you rinsed it in Ogish and you still can’t decide if thats a tick or a twig tickling your leg.

Day Three

Navigation is a simple process. In theory, you point at the map and the point at the direction in front of you and call it a day. So with a compass around your neck and a scratched grey paddle pushing the blue water backwards into little whirlwinds, you propel forward. Pushing forth into blue skies and pale water, when you look for a path that leads to nowhere you are bound to become lost. You seek an ancient house that has long since been destroyed; where a woman lived. She was strong and true to her home - a tiny island on a great lake. Defying society, a crazy conception, they wanted more than they could handle. Greed has no hold in the north when you fight for every breath and the animals do not care for your thrones or presidents. A root beer lady pays no heed to anything you desire because her home has always been hers. I discovered that my home was of the north as well.

Day Four

Light rain will keep you awake at night. When a torrential downpour appears, you know its going to be a long morning. This is the way of the wilderness. And you lie still, cozy and awake in a warm sleeping bag with your eyes closed and heart open. The wind will whisper to you and the rain will pound overhead and the tent will shake and the tarp will begin to pool with water because you forgot to tuck the sides under. But you’re deep in your sleeping bag and its warm and just right, so nothing else really matters. A zip of the tent door and out you go, rain gear ready, heading out to face the storm. But now its mist, simple and clean. And fog rolls in over the lake, heavy and dark. With worrisome brows they wonder how will we see each other? Nothing could permeate that heavy mist looming over the dark water. But suddenly you glance again and its gone. Cleared away - the sun shines bright and you canoe away with your best friend at the stern. Sleek paddles churn the water and wildlife hovers at the shore - an American Merganser. Sudden clouds appear and its dark and windy - things become tense. Slipping, falling everywhere and you’re paddling faster to escape your fate. The storm never arrives and the clouds never break and the downpour never begins. The sun grows hot and you paddle lazily into a secret coven bay, headed to your portage. The going is hot and slow, but such is the quiet Way of the Canoe.

[fernweh-feyrnvey]

sun after the storm // Quetico Canoe Trip 2013

[voyageursofthenorth]

Sunset on Big Sag

[voyageursofthenorth]

The Use Of Motorized Vehicles in BWCAW

By: Kate Sullivan

Waking up in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) to hear the noise of a boat going by isn’t the most ideal way to wake up in one of the most pristine wilderness areas in the world. Motorized vehicles, although they seem like a great way for a fisherman to get around isn’t the best or healthiest for the environment. What a wilderness area is a large area of public land that is kept at its natural state. While in the BWCAW, this definition was true, with the exception of campsites that yet seemed to look as if man has never touched it. Motor noise spoils the solitude that the Boundary Waters offers.

            Laws that were created in place of the use of motorized vehicles in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is the BWCA Wilderness Act of 1978, the main purpose of the law is to protect, preserve, and enhance the lakes, waterways, and forested areas of the BWCAW.

Personally, I think that there should be no motorized vehicles in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). During a school canoe trip this past May, I camped on Saganaga Lake that allows the use of motorized boats. Throughout the night a motorized boat had been going around the island that I was camping on. During the night, which was used, for schoolwork boats were passing through disturbing the nightly reading and journaling. It became very hard to focus and even hear the teacher reading to us. Yet on the nights where we camped on lakes that didn’t allow the use of the motor vehicles the readings and journaling was very peaceful and enjoyable. I don’t think the use of motor vehicles should be allowed in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This wilderness area is full of serenity and peace that cant be found anywhere else in the country.

[voyageursofthenorth]

The Truth Behind Sulfide Mining

By: Morgan Sauter If you’re involved with the Boundary Waters, you are no stranger to the phrase sulfide mining, but many people are not actually aware of what it is. Education of the public may be the most crucial step in stopping its intrusion into Minnesota’s most pristine region of wilderness. So let us get down to the bare bones and explore what exactly sulfide mining is. Sulfide mining aims to extract precious metals such as copper and nickel from sulfide ore by digging into deposits. Sulfide mining differs vastly from the traditional iron ore mining Minnesotans are used to. When rain falls on an iron mine, it creates rust, which is natural. Alternatively, when rain falls on a sulfide mine, sulfuric acid is created. All it takes to make this byproduct is oxygen and water hitting the sulfide rock. Sulfuric acid leaches out metals and chemicals from the waste and creates acid mine drainage which contaminates lakes, rivers, and groundwater. This acid is highly corrosive and is known to cause harm to wildlife, human health, and damage whole ecosystems. There has never been a single sulfide mine that did not pollute the water around it by creating sulfuric acid. This fact makes the sulfide mining industry the nation’s top producer of toxic waste. One of the biggest issues is the fact that these ore deposits actually contain very trace amounts of precious metal. 100 tons of ore must be extracted to get the one ton of material that will actually be processed for metal. This shows very little pay off between material needed and profit gained. For this reason, many companies go bankrupt as no one can ever estimate the damage the mine will cause. A majority of the time these companies are not the ones paying to clean up the mess they’ve created. This costly burden falls on the shoulders of innocent taxpayers who wanted to bring new jobs to their towns. Some examples of mines that have run up some big bills in the places they took up residence are the Zortman-Landusky Mine in Montana, which has incurred $33 million and counting, the Summitville Mine in Colorado at $185 million, and the Grouse Creek Mine in Idaho who’s at $53 million. Mines often underestimate the damage that they will cause in order to appear as though they will not make a large impact on the environment, but in reality, they degrade environments at grotesquely rapid rate. Every citizen, in Minnesota, or any place these mines are proposed, needs to be aware of the consequences that follow this mining. If they do not heed warnings and become educated on the issue, they will end up just like every other previous mine. If allowed near the Boundary Waters, sulfide mining could ruin the entire economy of Cook County alone. It is not worth it to allow these corporations to take advantage of the precious citizens and ecosystems around these mines.

[voyageursofthenorth]

Moose and Wolves of Minnesota

By Marta Balsimo

On my trip in the Boundary Waters this past week, I saw a moose. It was the first day - we had barely entered into Seagull lake when the group decided to have a potty break. We pulled over our canoes onto the shore of a nearby island, and hopped up onto the shore. The island was part of the burned area from the Ham Lake forest fire in 2007, and barren trees decorated the its hilly landscape. However, the fresh vegetation was growing in quite nicely, and it was rather difficult to traverse the uneven ground. After taking care of business, I heard a shout from above me. One of the girls in the group, Hannah, was standing at the top of a hill, pointing farther into the island. "There's a moose and her baby up there!" I heard her say, and I quickly scrambled up the side of the ridge. It took me a minute to find her, but I finally saw the shadowy outline of a moose disappearing over the far side of the island. The only place I have seen a moose before was the Minnesota Zoo, far way in the confines of its cage. Honestly, it was a surreal experience. Just the day before, at the briefing before our trip, we had been discussing moose and what to do if we ran into them.

For those of you who don't know, moose are very territorial. If approached, there is a likely chance that they will run you down and trample them. Its interesting to think that such a powerful animal could be in danger of becoming endangered. Since 2010, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources estimated that the moose population in Minnesota had declined 52 percent. Over half of the moose of Minnesota gone. The DNR has initiated a moose mortality research project to determine what is killing the animals - and  the project will cost $1.2 million. They aren't playing around with this problem. The DNR also announced that they were suspending their moose hunting program in the state indefinitely. The American Indian tribes of Minnesota also announced that they were canceling their seasonal moose hunts because of the declining population. It is obvious that the state cares very much about this majestic animal - and we're doing all we can to find out what exactly is going on. And you can bet that the DNR isn't going to lift their suspension of their moose hunting program until moose populations are more stable.

Now, its interesting to take note of a similar situation going on in Minnesota as well. I'm talking about the wolf population in Minnesota, and more importantly, the now legal hunting of wolves. When the wolf population became stable enough, the state Legislature removed the waiting period of five years before holding a hunt. In 2000, an advisory group had recommended this moratorium, and the DNR had included it in its wolf-management plan a year later. So why is it that when the wolf population finally reached a good point that the state decided to immediately hunt the wolves? Officials of the DNr described a "pent up demand" in the state to hunt wolves. Their reasoning is that the wolves are beginning to thrive, and must be regulated because of that.

Now, in my opinion, I'm seeing some double standards here. Why is it that the state is in such a hurry to hunt the wolves? To "regulate" them? And on the other hand, they're trying to save just the moose. But you can't have one without the other - both the moose and wolf are part of a bigger ecosystem that intermingles and cannot survive without each other. If you want to save one, you have to start saving the other.

[voyageursofthenorth]

Cell Tower: Towering Above BWCA

By Berit Bergstrom

In April of 2013, a 450-foot cell tower was built near Ely, Minnesota. It was placed there by AT&T after many court battles arguing its construction. The affirmative side used the excuse that it would allow for cell phone service in uncovered areas and provide an additional safety feature to those who entered the Boundary Waters. They claim it would be extremely beneficial to be able to reach emergency services if needed while in the wilderness. Though people would be able to call for help, building cell phone towers in or near the BWCA would bring more harm than help for the majority of people, and I believe no additional towers should be built.

            One of the negatives of building the towers is that they become an eyesore. Because of their great heights, they can usually be seen from every direction and from miles away. A tall metal structure would ruin the essence of the Wilderness. It is a protected area because of its natural beauty and untouched land. People love going there because it is an escape from the modern world filled with technology and industrial elements. A steel gray tower visible from the lakes and forests would change the entire idea of escaping to the wilderness. The tower that was erected on the outskirts of Ely can be seen from 10 major lakes and rivers in the BWCA. Those locations are not entirely enclosed by the wild now, due to the large structure towering over the treetops.

            According to the Friends of the Boundary Waters, the towers would not be covering a majority of the BWCA, including the most visited places.  The District Court explained that on average, there are only about 16 emergency situations in the Boundary Waters each year, without cell service. By adding cell phone towers, people may adopt a false sense of security and prepare themselves less for their trip into the wilderness. If a person believes they will be able to reach help when and if it’s needed, it is likely that they will not plan for the worst situation. This is extrememly bad because if something were to go wrong with the cell service or their phone, and they are not prepared, they would get into a more dangerous situation.

            The Friends of the Boundary Waters is not against the idea of bringing this added safety feature to the woods, but they have proposed the idea of keeping the tower(s) no taller than 199 feet. In the cities, the towers are typically no taller than this and cover the same area that a taller tower would. By building a shorter structure, the tower would not be visible from the many lakes. It would also remain under the 200-foot mark that requires placing a flashing light on top, keeping it away from being an eyesore.

            Though it does have its safety benefits, the towers would change the idea of the Boundary Waters and keep it from being the natural escape for the millions of people it attracts. The towers should not be built because even without them, we have been doing just fine and there have not been an outrageous number of emergency incidents. The Boundary Waters should remain the untouched piece of nature it always has been.

[voyageursofthenorth]

Sulfide Mining In The BWCAW

By: Taylor Ham

The biggest issue that faces the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness today is the threat of sulfide mining. Most of the mineral is on the southern edge of the Boundary Waters. There are two companies who are planning on mining on the border of the BWCAW. Around the clock drilling is going to cause noise problems for people who live there.  If these mines get approved then they would be near lakes and rivers that flow into the BWCAW.  Minnesota has a law that says that all mining clean up has to be done by the company causing the pollution.  If the companies under estimate the environmental impacts the Boundary Waters could be completely ruined. 

  The first company is PolyMet Mining corp, a Canadian company that wants to mine in Minnesota.  They are the farthest along in their plan.  If they get approved they propose to use unproven techniques to mine “safely” in this protected area.  Because they are a Canadian mining company the argument about how it will improve Minnesota’s economy is completely derailed.  The money will not be going back to Minnesota’s economy.  There plan is to have three open pit mines.  The other company planning to mine is Twin Metals; their proposal is going to be three miles away from the BWCAW.  Their proposal mine would be twice as big as the PolyMet project.  It would extract about 40,000 tons of ore each day.  

Mining companies also say that they will create jobs, but most of the jobs are already taken from people who are already trained.  Yes the mines will create jobs but those jobs have already been given away and very few of them will be going to the people in the area.   Only 25% of the permanent hirers will actually go to people in the surrounding communities.  PolyMet stated that the company will have significant economic benefits and that the mine will create about 360 full time jobs.  (PolyMet website 2012).  Later they released The Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which reveals that 55% of the jobs will be non-locals and another 20% of the hires will be commuting from longer distant locations such as Duluth.    The amount of jobs that they said the mining would produce has also been declining.   In 2000 PolyMet predicted 460 jobs with a life span of 45 years.  That has now fallen to 360 jobs.  Which only 25% will be going to the locals.   

The towns around this area are solely supported by the tourism.  Instead of having beautiful forests, clean water for swimming and fishing, these tourists will be in he middle of an industrial area.  People come to the boundary waters for peace and solitude and that is all in threat of a so-called century of mining.  Twin metals mine would be directly into the BWCAW.  Arguments saying that the economy of these small towns will improve are also very up in the air as well.  Mining does not always bring prosperity.   From a place that has a very successful diverse economy, they don’t need any help.  Creating a specialized economy makes it much harder for it to grow.   Specialized economy is an economy where they have just one main source of jobs and mining or oil.

Many people in Minnesota are not properly educated on sulfide mining.  The Boundary Waters is one of the last wilderness areas that we have.  These mines threaten the destroy something very important to a lot of people around America and the world.  Money and greed drives these companies to take something very important away from 200,000 people, and from the generations to come.  Minnesota should be informed on the risks, and what is being proposed, so we can then decide on whether or not this is good for our state.   So the question remains, is this precious medal worth this much, then is our environment worse less than that? "This is the most beautiful lake country on the continent. We can afford to cherish and protect it."

Works Cited: 

Friends of The Boundary Waters . (2014, April 30). Sulfide Mining . In Friends of The Boundary Waters Wilderness . Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://www.friends-bwca.org/issues/sulfide-mining/

 Mining Truth . (n.d.). Sulfide Mining In Minnesota . In Mining Truth . Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://www.miningtruth.org/sulfide-mining-minnesota/#.U2fLroXPcqQ

 Mining Truth . (n.d.). Will Sulfide Mines Bring Employment and Economic Benefits to Northern Minnesota. In Mining Truth . Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://www.miningtruth.org/sulfide-mining-minnesota/#.U2fLroXPcqQ

 Mining Truth . (n.d.). How Corporations Evade Liability for Pollution at Closed Mines. In Mining Truth . Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://www.miningtruth.org/sulfide-mining-minnesota/#.U2fLroXPcqQ

[voyageursofthenorth]

Cell Towers in the BWCA

by Jodi Culbreth

If I could have one wish in my life, it would be to see the world before mankind ever touched it. To see all the wild places of the world without skyscrapers blocking the sunrises or highways cutting through the mountains. Without cell phone towers looming over the hundreds of beautiful lakes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

AT&T wants to build a cell phone tower on the edge of the BWCA on private land near Ely, MN. The tower would be 450 feet high with white and red flashing lights on the top, which would be visible from ten miles away at some points in the wilderness.

One of the main reasons for putting up the tower would be to have more 911 coverage in case of emergencies, but as usual, the real motive is usually money. As far as safety is concerned, a cell phone tower would be unnecessary- a satellite communicator that sends an emergency signal from anywhere in the world only costs a couple hundred dollars.

If a cell phone tower is put up in the Boundary Waters, not only will it obstruct the view, but it will also obstruct our ability to escape the modern world and become one with ancient rhythms.  Many people, including myself, go into the wilderness seeking peace and escape from society and technology. If a cell phone tower were to be put up, it is almost a certainty that people will not only use it for emergencies, but also to bring their hectic lives with them into a place where the hustle and bustle of everyday life does not belong.   A quote by Sigurd Olson sums it up nicely; "Wilderness to the people of America is a spiritual necessity, an antidote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium."

[johntereick-deactivated20230305]

Sunset on Fall Lake. Near Ely, Minnesota