   #copyright

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: North American Geography

            Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
   IUCN Category Ib ( Wilderness Area)
   Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
   Location:       Minnesota, USA
   Nearest city:   Duluth, MN
   Coordinates:    47°49′0″N, 91°12′0″W
   Area:           1,090,000 acres (1,703 sq mi - 4,411 km²)
   Established:    1964
   Governing body: U.S. Forest Service

   The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW or BWCA, sometimes
   simply the bee-dub) is a 1.09 million acre wilderness area within the
   Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota ( USA) under the
   administration of the U.S. Forest Service. The BWCAW is renowned as a
   destination for both canoeing and fishing on its many lakes, and is the
   most visited wilderness in the United States.

Geography

   The BWCAW is located on the U.S.-Canadian border, and along with
   Voyageurs National Park to the west and the Canadian Quetico and La
   Verendrye Provincial Parks to the north, they make up a large area of
   contiguous wilderness lakes and forests called the "Quetico-Superior
   country", or simply the Boundary Waters. Lake Superior lies to the east
   of the Boundary Waters.

   The continental divide between the Great Lakes and Hudson Bay
   watersheds runs northeast-southwest through the east side of the BWCAW,
   and was an important landmark for the fur-trading Voyageurs of the 18th
   and 19th centuries. The wilderness also includes the highest peak in
   Minnesota, Eagle Mountain (2,301 feet / 701 m).

   The two main communities with visitor services near the BWCAW are Ely
   and Grand Marais, Minnesota. The smaller town of Tofte is another
   gateway community. Several historic roads, such as the Gunflint Trail,
   the Echo Trail, and Fernberg Road allow access to the many wilderness
   entry points.

Natural history

Geology

   Lake-side cliffs common throughout the BWCAW
   Enlarge
   Lake-side cliffs common throughout the BWCAW

   The lakes of the BWCAW were carved from bedrock of the Canadian Shield
   by the movement of the Laurentide ice sheet during a succession of ice
   ages during the past two million years. Because glacial ice erodes
   softer and weaker rocks more easily, the size and shape of most lakes
   in the BWCAW were controlled both by the type of bedrock and the
   presence of geologic faults. The resulting depressions in the landscape
   later filled with water, becoming the lakes of today.

   Many varieties of Precambrian bedrock are exposed, including granite,
   basalt, greenstone, gneiss, as well as metamorphic rocks derived from
   volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Greenstone located near Ely, Minnesota
   is up to 2.7 billion years old, some of the oldest exposed rock in the
   United States.

Forest ecology

   The plants and animals of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area are
   representative of the boreal forest biome, and their ranges continue
   into southern Canada and the rest of the upper Great Lakes region.
   Trees found within the wilderness area include red pine, eastern white
   pine, jack pine, birch, balsam fir, white spruce, and white cedar.
   Blueberries are common in many parts of the BWCAW, as are raspberries.
   The BWCAW is estimated to contain some 400,000 acres of old growth
   forest, woods which may have burned but which have never been logged.
   Forest fires were a natural part of the Boundary Waters ecosystem
   before fire suppression efforts during the 20th century, with
   recurrence intervals of 30 - 300 years in most areas.

   On July 4, 1999, a powerful wind storm, or derecho, swept across
   Minnesota and southern Canada, knocking down millions of trees and
   affecting about 370,000 acres (1,500 km²) within the BWCAW. This event
   became known officially as the Boundary Waters-Canadian Derecho,
   commonly referred to as "the Boundary Waters blowdown". Although
   campsites and portages were quickly cleared after the storm, an
   increased risk of wildfire continues to remain a concern due to the
   large number of downed trees. The U.S. Forest Service has undertaken a
   schedule of prescribed burns to reduce the forest fuel load in the
   event of a wildfire.

   The first major wildfire within the blowdown occurred in August 2005,
   burning approximately 1,400 acres (5.7 km²) north of Seagull Lake in
   the northeastern BWCAW. In July 2006 the Cavity Lake fire burned over
   30,000 acres (125 km²), while the Turtle Lake Fire burned 2,000 acres
   (8 km²).

Wildlife

   Gray wolf
   Enlarge
   Gray wolf

   Animals native to the region include moose, beaver, bears, bobcats,
   bald eagles, peregrine falcons and loons. The Boundary Waters is within
   the range of the largest population of wolves in the continental United
   States, as well as an unknown number of Canada lynx. Woodland caribou
   once inhabited the region but have since disappeared due to loss of
   habitat, encroachment by deer, and the brainworm parasite carried by
   deer which is lethal to caribou. Increasing deer numbers may also
   affect the future of vegetation in this region as they favour some
   species over others, such as white cedar.

Human history

Native peoples

   Within the BWCAW are hundreds of prehistoric pictographs and
   petroglyphs on rock ledges and cliffs. The BWCAW is part of the
   historic homeland of the Ojibwe people, who traveled the waterways in
   canoes made of birch bark. Prior to Ojibwe settlement, the area was
   sparsely populated by the Sioux who dispersed westward following the
   arrival of the Ojibwe. The Grand Portage Indian Reservation, just east
   of the BWCAW at the settlement of Grand Portage, is home to a number of
   Ojibwe to this day.

The fur trade

   A Voyageur canoe during the fur trade era
   Enlarge
   A Voyageur canoe during the fur trade era

   In 1688, the French explorer Jacques de Noyon became the first European
   to travel through the Boundary Waters. Later during the 1730s, La
   Verendrye and others opened the region to trade, mainly in beaver
   pelts. By the end of the 18th century, the fur trade had been organized
   into groups of canoe-paddling voyageurs working for the competing North
   West and Hudson's Bay Companies, with a North West Company fort located
   at Grand Portage on Lake Superior.

Development and protection

   In the 1920s Edward Backus, a local industrialist, proposed building
   several dams in the region, which was successfully opposed by Ernest
   Oberholtzer. By 1926, the Superior Roadless Area had been designated by
   the U.S. Forest Service, offering some protection from mining, logging,
   and hydroelectric projects. The Wilderness Act of 1964 made the BWCAW
   legal wilderness as a unit of the National Wilderness Preservation
   System, while the 1978 BWCA Act established the Boundary Waters
   regulations much as they are today with motors allowed only on a few
   large entry point lakes.

   Several aspects of the management of the BWCAW remain controversial
   today, including the use of motorboats, snowmobiles, motorized
   portages, permit availability and allocation, as well as suggestions to
   expand the wilderness area.

Recreation

   Canoes on Saganaga Lake, BWCAW
   Enlarge
   Canoes on Saganaga Lake, BWCAW

   The BWCAW contains over a thousand lakes and attracts visitors with its
   reputation for canoeing, canoe touring, fishing, backpacking, dog
   sledding, and remote wilderness character. Permits are required for all
   overnight visits to the wilderness area. The BWCAW is one of
   Minnesota's top tourist attractions, drawing visitors from all over the
   United States as well as abroad.

Canoeing

   Although there are numerous campgrounds surrounding the wilderness,
   most campsites in the BWCAW are accessible only by water. As of 1999,
   about 75% of the BWCAW's water area was reserved for non-motorized boat
   travel. Most lakes and rivers are interconnected by portage trails,
   resulting in over 1000 miles (1,600 km) of canoe routes. Routes are
   easily chosen by selecting chains of lakes and portages of any length
   and difficulty. Some of the most popular entry points include Lake One,
   Trout Lake, Moose Lake, and Snowbank Lake near Ely, Saganaga Lake and
   Seagull Lake at the end of the Gunflint Trail, and Sawbill Lake near
   Tofte.

   Canoe campers often use Duluth packs, designed for easy portaging and
   loading in canoes, to carry their gear.

Fishing

   Fishing in the BWCAW can be some of the best in Minnesota. Game species
   include northern pike, walleye, largemouth and smallmouth bass, yellow
   perch, whitefish, and lake trout, among others. Popular lures include
   rapalas, jigs, and spoons, while live bait such as leeches are also
   used. Multi-sectioned or collapsible fishing rods are often used for
   ease in carrying while portaging.

Hiking

   Sunset over Pose Lake, a small lake accessible only by foot.
   Enlarge
   Sunset over Pose Lake, a small lake accessible only by foot.

   In addition to shorter trails to Eagle Mountain, Magnetic Rock, and
   Angleworm Lake, the Boundary Waters has several long-distance trails.
   The Border Route Trail runs east-west for over 60 miles through the
   eastern BWCAW, following the ridges between the long border lakes such
   as Loon, South, and Rose. Eventually, a connection is planned from the
   eastern end of the Border Route Trail to the northern end of the
   Superior Hiking Trail. The Kekekabic Trail traverses the Boundary
   Waters from the Gunflint Trail on the east to Snowbank Lake on the west
   and is the only footpath through the centre of the wilderness. There
   are also three longer loop trails in the Boundary Waters: the Pow Wow
   Trail, the Snowbank Lake Trail, and the Sioux-Hustler Trail. These
   longer trails see a variable amount of maintenance; current conditions
   should be determined locally before use.

Notable people

   Sigurd Olson, Minnesota author and conservationist, wrote extensively
   about the Boundary Waters and worked to ensure preservation of the
   wilderness. Dorothy Molter, known as the "Rootbeer Lady," lived alone
   in the BWCAW for 56 years until her death in 1986.
   Retrieved from "
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundary_Waters_Canoe_Area_Wilderness"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
