Climate change isn’t something most BWCA enthusiasts think of in early January.

On the day permits for the upcoming paddling season go live – as they did Jan. 25 this year – the bulk of those people planning a canoe trip made their reservations for the upcoming season with winter still in full force. A warming planet seems an afterthought on such occasions.

In this episode of the podcast, hosts Joe Friedrichs and Matthew Baxley explore the notion of where climate change fits into the planning (if at all) and adventures of an average canoe trip to the Boundary Waters. To add context, they bring in two of Minnesota’s two top climate experts: Pete Boulay, assistant state climatologist with the Minnesota State Climatology Office who works for the DNR; and Peter Reich, a renowned expert in forest ecology and a professor at both the University of Minnesota and University of Michigan, who has done extensive research on how climate change is and will impact the Boundary Waters.

This episode has nothing to do with proving or debunking climate change. This is about the intersection of canoe tripping in the Boundary Waters and the future of the wilderness.