In the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, every portage and campsite tells a story — of paddlers, of time, and of the people who care for this place. In this episode, we hear from Brian Miller and Zac Bair from Conservation Corps Minnesota and Iowa, and Cathy Quinn from the Superior National Forest, about their partnership to restore and maintain trails, portages, and campsites deep in the BWCAW.

From hauling tools across lakes to balancing restoration work with keeping the wilderness wild, this is a behind-the-scenes look at the hard work that helps keep the Boundary Waters healthy and accessible for generations to come.

Show Notes:

Superior National Forest

Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa

Join CCMI

Donate here: 

https://conservationcorps.secure.nonprofitsoapbox.com/support-the-corps

Visit ElyMN

Forests thrive when people work together. In this episode, we talk with Kes Ebbs of The Nature Conservancy and Teresa Floberg of Dovetail Partners about partnering with the U.S. Forest Service to keep Northeastern Minnesota’s woods healthy and resilient.

Show Notes:

Dovetail Partners

The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota

Superior National Forest

Minnesota Arrowhead Region - Fire Adapted Communities

Environmental Quality Incentives Program - Minnesota

MN DNR Cost Share for Woodland Owners

Soil & Water Conservation Districts for the MN Arrowhead

https://www.nslswcd.org/

https://www.southstlouisswcd.org/

https://www.co.lake.mn.us/soil-and-water-conservation-district/

https://www.co.cook.mn.us/government/departments/soil_and_water/index.php

https://www.itascaswcd.org/

On this episode of the Forest North Podcast, we hear from Willy Tully, External Relations Director of Wilderness Inquiry, about breaking down barriers to the outdoors. We explore how their programs connect people to nature, public lands, and each other through stories of inclusion and adventure. Discover how Wilderness Inquiry is making wild places accessible for all.

Show Notes:

• Wilderness Inquiry website
• Canoemobile page
• Blog featuring Wilderness Inquiry / Forest Service partnership
• Blog featuring a youth trip to the BWCA 
• Follow Wilderness Inquiry on social:
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildernessInquiry/
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildernessinquiry/
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wilderness-inquiry/
• Superior National Forest
• Visit Ely MN Podcasts

Charley Langowski is the Executive Director of Northern Bedrock Historic Preservation Corps, a Minnesota-based nonprofit dedicated to preserving historic structures and landscapes while developing the next generation of preservation professionals. Through hands-on training and meaningful service projects, Northern Bedrock provides young adults with pathways into traditional trades and cultural resource management.

Show Notes:

About Us | Northern Bedrock

Program | Northern Bedrock

Halfway Ranger Station | Northern Bedrock

Superior National Forest

On this episode, Kawishiwi District Ranger Aaron Kania returns, along with Nickie Johnny, and Brian Leitinger who are both part of the Forest Service’s National Incident Management Organization, or NIMO. They join me to talk about the Jenkins Creek Fire that touched off in early May on the Forest, southeast of Hoyt Lakes.

Show Notes:

National Incident Management Organization (NIMO)

Bonnie Schudy is Campus Director at the Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center on the Gunflint Trail, a place rich with both cultural heritage and natural wonder. Bonnie has spent more than thirty years on the Gunflint Trail, paddling the Boundary Waters and Quetico, fishing through hard and soft water seasons, and witnessing the challenges and progress of the Gunflint Trail over the last few decades. 

We'll talk about the transformation of Chik-Wauk from a beloved wilderness resort to a vibrant museum, the role of the Gunflint Trail Historical Society, and what it takes to call this 57 mile long driveway to the boundary waters, home.

Episode Links:

Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center

Chik-Wauk AllSky Camera

Loon Nest Cam

On this episode, Jo Swanson returns. Jo was part of our fourth episode, talking about her role as Executive Director of Northwoods volunteer connection, a forest stewardship organization that partners with the US Forest Service. After ten years in operation, they have a new name -friends of the superior national forest- and a renewed commitment to helping care for or public public lands here in the arrowhead region of Minnesota. 

Friends of the Superior National Forest Website

Superior National Forest Home Page

Carl Layman, is a Silviclturist on the Laurentian Ranger District of the Superior National Forest. We talk about the challenges and rewards of managing a forest, and how silviculture helps shape the landscapes we love.

Integrated Vegetation Management

Forest Service Silviculture

Dan Ryan is a Wildlife Biologist on the Laurentian District of the Superior National Forest, and Taylor Brannock is a Biological Science Technician on the Kawishiwi District. They join this episode to talk about tracking and researching that iconic and elusive Northwoods cat, the Canada lynx.

Show Notes:

Annual Lynx Monitoring Report

Draft Lynx Recovery Plan

Report Lynx sightings

The Fernberg Project press release

Erik Redix, Ojibwe Language Coordinator with the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa joins this episode, along with Superior National Forest Archeologist Lee Johnson who returns to Forest North, to talk about the Ojibwe language, or Ojibwemowin, and some of the original place names in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Superior National Forest and the North Shore of Lake Superior.


Show Notes:

Ojibwe People's Dictionary | the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

https://www.nps.gov/grpo/learn/historyculture/north-shore-place-names.htm

https://openrivers.lib.umn.edu/article/rivers-north-shore-ojibwe-dialects/

Anishinaabe Bizindamoo Makak | WTIP