Masthead photo: JimBrandenburg.com ! Printed on paper using 100% post-consumer waste, processed chlorine free.

This September, we celebrate the 50th Anniversary

of the Wilderness Act, a piece of legislation that
has indelibly shaped the American relationship
between humanity and the natural world. Its often
been said that the Wilderness Act is unlike most
pieces of legislation in its nearly poetic treatment of
the legal sub-
ject that it ad-
dresses. That
should be no
surprise, con-
sidering that wilderness is a
subject, legal or otherwise, that
is best expressed in words that
go beyond the mundane and
everyday.
Its also unsurprising that
the newsletters of the Friends
of the Boundary Waters have
frequently returned to the
subject of the Wilderness Act
and the underlying concept
of wilderness. On this an-
niversary, we decided to look
back across the sweep of this
writing and discovered a few
gems that wed like to share
with you.
As we sifted through four
decades of writing, it was striking how many of the contemporary
challenges we face in preserving the BWCAW are the same chal-
lenges that generations before us confronted. Protecting water
from copper-nickel sulfide mining, preserving the solitude of
wilderness, and the preserving a place held in abeyance from the
hustle and bustle of everyday modern life are some of these
evergreen conservation challenges.
However, there are emerging threats that demand our attention
too. Humanitys influence on the climate is something that we
cannot stop by drawing a line on a map. The onslaught of 24/7
communication technology calls us to return to core principles and
articulate the value of wilderness in an ever-changing society.
Our love for the Boundary Waters must be passed on through
the generations so that we are building the next generation of
wilderness advocates.
In the spirit of what we have accomplished and the challenges that
lie ahead, let us reflect upon and celebrate the Wilderness Acts 50th
Anniversary, and re-commit ourselves to upholding the key principles
it enshrined in law.
Far more t han merel y a
recreational area, wilderness
offers society an outlet for
refuge from the contemporary
world of industrialized living
and structured order. A wilder-
ness experience allows people
to forget about the career, the
mortgage, their everyday lives
and allows them to live
simply, cl ose t o nat ure, and
in harmony with life. It re-
minds us all that there is a vast
world around us, teeming with
beauty, vitality, and wonder.
Wilderness is the opposite of
civilization unscheduled,
non-sanitary, never dull or
mundane, and uninhabited. It is
a place to escape worries and
simply live.
To quote the naturalist John Muir, Climb the mountains and get
their good tidings. Natures peace will flow into you as sunshine flows
into trees. The winds blow their own freshness into you, and the
storms their energy, while cares drop away like autumn leaves. Muir
foresaw a day when people would flock to wilderness, tired and
weary, looking for redemption and renewal in the wild. Or, as Sigurd
Olson exclaimed, When one finally arrives at a point where schedules
are forgotten, and becomes immersed in ancient rhythms, one begins
to live. Wilderness acts as a catalyst, propelling visitors beyond their
normal routine into a world of timelessness, adventure, and awe.
Andrew Marchand, The Enigma of Wilderness and
Its Value to American Society. BWCA Wilderness News, Summer 1997.
The Wilderness Act at 50:
Retrospective and Perspective
A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where
man and his own works dominate the landscape,
is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and
its community of life are untrammeled by man, where
man himself is a visitor who does not remain []
In order to assure that increasing population,
accompanied by expanding settlement and growing
mechanization, does not occupy and modify all areas
with the United States and its possessions, leaving no
lands designated for preservation and protection in their
natural condition, it is hereby declared to be the policy
of Congress to secure for the American people of
present and future generations the benefits of
an enduring resource of wilderness.
- Wilderness Act of 1964
The Wilderness Act at 50 continued on page 7.
The Friends mission is to protect, preserve and restore the wilderness character of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
and the Quetico-Superior Ecosystem. The organization was founded in 1976.
S U MME R 2 0 1 4 V OL U ME 3 5
!
I S S U E 2
02
One of my old bosses liked to form
important messages into packages
including groups of three main
points. Always three. Even if there
were only two critical points she
would add a third of her own mak-
ing to round it up to the favorite
odd number. I like thinking in
groups of three as well and her
mantra kind of stuck, which does
create the fear of a Rick Perry
moment in case that last one isnt
really important and gets forgotten.
Thinking about advocacy over the last five years I find that three
characteristics are essential to doing it in a high-quality fashion. If you
look around at the people and groups creating impact and making
real change on conservation or social issues today, you will find them.
Those three characteristics are passion, action and collaboration. That
third characteristic is no less important than the other two.
In conservation, far too often we use war metaphors - our fight
for the Boundary Waters, needing a win on this front. While often-
times conservationists are embroiled in situations that could easily be
described as hostile, even desperate, it is helpful to try to think in new
ways that break out of a win/lose paradigm and open our eyes to
possibilities we may not have seen before. Thinking in terms of
passion, action and collaboration help us to do that when thinking
of wilderness and the people who love it.
Without passion there likely would be no Wilderness Act. Fifty years
ago it was signed by Lyndon Johnson, but that only is a tenth of the
story. It started years before in a room in Ernest Oberholtzers Big
House on Mallard Island, Rainy Lake. There, several passionate
conservationists began turning their vision into a bill to set aside lands
throughout the nation that would be protected from manipulation by
human deeds. Passion led to action and inspired others to show up
with their best self, building the movement.
Action is what we all want from everyone who loves and uses the
wilderness. No one could say there wasnt action by people in the late 70s
to bring wilderness to the forefront of Boundary Waters management.
Reading the stories of the era you would think many people never slept
for about four years! You can have a bunch of passionate folks but without
action their ability to create change is minimal and interest will eventually
be lost to other, pressing issues. We have no shortage of them these days.
That brings us to collaboration. Ian Kimmer, who leaves Friends
after three years of truly groundbreaking work in northern Minnesota,
once said something to me I wont soon forget. After spending
months examining how northern Minnesota communities define
themselves and how the Friends can best play a productive role in
these communities, he said We will go so much farther together,
than the Friends can go alone.
Collaboration can be difficult. Sometimes goals cannot be agreed upon
and strategies to reach common goals can be even more challenging to
define. But collaboration is not a throwaway piece. Without it we can only
hope to kick the can down the road, or make it only half the way. The
wilderness needs all of us to value it, not just a fraction of the whole.
Theres never been a shortage of passion and action in the cause to
protect the Boundary Waters. Our work to ensure that the BWCAW is
cherished and protected for generations depends on collaboration that
builds the constituency for wilderness, even as we work with people who
may value it in a different way than we do. Collaboration is where the
Friends does our best work, and we will always hold it front and center.!
Executive Directors Corner
Executive Director, Paul Danicic Ian Kimmer, departing Northern Communities Director.
A little over three years ago Friends fulfilled a long-held vision of
establishing a foundation of advocacy and deeper partnerships in
northern Minnesota. We knew that the legacy of the wilderness
includes both the incredible gifts it has given generations of visitors
and the challenges of building sustainable rural communities around
a protected place. We aimed to listen and learn from everyone in the
region while being a strong advocate for this incredible landscape.
Whether community meetings in Aurora, business groups in
Duluth, outfitters in Ely, congressional offices, around coffee tables or
through the media, the first three years of our northern communities
work have exceeded our expectations in so many ways. We have, by
what many around the Arrowhead have said to us, defined environ-
mental leadership for years to come as strong, intelligent, truthful,
stable, respectful, compassionate, fun and modern.
It has been one of the great honors of my life to serve as the first
Northern Communities Director for Friends. I am incredibly proud of
the work we have done to lead the efforts to protect the Boundary
Waters, Superior National Forest, Lake Superior and beyond. We have
reached tens of thousands of people and raised awareness and
engagement to unprecedented heights.
My tenure concluded June 30, 2014. I am very excited to help the
next Northern Communities Director build from our first three years
of work and experience. It will be an exciting time for Friends as we
more forward from our very well built foundation. The times have
changed since 2011 today we have great partners and a lot of
attention on critical issues like sulfide mining. I encourage all of the
Friends of the Boundary Waters to help support all the work to come
for Friends in northern Minnesota.!
Ian Kimmer departs
as Northern Communities Director
The Arrowhead Story
Releases Second Album
In his work as Friends Northern Communi-
ties Director, Ian Kimmer worked closely
with Duluth-area artists and musicians.
One group he collaborated with was
the Arrowhead Story, who just released
their second album addressing sulfide
mining through music. It includes tracks
from The Boomchucks, Tin Can Gin,
Ariane Norrgard, and many other members of the vibrant
Duluth music scene. Order Industry.Peace.Environment.Two
at http://thearrowhead story.bandcamp.com !
FRIENDS OF THE BOUNDARY WATERS WILDERNESS ! SUMMER 2014 03
By Pete Fleming
As I write my last Chair message
I have reflected on the past
three years accomplishments and
tried to think of new things to
communicate to our members.
What I find is that the things
to communicate have pretty
much remained part of consis-
tent themes. The new is the
continuous progress to report.
Lets take a look at some of our
important themes.
Development
We have worked hard to build strong long lasting relationships
with you, our members, so that you understand the issues and know
the importance of your contributions. Over the last three years our
number of annual contributors have grown 10% and individual
contributions 47%. We have successfully established an important
and respected physical presence in northern Minnesota and look
forward to building on that work as we hire our next Northern
Communities Director.
Issues
The number one issue we work on is the copper/nickel mining
threat. This threat is manifold, including polluted water from reac-
tion of sulfide minerals with air and water, leading to degradation of
the Quetico-Superior ecosystem. But beyond the direct mine site
threat is the industrialization from roads, rails, pipelines and tailings
dumps of the land surrounding the BWCAW. Its a huge threat which
needs to be stopped.
Cooperation with other groups
It is critical that environmental groups work together on stopping
the mining threat. Friends has taken the lead through the Mining
Truth Coalition which has helped raise awareness of sulfide mining
from almost unknown to well over half of Minnesotans. In addition
we are connected to every other conservation group working on this
issue. Collaboration is critical to moving forward.
People
Friends has a motivated, hard working, competent staff linked
closely with a passionate and engaged Board. We have a great team
and we are able to attract outstanding staff and Board members. And
of course, our organization has you, our members and contributors
as its strong foundation. Thank you for helping us generate more
effective and wide-reaching efforts to deal with threats facing the
wild character of the BWCAW.
This newsletter should help you understand what we are doing.
Please call or write us if you want to discuss issues or just connect
further with the Friends. Thanks again for your support.!
Pete Fleming has served as Friends Board Chair since 2011, and has
been a member of the Board since 2007. Thanks to Pete for his
service to the organization, and his important work to protect the
Boundary Waters.
Board Chair Pete Fleming
In deep appreciation of,
and admiration for Fern Arpi
Chairs Corner
By Dave Zentner
As many members of Friends
know, we all lost our valued
friend, and servant of common
good, Fern Arpi this year. Fern's
passing jogged memories among
many of her friends. Fern was not
only dedicated to our planet's
conservation in conversation, she
was courageous in her personal
actions. Hers were often the
actions of conserving wild land,
and special places like our
BWCAW. For many years Fern Arpi and family resided in Virginia,
Minnesota. Creating wilderness and national parks were not high on
the applause meter of many of her neighbors. Fern was not intimi-
dated by what others thought. She would have angrily scolded herself
for not doing the task that needed doing. To Fern Arpi, the need to
support wilderness was compelling.
She could be very direct, and seldom paused at any opportunity
to publish her point of view. She also, however, had an amazing smile
and a twinkle in her eye that I see as I type these words. I can hear
her voice, and her questions directed to her conservation associates
if she suspected that we might not be doing quite enough to lead by
example, commitment, and personal dedication.
As time passed, Ferns energy did not seem to diminish. She
moved to Duluth where she carried on by immersing herself in Uni-
versity for Seniors, and in every public session involving conservation
and wild lands she could find! She took care of her physical, and I
suspect, psychological health by doing a lot of hiking. I saw her often
as she walked around the Duluth area. Weather was seldom a factor.
In the coldest of winter days Fern was out and about, and always with
that smile and twinkle.
I know Fern would have been with us this coming September as
we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of our 1964 Wilderness Act. In fact,
I know that she will be with us. She is unforgettable, a treasure of
memories to hold close. One does not need to be in every essay on
the subject of wilderness to have made a difference. Fern's name may
be household to a very limited audience, but none of that mattered
to her. She demonstrated how important each and every living human
is to the success of great causes.!
Dave Zentner is a retired businessman and avid hunter, angler
and conservationist especially active in the Izaak Walton League.
He lives in Duluth, Minnesota. Thanks to him for writing this
remembrance.
Fern Arpi (left) with Kris Wegerson.
04
By Betsy Daub, Policy Director
Wilderness Air Quality
In June, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took an
important step in protecting the air quality of the Boundary Waters
Wilderness and other treasured public lands in the region. After
years of delay, the EPA agreed to revisit the pollution control plan
for Xcel Energys Sherburn County Generating Station (Sherco).
Sherco is Minnesotas dirtiest coal-fired power plant and a major
contributor to haze that is unhealthy for people and obscures views
at the BWCAW and Voyageurs and Isle Royale National Parks. The
EPAs commitment comes as a result of a lawsuit brought by a group
of clean air advocates, including the Friends of the Boundary Waters
Wilderness, the National Parks Conservation Association, Sierra Club,
Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Voyageurs National
Park Association and Fresh Energy. The EPA has agreed to act on
a 2009 certification by the National Park Service that Sherco is
impairing national park visibility. The agency will propose a plan by
February 27th, 2015 and finalize a plan by the end of August 2015.
EPAs obligation is based on the Clean Air Acts requirement to
protect Americas national parks and wilderness areas from
air pollution.
Twin Metals
The proposed Twin Metals Mine next to the
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
anticipates releasing more details about their
mine plan this summer in a pre-feasibility
study. The Friends will analyze that informa-
tion and share it with our members when it is
available. Twin Metals is also seeking renewal
of two key mineral leases in the area they seek
to mine. The Friends is concerned that these
leases, dating back to 1966, have never been
analyzed for their potential environmental
impacts should the deposit be developed for
a mine. The Bureau of Land Management may
release an Environmental Assessment of the
leases this summer. The Friends will alert our
members when the proposal is ready for
public comment.
In a surprise move, one of the Twin Metals
partners, Chilean mining company Antofagasta, announced in July
that it has declined its option to become majority owner of the joint
venture. Antofagasta has put in the majority of the money used for
the development of the proposed mine so far. Duluth Metals, now
the majority owner, is a junior mining company that will need to find
new sources of money to continue developing the proposed mine.
What these actions mean for the development of the Twin Metals
proposal is not yet clear. Duluth Metals has 180 days to buy out
Antofagastas share of the project, but they would probably have to
find a new major mining company partner to do so. Antofagasta
announced that they are evaluating what to do with their remaining
stake in the Twin Metals project. The Friends continues to monitor
the situation and its implications for protecting the Boundary Waters
from sulfide mining pollution.
Policy Updates
3,800
comments
1st PolyMet
Proposal
120
comments
MN Steel
Proposal
52,000
comments
2nd PolyMet
Proposal
PolyMet
The Friends and our conservation partners helped turn out a record
public response to the PolyMet mine proposals Supplemental Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS). Over the 90 day comment
period which ended mid-March, 4,300 people attended public hearings
and 52,000 individuals submitted comments.The Friends and our
Mining Truth partners generated nearly 12,000 of these comments
through our outreach efforts. This is a Minnesota record for public
participation in a comment period of this type. The Friends hosted
dozens of public information events, met with hundreds of members
and supporters, and placed millions of online ads to generate this level
of engagement.
We also conducted a thorough analysis of the complex project and
submitted a detailed, substantive response outlining multiple areas of
concern about the projects design and environmental impacts. The
Friends engaged several technical experts in hydrology, geochemistry
and mine engineering to help us analyze the proposed mines details.
Our analysis identified that despite four years of revisions, PolyMet's
proposal includes incorrect data, suffers from overly optimistic assump-
tions, and requires significant additional study. The US Environmental
Protection Agency agreed with many of our experts in their comment
letter. We are working to ensure this information is used by regulators
as they continue to evaluate the project.!
11,600comments generated through
online platforms, from 7,562 individuals
FRIENDS OF THE BOUNDARY WATERS WILDERNESS ! SUMMER 2014 05
Friends Partners with YMCA
on Youth Conference on State Issues
In June, the Friends
partnered with the
YMCA Twin Cities
Youth In Government
program to co-sponsor
their 2014 Youth Con-
ference on State Issues
(YCSI) an annual
event that gives teens a
chance to explore new
ideas and make their
voices heard on com-
plex social issues.
Executive Director
Paul Danicic opened
the three-day conference with an address that challenged the seventy
student participants to think critically about the environmental issues
that face Minnesota and to take action in their own lives and commu-
nities. Later in the conference, Policy Director Betsy Daub led a session
on the environmental risks associated with sulfide mining.
The guiding question for the 2014 conference was, How do we
avoid the environmental apocalypse? A complex and weighty question
for sure, but one that encompasses real and contemporary concerns.
To tackle this issue, students were divided into six committees
Conservation, Natural Resources, Planning & Development, Agriculture
& Food Systems, Waste Management, and Energywhere they
conducted background research and attended presentations on topics
like energy production, waste processing, food distribution, and natural
resource management. Following the learning sessions, each commit-
tee debated the diverse viewpoints of their topics and developed
resolutions that were presented to the full assembly.
The creativity and understanding of the YCSI participants was truly
impressive and shone through in their presentation of real solutions
to some of Minnesotas most challenging environmental questions.
Perhaps one of the most valuable details of the YCSI program is that
the conference is entirely student run, allowing teens to develop leader-
ship skills and confidence in sharing and advocating for their viewpoints.
As a part of our mission to nurture and develop the next generation
of environmental stewards, the Friends was honored to co-host this
event. It is our hope that through the ability to understand complex
issues and work through the democratic process, these youth will
continue to have a positive impact on their communities and landscapes.
Thanks for the opportunity YCSI!!
Friends Director Paul Danicic opens the YCSI conference.
The Friends continues to seek out new ways to engage people in
celebrating and appreciating the Boundary Waters Wilderness. To
celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act, weve
teamed up with nine of the top craft breweries in Minnesota. Theyre
competing in five categories that represent themes reflected in the
Wilderness Act: untrammeled, nature, tranquil, rugged adventure
and camaraderie. A panel of judges will conduct a tasting in August,
and we will unveil the winners of the first-ever Brews and Canoes
competition at an event on September 10th.
We are thrilled to have some of Minnesotas finest breweries
stepping up to the challenge of the Brews and Canoes competition,
and we wish them the best of luck in capturing the quintessential
taste of the states great outdoors, said Executive Director
Paul Danicic. For years the Wilderness Act has helped preserve the
Boundary Waters so generations of families and friends can enjoy its
tranquil surroundings and make memories that last a lifetime. The
Brews and Canoes program is a unique way for Minnesotans to pay
tribute to this historic anniversary and learn more about how we all
can continue to keep the Boundary Waters protected.
Youll get a chance to sample the results of the competition at a
ticketed tasting event at Aria in Minneapolis on Wednesday,
September 10. The event will feature samples of the commemo-
rative collection, live music and the announcement of champion
beers in categories including Best Northern Lights (light-bodied,
light-colored beers including but not limited to lagers and pilsners);
Best Night Skies (heavy-bodied, dark-colored beers including
but not limited to ales and stouts); Fish Frys Finest (best beer
pairing with a shore lunch); Best Campfire Companion (best beer
to drink around a campfire with friends); and Call of the Wild (most
pioneering brew or experimental beer).!
Turn to p. 8 to learn how you can buy tickets for this event. You
wont want to miss it!
Brews and Canoes:
A Unique Celebration of Wilderness
As part of our mission to develop
the next generation of wilderness
stewards, the Friends was happy to
provide a small stipend for students
from Elk River to travel to Washing-
ton, DC for the National History Day
competition. Heres a letter we got
from them after they returned.
Dear Friends of the Boundary Waters,
We have just returned from Washington, DC and the National
History Day Competition. Our Canoes & Controversy entry went
really well and we could not be more proud of our girls. The competi-
tion in our performance category was fierce and we did not make the
top 3. We were able to talk to many people from many states (and a
few international regions). Some had heard of the BWCAW and some
hadn't. We took every opportunity to introduce this amazing wilderness
to anyone who would listen.
Thank you again for your part in helping the girls participate in
this amazing educational adventure!
Best wishes and blessings to all.!
From Jenine Rumreich on behalf of Elizabeth Rumreich, Sarah
Merkling and Jenna Olawsky. Salk Middle School, Elk River, MN
National History Day
06
Internship Corner
Photo Contest a Big Success
Thank You Loll
Friends leading at regional and
national wilderness conferences
As part of our mission to develop the next generation of wilder-
ness stewards, the Friends is blessed to work with amazing in-
terns. Aubrey Tyler worked in the Friends office this spring, and
heres what she had to say about it.
As I headed into my final semester
at St. Olaf this past spring I knew I
wanted to gain experience in the
world of environmental policy. I
applied to intern with the Friends
because they had clear goals for
addressing environmental injus-
tices and are effective at accom-
plishing those goals. I was excited
to be a part of a small (but mighty)
nonprofit that was not only
advocating for something I believe
in, but allowed me to take on my
own projects, giving me a taste of what a career in the nonprofit sector
could be like. There were many highlights of my time with the Friends
including doing cabin owner and grant research, staffing a table at the
Midwest Outdoor Expo, attending a board meeting, designing a photo
contest, meeting prominent local and national figures in environmental
advocacy, becoming fluent in issues regarding PolyMet, and designing
the logo for the Brews and Canoes event.
My semester with the Friends led to a full time position with
a Minneapolis nonprofit where I use the skills I learned during my
internship daily. I could not be happier with what I learned during my
time there and would be hard-pressed to find a more encouraging,
welcoming staff towards their interns. I left at the end of the semester
not only feeling prepared to for the job I have now, but also with
valuable connections to the Friends staff. I am excited to stay connected
to the Friends as a volunteer, and to see them continue to protect the
wildness and beauty of the BWCAW. !
Friends intern Aubrey Tyler
On the Water at Daylight. Photo by Jay Miller
The occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act is inspiring
people across the U.S. to reflect on the meaning and importance of
wilderness. The Friends is participating in two wilderness conferences,
one in Duluth in September and a nationwide Wilderness Conference
in Albuquerque, New Mexico in October.
The Lake Superior Wilderness Confer-
ence will be held at the Inn on Lake Supe-
rior in Duluth on September 5th and 6th.
The Friends is co-sponsoring the conference
with Northland College, Wilderness Watch,
Izaak Walton League, North Country Trail
Association, the National Parks Conservation
Association, Wilderness Society and the Sierra Club. It also includes
a performance of the one-man play Aldo Leopold: A Standard
of Change. You can attend registration is $60 and is open until
August 29th at http://www.northland.edu/wilderness.htm
The National Wilderness Conference will be held in Albu-
querque, New Mexico, October 15th 19th. This will be the
largest gathering of wilderness land managers, nonprofits and wilder-
ness advocate in over 25 years, and will culminate in a film gala and
the public Get Wild! Festival. Learn more about the National Wilder-
ness Conference at http://www.wilderness50th.org/conference.php
Friends Executive Director Paul Danicic will present about the
Friends work in the Heart of the Continent Partnership to the regional
and national conferences. Were proud to share our work to protect
the Boundary Waters Wilderness with wilderness leaders from across
the country.!
The Friends Facebook page has been conducting a photo contest this
summer. Over 300 entries are competing for the top prize, a print of
their victorious image professionally framed by photographer
Benjamin Olson.Check out his amazing nature photography at
http://www.benjamin-olson.com. All of the entries will be used in
our advocacy work to keep the Boundary Waters wild. Be sure to
like us on Facebook to keep up with contests like this one!!
Loll Designs is an environmentally conscious out-
door furniture designer and manufacturer focused
on distinctive and modern design, located in Duluth,
Minnesota. Theyve supported our work to protect
the Boundary Waters since 2008. Thanks Loll!
Check out their line of outdoor furniture made with
recycled materials at http://www.lolldesigns.com. !
New look for Friends
You may have noticed our
new masthead, featuring the
Friends new logo designed
by Mike Tincher of T DESIGN.
Weve been rolling out our
new look over the last few
months, and its now featured
on our social media and
newsletter. Also, well soon
have new merchandise using
the new logo, so be sure to
keep your eye on our website
and Facebook page. !
FRIENDS OF THE BOUNDARY WATERS WILDERNESS ! SUMMER 2014 07
The Wilderness Act at 50 continued from page 1.
Shell Lake at sunset off the Little Indian Sioux River, BWCAW, Summer 2002. Photo by Mike Tincher
Some people today look at the Boundary Waters as a resource to be
exploited. To them it represents timber, potential copper and nickel
ore, jobs, and money. This traditional viewpoint is not to be scoffed
at. Most of us live in houses, drive cars, and work at jobs that would
not exist if that point of view was completely overruled. But to
insist that every square mile of the United States be subjected to
exploitation is clearly unreasonable []
There will always be those who would turn the last stands of virgin
timber in the Boundary Waters into magazines and waste paper, who
would trade its cold, clean waters for cold, clean cash. There will never
be a law so perfect and immutable that the Boundary Waters can be
considered saved forever. But good protective laws and informed
citizens can do the job.
Miron L. Bud Heinselman,
Your Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Needs Help, Now!
August 30, 1976.
It would be remarkable if each us didnt come to love wilderness first
as a particular place where we walked, paddled, camped, marveled.
Understandably, that first wild place in our hearts often remains the
most vivid its moods and contours and challenges the very images
our minds play back to illuminate the word wilderness.
But at some point there is transformation. Love of a place becomes
love of an idea, and of ideal. If it didnt, there would be no American
wilderness movement and we are a movement. It was not born of a
thousand or a million affinities, each for one special place, isolated
from others loves of their own special places. It drew breath
when we began to sense that our first wild place and others were
profoundly alike for all their differences. Parochial affections swelled
beyond personal geography and flowed into the shimmering,
vivifying realm of Idea.
Wilderness as venue became wilderness as vision. Antagonists
chide us with the charge that wilderness is an artificial, human,
legalistic notion; that few places, if any, remain unmarked by human
passage, presence and appetites. That charge is two things: true as an
intellectual proposition, and meaningless as a practical one.
In 1964, the Congress might have shrugged and said that because
we had changed so much of our world, there was little sense in worry-
ing about what was left: too late, too bad, missed opportunity. Oh, well.
It very specifically didnt say that. Instead, it passed the Wilderness
Act, simultaneously a statement of contrition and hope. []
In passing the Wilderness Act, the Congress stated, in effect, and as
a matter of American public policy, that untrammeled lands in the
federal estate would endure as surrogates for what once was all
around us. (A trammel is a trap, a hobble, a restraint. Wilderness is
the antithesis.) The perfect was mostly gone, but we could strive to
protect the remained: the merely magnificent.
Darrell Knuffke, The Vitality of the Wilderness Idea.
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness Newsletter, Fall 2007.
Wilderness provides a place where one can go to find peace within
oneself and to remember the important things in life. Sig Olson felt
that wilderness had to do with the human spirit. What we are trying
to preserve, he said, is not scenery as much as the human spirit itself.
Not only has wilderness been a force in molding our character as a
people, he wrote, but its influence continues, and will if we are wise
enough to preserve it on this continent, be a stabilizing power as well
as a spiritual reserve for the human spirit.
Barbara Manahan, Wilderness Preservation,
BWCA Wilderness News, Spring/Summer 1994.
Passage of the Wilderness Act marked a maturation of our society;
we had outgrown our earlier view of taming the wilderness and
settling the frontier that had marked much of our nations history up
to that point. Rather, with the passage of this new law, our country
embraced the concept of preserving the remnants of wild America as
an enduring resource of wilderness for the public, where undevel-
oped landscapes and the natural forces that shaped them would be
allowed to continue wild and free from our societys increasingly
capable means of modifying, changing and taming the land. The
Wilderness Act represented no small measure of humility on our part,
as our country said, in wilderness areas, we will not tinker, we will
not dominate, the land even though we could.
Kevin Proescholdt, The Wilderness Act at 35.
BWCA Wilderness News, Autumn 1999.
Postscript: While paging through our archives, we discovered that a
number of the early newsletters in our files had cancelled stamps and
were addressed to Fern Arpi, one of the founding members of the
Friends. Shed returned them to our office for preservation. She
recently passed away, and you can read a memorial to her and her
work to preserve the Boundary Waters on page 3.
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STAFF:
Paul Danicic, Executive Director
Betsy Daub, Policy Director
Aaron Klemz, Communications and
Engagement Director
Cori Mattke, Membership and
Administrative Coordinator
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Nicholas Banovetz
Margo Brownell
Dodd Cosgrove, Treasurer
Pete Fleming, Chair
Mark Hennessy
Tom Mahlum, Vice Chair
Dan Pauly
Matt Poppleton
Steve Safranski
Sue Schurke
Rolf Thompson, Secretary
HONORARY BOARD MEMBERS:
Richard Flint
ADVISORY COUNCIL:
Chel Anderson
Lee Frelich
Lynn McClure
Steve Piragis
Minnesota Environmental Fund
Helps Protect the BWCAW
If your company does not have MEF as a giving option,
please contact Friends at 612-332-9630.
As part of our celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness
Act, the Friends are partnering with nine of Minnesotas top craft
breweries. Bent Paddle, Big Wood, Dangerous Man, Indeed,
Lake Monster, Lift Bridge, Mankato, NorthGate and Summit
Brewing are competing to create craft beers that capture the spirit
of the Boundary Waters Wilderness in five categories.
Join us for a beer tasting and announcement of the winners at
Aria in Minneapolis, on September 10th. You can sample all of the
entries, enjoy appetizers, listen to live music, and celebrate with
fellow wilderness lovers.
Learn more about the festivities on our website at www.friends-
bwca.org/programs/BrewsandCanoes. Advance tickets are $30
and include a souvenir tasting glass.
Tickets for designated drivers are $15 and include nonalcoholic beverages and food. Tickets
for the tasting event and celebration are on sale at http://bit.ly/brewsandcanoesevent.!
Join us for the Brews and Canoes
Wilderness Act celebration!
Be sure to mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
Friends Annual Gathering, November 6th, Metropolitan Ballroom, Golden Valley.
Join other members, board members, and Friends staff for this event celebrating the
50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Details, including a speaker, will be
announced soon.
Give to the Max Day, November 13th. The Friends has been one of the most
successful nonprofits in Minnesota on this day, and we need your help to continue
that success and keep our BWCA wild.!
Save the Date