Dean Paron and Heidi Rantala work for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Dean specializes in stream management these days, after leading the Finland fisheries office in Lake County near the BWCA and the Baptism River for many years. Heidi is a DNR fisheries research scientist. Together, they are working on the DNR’s Fisheries Climate Action Team, working with offices across the state to prepare for the future of managing fish across the Boundary Waters.
Joe from Paddle and Portage sat down with Heidi and Dean near the shoreline of Lake Superior in Duluth to talk about fisheries management across the BWCA and how a changing climate will impact things for fish and anglers across the canoe-country wilderness.
Among the topics discussed is a hypothetical scenario where Duncan Lake in the BWCA no longer can sustain a lake trout population, would the DNR stock the lake with rainbow trout instead? Become a P&P member to listen to the conversation and to find out.