SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST – Cathy Quinn admits she broke the rules.

“I’ve had my dog off leash at a campsite before,” Quinn said.

Not exactly the crime of the century, but nonetheless an illustration that there is, in even just modest amounts, flexibility in some of the many laws that govern the most visited wilderness area in the nation.

Quinn, the wilderness program manager on Superior National Forest, spoke with Paddle and Portage June 28 about a variety of topics, including rules and regulations for the BWCA. Among the talking points were rules specific to dogs being on a leash in the BWCA. According to a document released Feb. 6 by officials from Superior National Forest titled “Top 20 FAQs for BWCAW Trip Planning,” dogs here “must be on a 6-foot leash or shorter at all times.”

Despite a rule that clearly states dogs must be on a leash “at all times,” Quinn said wilderness rangers and law enforcement officers occasionally use violations of the rules as teaching moments. The people who enforce the laws of the BWCA are professionals who take their jobs seriously, Quinn said, and they can make decisions about whether or not to write a ticket based on circumstance, conditions, or other factors. For example, if a dog isn’t digging holes at a campsite, chasing moose through the woods, or biting people on portages, it’s not likely to result in a fine for the pet’s owner if the dog is not on a leash, according to Quinn. Education, not strict enforcement, is an approach the Forest Service leans on for some of the rules that apply to Superior National Forest, she said. Dogs being on a leash in the Boundary Waters is one such example. The same principle applies to the recent food storage order that was signed into law in April, Quinn has previously said.

The public, in general, does their best to follow the laws set in place to protect both people and the wilderness itself, Quinn acknowledged. However, sometimes the rules that help agencies like the Forest Service manage human behavior in wild places like the Boundary Waters are there to bring legal consequence for people who egregiously violate the law. If someone has a campfire outside of a fire grate in the BWCA during the quota season, for example, it’s likely to be a violation that results in a fine. If someone breaks a bottle at a campsite, intentionally or not, it is likely a ticketed violation of the law that bans bottles or cans from the wilderness.

Gray areas can be complicated for the public to understand, I suggested to Quinn during our nearly hour-long conversation. If a law enforcement officer is in a bad mood on any given day, or simply doesn’t like the look on someone’s face, subjective enforcement of laws with legal and financial consequences is confusing, if not worrisome. Quinn reiterated that the people who enforce the rules across Superior National Forest are not there to take out their bad days on the public. Wilderness rangers and law enforcement officers do not decide whether or not to write tickets based on what type of mood they are in, Quinn said.

Many of the laws that govern Superior National Forest are nationwide policy. Using the leash law as an example, Quinn explained that the requirement for dogs to be on a leash applies to all of the national forests across the country. On Superior National Forest, the rules for dogs being on a leash apply to all developed recreation sites, including campsites, portages, trails, trailheads, campgrounds, boat landings, fishing piers, etc. Think anything that changes the natural look of the woods or water in the BWCA and Superior National Forest, and that’s a developed recreation site. Specifically, the Forest Service says a recreation site is “an area that has been improved or developed for recreation.”

The Forest Service, Quinn said, recently included the official language from the regulation about dogs being on a leash, that has been in existence for many years, on the back of BWCA permits to provide clarification.

“In recent years we have received feedback from the public, recreation managers, and wilderness rangers regarding dogs ‘misbehaving’ on trails, portages, and campsites,” she said.

The violations were happening not just in the BWCA, but in other areas of the Superior National Forest, according to Quinn. In sharing the official language from the code of federal regulations, the Forest Service says it hopes to raise awareness and educate visitors regarding responsible dog handling while visiting the National Forest.

Quinn referenced having her own dogs off leash at a campsite to show that the Forest Service is not out “cracking the whip” in terms of enforcement on this and other rules that govern the Boundary Waters region. Education, Quinn said, is a tool when violations of the wilderness area’s many rules and regulations occur, depending on the severity of the infraction. If a dog bites someone on a portage trail, for example, the owner is more likely to face a fine and be ticketed. The fine for not having a dog on a leash in the BWCA is $50, Quinn said.

In recent weeks, multiple organizations with ties to the Boundary Waters region expressed concern about the policy regarding dogs on leashes in the wilderness, particularly when it comes to hunting. However, hunting with a dog off-leash is allowed, Quinn said, if it takes place outside of developed recreation sites, including campsites, campgrounds, trailheads, etc. On a designated trail, hunters may have dogs off-leash while actively engaged in hunting, according to Quinn.

After scouring pages of documents specific to hunting in the BWCA and Superior National Forest, I could not find anything that supported Quinn’s statement, which she also shared with Minnesota Outdoor News. This doesn’t mean what Quinn is saying is false, it just means it’s hard, if not impossible, to find it on paper.

By comparison, it was easy to find and read that dogs can be off a leash during hunting seasons in Michigan’s Sylvania Wilderness area. The Forest Service there says that inside the remote wilderness, sometimes referred to as the “mini-Boundary Waters,” dogs “can be off leash during hunting seasons.” The rule was easy to find and even easier to understand.

This also applies to the $50 fine Quinn has said applies to violations of the food storage order in the BWCA that was signed into law in April. The only specific reference to violating the order says it is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000. Some canoe outfitters and Forest Service staff, including Quinn, appeared confused when the media, including Paddle and Portage, made reference to the $5,000 fine earlier this year, even though it is the only dollar amount cited in the forest order for individuals.

The Forest Service is not out to “crack the whip,” Quinn said. The Forest Service tries to use modest violations of the rules and regulations that guide certain aspects of managing this complex national forest as teaching moments, according to Quinn.

Keep that in mind the next time you skirt the rules here, intentionally or not. The Forest Service says they want you to have a good trip to the Boundary Waters.  Take them at their word on it and don’t egregiously violate the rules. It’ll make it easier for everyone.