COOK COUNTY – Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness is partnering with Expeditions in Education for a five-day livestream educational adventure. Paddles and Pines: An Adventure with Friends of the Boundary Waters is designed to connect K-12 students across the country with the unique wilderness ecosystem of Minnesota’s Boundary Waters region. Students will learn about the Boundary Waters ecosystem and fire ecology, and meet local sled dogs as the group aims to explore how water unites people.

Expeditions in Education, a nonprofit organization that connects thousands of students nationwide through virtual programming centered on national parks and public lands, has previously drawn massive student audiences to similar educational livestreams.

The series will feature interviews and demonstrations conducted on-site near the Boundary Waters, with supplementary curriculum developed specifically for classroom use. Among the features of the virtual event this year are:

LiveStream: Water as Home — Camping Skills, Leave No Trace, and Living with Wildlife

• Date: Monday, Sept. 29
• Location: Sawbill Campground
• Featured speakers: Friends of the BWCA, Sawbill Outfitters, Forest Service
• Focus: Camping fundamentals, Leave No Trace principles, and coexistence with wildlife

Camping in the BWCA means waking up beside a lake, filtering your drinking water from it, cooking near it, and sharing it with animals who were here long before you. We’ll walk through the basics of setting up camp, staying safe, and practicing Leave No Trace. More than anything, we’ll talk about how to live with the land and water—not just on it.

LiveStream: Fire and Water — Ecology, Indigenous Knowledge, and Climate Change

• Date:  Oct. 1
• Location: Lake McDougal Campground (Forest Service Campground)
• Featured speakers: Friends of the BWCA, Nisogaabokwe Melonee Montano (co-author of Ishkode: A Story of Fire), Forest Service
• Focus: Fire ecology, Indigenous fire practices, and climate adaptation

It might seem strange to talk about fire in a place so full of lakes—but fire is part of this story too. In the boreal forest, fire helps reset the landscape, making space for new life. We’ll look at how natural fires shape this region, how Indigenous communities have long used fire as a tool for care, and how climate change is shifting the balance between water and flame.

LiveStream: Frozen Water — Winter Survival and Dogsledding

• Date: Oct. 3
• Location: Hovland – Mary Manning’s sled dog yard
• Featured speakers: Friends of the BWCA, Mary Manning
• Focus: Winter adaptations and traditional dogsledding

When winter comes, the lakes freeze solid and everything changes. Travel doesn’t stop—it just looks different. This livestream explores what life is like when the water turns to ice: how animals survive, people adapt, and the tradition of dog sledding keeps winter travel alive in this frozen world.

The collaboration combines Friends of the BWCA’s deep knowledge of wilderness conservation with Expeditions in Education’s proven track record of engaging students through immersive virtual experiences. The complete five-part series will provide comprehensive curriculum materials for educators teaching about watersheds, ecosystems, wildlife biology, and wilderness conservation.

Click here to register and to learn more about this event.