BOUNDARY WATERS – We’ve covered a lot of news this year across the Boundary Waters region. Remote Area Border Crossing permits. Towboat usage in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Changes to BWCA permit pickup locations. People who went missing or died in and around the Boundary Waters this year.

In nearly every instance, Paddle & Portage media was the first to report on these stories. More importantly, we reported with depth. Take the case of two people who went missing this year on the edge of the BWCA Wilderness. One man, Gene Doherty, 40, has been missing since July 1, when he was last seen leaving his mother’s house in Silver Bay, Minn. Doherty’s vehicle was found July 11 near the intersection of Brule Lake Road and a Forest Service road known commonly as “The Grade.” He remains missing.

Gene Doherty has been missing near the BWCA since July in the Brule Lake area off The Grade. Submitted image

Most media outlets in Minnesota filed stories about Doherty going missing. We did too. Our first story wasn’t just to get words on the page, or to beat other media outlets in the never-ending “who has it first” news cycle. Our story included information about who Gene Doherty is as a person, not solely focusing on the fact he’d gone missing. We spoke with family and friends, as we often do when reporting on a story where someone goes missing.

“He loves the outdoors,” Jennifer Doherty, Gene’s ex-wife, told us just a few days after he went missing. “He loves to fish and get outside all those types of things.”

Paddle & Portage media is as grassroots as it gets. We have a small team working to share news, information, and stories from the Boundary Waters region, as well as other paddling destinations across North America. This summer, M Baxley from the Paddle & Portage Podcast shared a powerful story about a group of veterans paddling Montana’s Yellowstone River. All of the veterans featured in the podcast and supporting videos are blind, wounds suffered as a result of their service. Real people. Stories from and about our paddling community. That’s why this media platform is here.

Veterans paddling the Yellowstone. Photo by M Baxley

As the season of giving enters its peak, we’re asking for your support as Paddle and Portage media prepares to enter our third year of operations. To do so, we’re offering a limited-time discount on annual and monthly memberships. Enter the following coupon codes here:

Holiday25 – 25% off an annual membership

Holiday3 – $3 off monthly membership each month for six months

Your membership support helps fund the P&P Podcast, the best (according to our many subscribers) podcast focused on the Boundary Waters region. A membership to P&P also supports our local journalism, including the stories referenced above. And a membership also allow us to pay freelance contributors, from seasoned writers like Ryan Rodgers and his stories from 2025, to people who are being published for the first time, like Monique Munoz’s story about paddling Wabakimi. And if you’re already a member, you can make an additional gift to support our work and that of all the contributing writers.

Monique Munoz in Wabakimi. P&P photo

Our role in the Boundary Waters media landscape is clearly defined as we enter 2026. We’re here to share timely stories with depth for our readers and listeners. We do that with the support of our members, as well as our amazing sponsors. Please join us today.  

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