Fresh off his retirement from the U.S. Forest Service, Aaron Kania announced in January 2026 his candidacy for the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 3A.

As we reported last month on the Paddle & Portage Podcast, Kania recently retired as the U.S. Forest Service District Ranger in Ely, where he served for five years. He’ll be running on the DFL (Democrat) ticket for the 3A seat. Incumbent Roger Skraba, a Republican, is running for reelection.

District 3A is the largest House district in Minnesota, spanning from Rainy Lake and Voyageurs National Park over to Lake Superior. It includes Grand Marais and Ely, including the entirety of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Joe Friedrichs from the Paddle & Portage Podcast met up with Kania to discuss some of the key topics related to outdoor news specific to District 3A. They include a proposed copper-nickel mine on the edge of the BWCA Wilderness, helium extraction near the Boundary Waters, logging in northern Minnesota, mercury content in fish from Lake Superior and the BWCA, wildfires, and more news from across the state and how that impacts rural communities like those near the Boundary Waters.

The video podcast was recorded Feb. 6 in Ely’s Whiteside Park at the start of the annual Winter Festival.

Note: Paddle & Portage spoke with Roger Skraba, the incumbent and who is running for reelection on the Republican ticket for District 3A, Feb. 6. Skraba, the former Ely mayor, was not available for an interview during the opening weekend for the Ely Winter Festival. He’ll be joining us soon on an upcoming episode of the video podcast.

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