Aaron Kania, left, and Ely Mayor Heidi Omerza (center) talk about the Boundary Waters with a group at the college in Ely. Photo by Joe Friedrichs Mining near the Boundary Waters will be in the political spotlight this month as a pair of political...
The site of the main lodge at Wabakimi Outfitters after a wildfire burned it to the ground in July. Submitted photo WABAKIMI PARK – Bruce Hyer says Smokey the Bear was a liar. Considered by some – or at least by his own standards – to be the...
BWCA Wilderness sign at Seagull Lake. Photo by Joe Friedrichs A Paddle & Portage subscriber who lives out of state reached out late in the day Aug. 18 after seeing social media light up with news of Minnesota’s governor “saving the Boundary...
RABC permit sign. P&P file photo BOUNDARY WATERS – The Remote Area Border Crossing Program has a new end date. The RABC Program as it currently operates is now scheduled to close Nov. 30. The program was set to end in mid-September. No official...
A sign posted by the Forest Service at the Greenwood Lake public landing showing a map of prescribed fire activity in 2026. Photo by Joe Friedrichs The first wildfire of the year near the Boundary Waters started May 15 near Betty’s Pies and Highway...
A BWCA update kiosk as seen Aug. 10 in Ely's Whiteside Park. Photo by Joe Friedrichs The U.S. Forest Service and its partners continue to make progress containing a series of wildfires that led to the complete closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe...
The border lakes of the Boundary Waters. P&P photo BOUNDARY WATERS – The end of the Remote Area Border Crossing Program and permits that allow people to cross many of Minnesota’s border lakes is approaching. The RABC Program as it currently...
Photo courtesy of Bailey Shinn A Texas family was camping in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness earlier this month when a wildfire took off not far from where they were staying. While camping on Pipestone Bay (Basswood Lake) Bailey Shinn,...
Teresa Floberg at a property managed to reduce wildfire risk near Ely. Photo by Joe Friedrichs Protective measures done in advance, that’s the key, she says. “We try to encourage homeowners to think in advance about the risks of wildfires,” says...
Tom Hall, the forest supervisor for Superior National Forest, talks during a town hall in Ely July 19. Photo by Joe Friedrichs ELY – The Blueberry Festival is off. People are displaced from their homes. Vacations are scrambled. And the entire...
Laura and Matt (right) Nelson embrace after reaching the end of the Gunflint Trail following an evacuation from Quetico. Photo by Joe Friedrichs The Nelson family have been paddling in Quetico for decades. Three generations of canoe-campers have...
Evacuation of the BWCA, July 2026. Photo by Pam Wright Smoky skies, closures, evacuations, and displacement of people have dominated conversations across the Boundary Waters region during recent days. The BWCA Wilderness shut down July 14 amid a...
