Wilderness News - Spring 2014

8/12/2019 Wilderness News - Spring 2014

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F R O M T H E Q U E T I C O S U P E R I O R F O U N D AT I O N S P R I N G 2 0 1 4

WildernessNewsQ U E T I C O S U P E R I O R C O U N T R Y

www.wildernessnews.org

INSIDE:

WildernessAct 50thAnniversaryPage 8

The Quetico Superior Foundation, established in 1946, encourages and supports the protection of the wilderness, cultural and historical resources of the Quetico-Superior canoe country and region.

Board MemberProlePage 14

WildernessCanoe BasePage 10

From Winter to Springin the WildernessWinter camping through long, dark nightsand cold bright days offers profound isolationwith an allure all its own.Page 3


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Q U E T I C O S U P E R I O R C O U N T R Y

The Quetico SuperiorFoundation, established in1946, encourages andsupports the protection of the wilderness, cultural andhistorical resources of theQuetico-Superior canoecountry and region.

Celebrating Wilderness

LETTER FROM T HE BOARD PRESIDENT

Fifty years ago, the Wilderness Act ofcially created the NationalPreservation System and wilderness areas. As you will read in

this issue of Wilderness News, it took 8 years of debate and over60 drafts to pass it. A second act, the Boundary Waters CanoeArea Wilderness Act of 1978, would seek to address even furtherdebate over managing the Boundary Waters.

Without these Acts, its easy to imagine how the stories in thisissue of Wilderness News might have turned out differently. We

learn about the silence and solitude that winter camping offers.We read one writers invitation to get outside during spring,unpredictable weather and all. We also explore Wilderness Canoe

Base, a camp dedicated to helping kids explore wilderness.

This issue honors the ways that wilderness experiences inform

our personal development, and we thank all of our donors foryour continued support. You help us tell these stories, and coverimportant issues like mining, which pose a signicant risk to

the regions wilderness character. We hope youll continue yoursupport throughout 2014.

I also want to take a moment to recognized longtime board

member Johnathan S. Bishop, who recently passed away. We aregrateful for his service to the Quetico Superior Foundation, andour thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Sincerely,

Jim WymanPresident, Quetico Superior Foundation

On the Cover:Caribou Lake, photo courtesy Wyatt Behrends.

Tell us what you think and keep up with canoe country issues:http://www.facebook.com/WildernessNews

Contact us at:Quetico Superior [email protected]

www.queticosuperior.org

Wilderness News

Published by the Quetico SuperiorFoundation

James C. Wyman, President Stewart F. Crosby, Vice President Michael T. McCormick, Secretary Walter E. Pratt, Assistant Secretary Andrew G. Steiner, Treasurer

John P. CaseDodd B. CosgroveMeghan CosgroveStewart F. Crosby Emilie HitchCharles A. Kelly Michael T. McCormick Walter E. Pratt

Jake RitchieR. Newell SearleEleanor W. SmithAndrew G. SteinerDyke Van Etten WilliamsFrederick WinstonJames C. Wyman

Wilderness News is published, in part, with acontribution from the Andrews-Hunt Fund ofThe Minneapolis Foundation.

Design: Eaton & Associates Design Company

Printed on 100% recycled paper with soy-based inks

Directors

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By Bear Paulsen

Why would anyone go camping in the winter? From my experience insane is the most fre-quent adjective applied to those of us who willingly camp in the winter. The general publicuniformly believes winter campers to be crazy masochists. Most people cannot fathomwhat would possess someone to trade shelter and warmth for discomfort and snow. As thenon-winter camper further considers the irrationality of winter camping, they invariablyquestion how campers stay clean, and even more so how they go to the bathroom. Thoseconsiderations usually end the conversation with a shudder and rmer conviction of thewinter campers mental instability.

The Wonder ofWinter Camping Iron Lake, photo courtesy Bear Paulsen.

Travelling in the winter requires a great deal of plan-ning and forethought, two qualities not often associ-ated with the looney farm. Any winter camper whofails to prepare will be uncomfortable at the least. Andits true winter camping does have a steep learningcurve. Beginning winter campers commonly return towarmth and shelter earlier than planned. However, ex-perienced campers can survive most any weather andtake great pleasure in their hardiness. They enjoy thechallenge of living and surviving in the cold. They rel-ish their ability to thrive in conditions that are causefor winter weather warnings and road closures. Win-ter campers are a breed apart, a small fraternity that

willingly accepts new members because there are fewapplicants.

Winter is the quietest and loneliest season. Its for-tunate that only a few people want to winter camp. Thesilence and palpable isolation would vanish if the wil-derness were as well used as in the summer. Silence andisolation are hard to nd in the summer partly due tothe presence of other campers. However, and more sig-nicantly, silence really does not exist in the summer atall; insects, animals and sounds of water create a livelycacophony. Similarly the long days of summer minimizefeelings of isolation; isolation is felt most poignantly atnight. The long, dark winter night envelopes you with

wildernessnews.org WILDERNESS NEWS SPRING 2014 3


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a profound isolation to which no summer experiencecan compare.

Winter has a beauty all its own. The beauty stemsfrom absence. An absence of both sounds and sights. In the winter there are few sounds competing for your attention, often only the wind through the trees.Many sounds of winter have a certain harshness tothem: the squeak caused by walking on the snow whenthe temperature is well below zero; the rie shot of sapexploding in a conifer; the cracking and groaning oflake ice. Much of winters sparse music is otherworldly;it is foreign. Standing on a lake while it gently thun-ders and moans under your feet inspires fear. Soundsthat are commonplace in the summer provide magicin the winter. The sound of a babbling brook is greetedwith amazement by new winter travellers because openwater is a rarity. They are surprised to hear open waterand captivated by the unique beauty of the scene. Thewaters melody is unlike any other sound in the winter.Open water provides a rare auditory and visual bouquet. Silence magnies the beauty of winter. Silenceserves to exacerbate the monochromatic, uniformly

white winter world. Pictures of the winter wildernessinvariably capture a white desert. After a day lled withendless white vistas a sunset dees words. A wintersunset lacks the garishness of a summer one. It allowsno bright or gaudy colors. Winters palate consists ofgentle pastels. Those pastels are sublime when placedon a white backdrop. Winters beauty does not screamnor beg for our attention; its request is gentle. A wintersunset is a like a woman without makeup, beautiful inher own right. Winter also gently introduces us to our own in-signicance. As we travel during the day the cold willchallenge our comfort. As day descends into night wewill nd ourselves in a world that blatantly ignores ourcomfort. The ever present cold is constantly ready tosap our morale. There are no bugs in the winter, butthe cold is far more omnipresent. With the cold creep-ing into our bones and impenetrable darkness gatheredaround, our complete insignicance is demonstratedclearly. However, this feeling of insignicance is a giftof the highest magnitude. Humility is granted when weaccept our own lack of importance.

Gaskin Lake, photo courtesy Marco Gallo.

Above: Stuart River, below: Abinodji Lake, photos courtesy Bear Paulsen.

Winter also gently introduces us to our owninsignicance. As we travel during the day the coldwill challenge our comfort... The ever present coldis constantly ready to sap our morale....



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The abyss of the star encrusted night sky has aerce beauty like no other. Celestial innity magniesour sense of insignicance. The starry blackness abovebestows humility and inspires a sacred feeling of awe.Confronted by the icy innity, we accept our insigni-cance and feel frightened reverence. Paul Gruchow, thelate Minnesota writer, touches on this glorious fear inhis book The Necessity of Empty Places: The word fearonce had two meanings. It meant the emotion one feelsin the face of danger, but it also signied reverentialawe, as in the phrase the fear of God. Combine theisolation, silence and cold of a winter night deep in thewilderness with innite stars, groaning lake ice and au-rora borealis dancing in the sky, and you will feel rever-ential awe. Why would anyone winter camp? You should headout in the winter if youve complained about how busythe wilderness is during the summer months. In winterthere is no competition for campsites. You will nd theisolation that all warm weather visitors seek. The isola-tion will challenge you. The cold will challenge you aswell. Regard these challenges as the gifts they are. Your

admission to the fraternity of winter campers will bethe stuff of endless tales. Youll enjoy the camaraderieof close friends gathered around a campre surround-ed by the silent, black isolation of a winter night. Youmay even have the pleasure of listening to the eerie mu-sic of the lakes. Regardless, the vast black star studdedsky will cause you to question your own importance.And, that is a good thing.

Editors Note:Bear Paulsen is at home in the wilderness canoeing andwinter camping, two activities that allow him to take ex-tended trips to remote places. He loves to explore north-ern Minnesota, northwestern Ontario, and Manitobaand has winter camped in WI, UT, MT, ID, MI, and theYukon as well. With more than 365 days winter camping,his longest solo journey was 22 days crossing the BWCAW.When hes not in the wilderness youll nd him workingas General Manager at Northstar Canoes.

Allen Lake, photo courtesy Dan Cooke.



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Gaskin Lake, photo courtesy Aaron Hushagen.

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O N G O I N G O U T S I D E I N T H E T I M E LY A R R I VA L O F S P R I N G

An essay by Siri Linquist

Fair warning: this is a call to arms; within a short address to the love I have for canoe trips.

This is written in postscript to the 12 years I spent with Camp Widjiwagan, the loveliest of places inthe summer hours. The blue sky, the sound of the wind in the pines and aspen, the natural roughnessof the landscape, are so etched in as a clear picture today, but are a blur of the many years together inmy memory. Spring is here, and some days there is a hint of summer on the air. Baseball is beginning, and whitecalves are starting to see the light of day. They say March comes in like a lion, and out like a lamb, but itreally only behaved appropriately animalistic in the analogy. So in my desperation, my thoughts turn thebend of the year towards summer.

Summer has always meant one thing to me: Trail. For the past 12 years, from ages 12 to 24, I havetripped and led trips at Camp Widjiwagan, leading trips from the Boundary Waters to the Northern Ter-ritories. But before you go thinking Im something that Im not. I have to admit I am not the most likelycandidate to write this article. I like indoor activities. If its cold, I like a warm car. I am not your typicalintense, the woods-are-the-only-place-for-me trail guide. I love many things that are the very antithesisof being out-of-outdoors. That is why I abhor the terms inside or outside people. That labels us as oneor the other and it is totally acceptable to like both environments. However, my inclinations make me theperfect person to address you. I am a true advocate for trail. I know how it affected my own development, and those I have led.Everyone can gain essentials to being an individual on trail that you carry with you: condence, indepen-dence, and social cohesiveness. You learn to be satised with less, push yourself more, and forgive yourself your shortcomings. That is why I tell everyone to just get out there. There is no doubt there are things to overcome aboutgoing on trail. You may feel discomfort or hunger more keenly than you are typically acquainted with. Butthere is a sweet kind of balance in it. I have seen sunny days and crappy, crappy weather. Sometimes thesun warms your skin, and then is washed out by hard rain. I felt really hungry. I have laughed in absurditythat is truly unrestrained. I have felt peace. I have fallen asleep to loons, and paddled by a wolverine hunton the shore. I have been leg deep in mud, and had the best and the most satisfying swims of my life. Inthose eeting trips you really learn to feel strongly. You didnt feel dull or numb, you felt relaxed with anenergy that clings around you afterwards, pushing you to do other things outside your natural tendencies. It may not feel easy or natural. It is way too easy to get caught up in the things that occupy us in ourdaily lives, I can commiserate with that. That is the root of my un-ease in the lack of interest that manypeople feel towards tripping and our environment. We need to do things that lie outside ourselves, and getover discomfort. Once we get over that, you learn you can be you anywhere, and removes some seeds ofdoubt that are so deeply rooted in much of what we do. Do I dare? Should I? You will feel less concernedabout how you should wear your hair and what to eat and far more willing to partake in chances to beadventurous. Be more, feel more. That is why, in these summer months, I urge you to join me in my ownpursuit, as we nd a day, a weekend or more, to nd ways to be wild. It wont be easy. A trip is a short blip, you cant always know how smoothly it will go, but you do know it ends. Themeasurement of our life span is a similarly intangible thing that passes, but it is not an unnatural thing tocome to an end. It is just as important to mark it, and gain some good stories. You will have those.

Be off!



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When I was a kid, paddling the Boundary Waters

Canoe Area Wilderness with my family, I didntrealize that the nal word in its name had only

been added in 1978the same year I was born.

Nor did I realize that the Boundary Waters CanoeArea Wilderness Act of 1978 was preceded by the

Wilderness Act of 1964, which created a NationalPreservation System and a legal denition of

wilderness:

A wilderness, in contrast with those areas whereman and his own works dominate the landscape,is hereby recognized as an area where the earthand its community of life are untrammeled byman, where man himself is a visitor who does notremain.

I simply knew that in the Boundary Waters, wetraveled by canoe, under the power of our own muscles.

We slept in tents and cooked over res, and we packedout what we carried in, including garbage. When wepaddled away from campsites, I loved the way that Icould look back and see no sign of our stay. Its not surprising, perhaps, that a young girl wasignorant of the law. A paddle dipping into a lake, n-gers grazing its cool surface, seems very far away fromthe halls of Congress. But on the 50th anniversary ofthe Wilderness Act, it seems important to understandits signicance. The Act required eight years of debate

and more than 60 drafts before President Lyndon B.Johnson signed it into law on September 3rd. It leftsome things in question. In the Boundary Waters, forexample, motorboats and snowmobiles were allowedin areas where motorized use had been established,leaving room for great public debates. But the 1964 Actalso laid the groundwork for the preservation of a re-gion that I took for granted as a kid.

So I called Kris Reichenbach, Public Affairs Ofcerfor the Superior National Forest. I wanted to talk to

someone who has spent time explaining the Act tothe public, had experience with an agency chargedwith enforcing the Act. I wanted to see whether our

understanding of wilderness has changed as we facenew factors like climate change and invasive species.

Reichenbach took me back to the beginning, theAct itself, reminding me that there is a reason peoplecall the denition of wilderness poetic. Its an eloquentact. Its not full of bureaucratic words as much as someother national legislation, Reichenbach said. It tiesback to the passion. The people that were championingand writing the laws were touched [by wilderness] insuch a way that they wrote this law differently. That didnt mean, of course, that it was withoutinterpretation. Land use managers had to determinewhat the use of words like untrammeled meant, andhow to balance that with the impacts of visitors. Theyhad to determine (and still do) the roles of recreationaluse, commercial use, and research. Agencies have tobalance the preservation of wilderness character with alove from visitors so great there can be risk of loving aplace to death.

In places like the Boundary Waters, Reichenbach toldme, that means helping people understand what it meansto prohibit mechanical devices or the principles of LeaveNo Trace. But its also about helping us understand thatour very presence impacts the wilderness, in ways that aregreater than packing out whatever we pack in.

There is, for example, the advance of cell phonesand the idea that safety is a phone a call away. Whileemergencies will happen, a rescue itself can be intrusive,impacting that natural landscape and other visitors. Ifwere careless or unprepared, our rescue can detractfor other visitors wilderness experience. Or take thespread of nonnative and invasive species. Simply byentering the wilderness, we have the power to spreadthem further. There are very small areas scattered in wildernesswhere research has identied the highest risk [of nonnativeand invasive species]. Its usually areas where people aremoving in. Visitors can make a big difference by cleaningequipment and making sure their boots are clean beforemoving into wilderness, Reichenach told me.

This summer, the Forest Service will go so far asto engage the public in identifying infestations withinthe wilderness area. New identication books will helpvisitors identify nonnative and invasive species, and a

Reecting on the Wilderness ActBy Alissa Johnson



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postcard in the back of the book will make it easy forthem to alert the Forest Service to their locations.

We do monitoring, Reichenbach said, but inone million acresthree million in the whole SuperiorNational Forestwe cant see everything. Getting tipsabout infestations we didnt know about may allow usto get in there early.

Listening to Reichenbach, it occurred to me that therelationship between wilderness visitors and wildernessmanagers is changing. Protecting a wilderness areais no longer as simple as checking things at thedoormechanical devices, say, or motors. Its aboutmanaging invasive species that can spread undetected,or understanding what climate change might meanfor the region. We are all wilderness managers now,in ways that the legislators behind the 1964 Actnever imagined.

When we enter wilderness, we can choose to seethat reality or not. We can pack trash out or leave itbehind. We can clean our boats for invasive species ormove them into the wilderness without care. We cankeep an eye out for invasive species or forget to senda postcard to the Forest Service. But when we chooseto be responsible, to act in favor of wilderness, ouractions themselves become the living denition ofwilderness. We keep the vision behind the WildernessAct alive. And in that way, it turns out that there is

a direct connection between the legal denition ofwilderness and dipping your paddle into the coolwaters of a BWCAW lakewhether I knew it as a childor not.

From BWCA to BWCAWWhen the Wilderness Act was passed in 1964, itleft exceptions for established motorized use in theBoundary Waters Canoe Area. Debates over the use

of motorboats, snowmobiles and other land usescontinued (and in some cases still do). The BoundaryWaters Canoe Area Wilderness Act of 1978 sought toaddress many of those issues and ofcially named thearea the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.Following are some of the key dates leading up to itspassage, taken from www.queticosuperior.org:

1964 Congress passes Wilderness Act after eightyears of debate. BWCA is ofcially includedin National Wilderness Preservation System.The Act prohibited the use of motorboatsand snowmobiles within wilderness areas,with exceptions for areas where use was wellestablished with the BWCA.

1965 U.S. Secretary of Agriculture issues 13 direc-tives dealing with BWCA, adding to no-cutzone, zoning for motorboats, establishingvisitor registration and more.

1971 Ontario announces moratorium on logging inQuetico Provincial Park.

1972 President Nixon issues Executive Order pro-hibiting use of snowmobiles and recreationalvehicles in all national wilderness areas.

1975 217,000 acre Voyageurs National Park estab-lished. Secretary of Agriculture imposes off-road vehicle ban in the BWCA.

1978 On October 21st President Carter signs theBoundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Actinto law. It ends logging, reduces motorboatlakes, phases out snowmobiling, restrictsmining, and expands BWCA by 68,000 acres.Name ofcially becomes Boundary WatersCanoe Area Wilderness.

Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of theWilderness Act with Wilderness News

Do you have a favorite photo from the Boundary Wa-ters Canoe Area Wilderness? Share it with WildernessNews , and well post it on our Facebook page. Emailit to [email protected] or post it towww.facebook.com/WildernessNews. Be sure to

include where it was taken and why the moment wasmeaningful. Well select a few to include in the fallprint edition of Wilderness News.

AlissaAlissa



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When I have encountered other adults while trav-eling through the Boundary Waters Canoe AreaWilderness I have sometimes asked them, Is thisyour rst trip to the BWCA? Their answers areoften the same. Oh no, I rst came here manyyears ago as a childI was a camper. With thatdisclosure a sparkle brightens their eyes. Theymight go on and talk about a Y camp, scout

camp, church camp or a school group, but there isalways a recollection of a special moment whenthey caught the wilderness bug. The adolescent canoe camp adventure inspiresan appreciation for wilderness and a joy for travelingby canoe, and camping out under pine shaded forestsand star-studded skies, all the while uninhibited by thetrappings of modern civilization. Even more, the chal-lenges of wilderness travel infuse their souls with thevalues of courage and perseverance. As sticky as bal-

sam sap on their ngers those early formative experi-ences pull them back again and again. Ten, twenty,thirty, forty and fty years later.

Wilderness Canoe Base on Seagull Lake is one suchformative canoe camp program with a long, storied,and challenging history. Like many great accomplish-ments, this camp began as a simple idea by a groupof courageous newly ordained Lutheran ministerswho believed that institutionalized, troubled, andat-risk youth from urban Minneapolis could experi-ence a spiritual awakening and turn their lives aroundby paddling the wilds of northern Minnesota under

trained, capable, Christian leadership.Supported and encouraged by their Luther Semi-nary mentors, their parents, volunteers, local landowners and the trustees of the Plymouth ChristianYouth Center (PCYC), The Wilderness Canoe Base washatched in the early 1950s and a rustic camp on SeagullLake was built. On June 18, 1957 a group of boys fromthe Juvenile Correctional Facility in Redwing, Minne-sota were the rst of many to benet from the campswilderness canoe trips that commenced and ended atthe base. Through diligence, dreams and drudgery thecamp quickly grew. Land was acquired, training pro-tocols were established and traditions emerged. The

WildernessCanoe Baseby Rob Kesselring



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camp earned a stellar reputation as being a pioneerin no trace camping practices. It partnered with theForest Service to acquire several log cabins that need-ed to be moved off BWCAW lands. In all, 16 cabinswere bought. One of these structures was the PinecliffLodge. Built by a crew of skilled Finnish craftsmen inthe 1930s. This 80-foot long structure was consideredthe crown jewel of historic BWCA buildings. All ofthe log buildings were meticulously disassembled and

moved to the camp across frozen lakes, over portages,and sometimes at temperatures colder than 30 belowzero. A major mishap occurred when a truck, pullingthe longest logs from Pinecliff Lodge, went throughthe ice! Only the buoyant logs kept the truck and driv-er from going to the bottom of the lake. The campenlisted volunteers far and wide for an arduous res-cue. To the disbelief of many, the truck and every logwas recovered and pulled to the Wilderness CanoeBases Fishhook island site. Each log was stripped ofits original nish with a drawknife (drudgery) and the15 cabins and lodge were reassembled. Staff, campersand volunteers all pitched in. Pinecliff Lodge was reas-sembled to all its grandeur during the summer of 1959.

Unfortunately, before it came into service, Pinecliffburned to the ground. Undaunted, a new lodge, Pine-cliff 2, was built on the ashes. Whenever faced withadversity, the staff and supporters of Wilderness CanoeBase responded with undiminished vigor and faith.

PCYC continued to operate the camp until 2002.Always on a shoestring budget, but always puttingkids and faith rst. Over 40,000 youngsters have bene-tted from the camp. Lake Wapogasset Lutheran Bible

Camp, Inc. of Amery, Wisconsin agreed to manage thecamps ministry and programming in 2002 and contin-ues to do so to this day, but not without challenges.

In May of 2007, the infamous Ham Lake wild reburned 75,000 acres of forest on both sides of the Gun-int Trail. Almost one third of the 138 structures de-stroyed by this massive burn were part of WildernessCanoe Base. Of the camps 60 structures 40 were con-sumed by ames, including all but three of the historicbuildings acquired and moved to the camp in the late1950s. Within a year the camp raised over $300,000 torebuild. This response to adversity demonstrated to thecampers, once again, that perseverance can overcomeany obstacle. Just as a calm lake mirrors the visage of a

All photos courtesy of Wilderness Canoe Base.



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All photos courtesy of Wilderness Canoe Base.



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paddler, the stalwart and resilient history of this campreects back into the character of those brave camp-ers who accept the challenge and the promise of thepaddle and the gospel. The camp currently offers seven-day wildernesscanoe trips and programs that blend canoe trips withservice learning. These trips are for youth that havecompleted at least sixth grade. There are also hiking

trips, family trips and structured work-service experi-ences. An average of 700 campers attend programs ev-ery summer. During the shoulder and winter seasons,the camp is available for adult retreats and seminars.Expenses incurred leading youth on wilderness canoetrips continues to rise. The Wilderness Canoe Base hasa half-century policy to serve every youth who wishesto attend camp and uses donations to make Camper-ships available for those with the greatest need.

There is no better guarantee that the special pro-

tections of the Quetico-Superior will be maintainedand even enhanced than by the introducing the joysof canoe camping to the youth of America. Environ-mental causes vying for the attention and supportfrom citizenry will only increase in the decades ahead.What causes will stand out? None will have more popthan commitments forged by campres. Youth campson the borders of the Boundary Waters Wilderness andQuetico Parks create lifelong devotion to wildernesscamping, kindled by childhood memories. The Wilder-ness Canoe Base on Seagull Lake is one of the nest.

For more information:http://campwapo.org/camp/wilderness

One Step at a Timeby Kate Kincade

This is a lot steeper than I had imagined, Ithought to myself, staring up at the rocky hillin front of me. After a glance towards the restof my group, who were oating in the canoesbeside me, it was clear that they were all asnervous as I was.

It was our fourth day on trail, and we stoodat the landing of the Paulson Lake Portage.Despite our days of practice, I found myselffeeling unprepared for the treacherous climbahead. As a clumsy 13-year-old, it seemed asthough I could hardly walk in a straight linewithout tripping over my own feet, let aloneclimb a hill with a canoe on my back.

Pushing the doubt to the back of my mind, I started towards the bottom of the portage.One step at a time, I thought. With a wave of

determination, our group pushed forward. Weall made it to the top of the hill unscathed.Standing at the top of the portage, we could

see Paulson Lake behind us, and ahead wasSeagull Lake, the location of our home camp,Wilderness Canoe Base.

Where I see God in the wilderness is not neces- sarily in the rigor of portaging, but in the quietthat follows. There is something to be saidabout the peace found in silent paddles, glassylakes and fearless dragonies that zip quietlyacross the surface of the water. This is what Ihave learned in my ve years as a camper and

swamper at Wilderness Canoe Base.

Canoeing and wilderness will always be a partof my life and I plan on returning to the Bound-ary Waters for many years to come.

Kate Kincaid (in front) with campers from Wilderness Canoe Base.



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Jake RichieBoard member since 2011

Please tell us what your involvement with the QueticoSuperior Foundation means to you.It is a privilege to work with a passionate group ofindividuals who care so much about preserving theQuetico-Superior Region. It is an extremely rewarding

feeling to be involved in helping that process, and I takegreat pride in knowing that I am doing my part to helpprotect this area for generations to come.

What other ways have you been active in the Quetico-Superior Region? I spend time with family each summer on the North Shore of Lake Superior. I have been lucky enough togrow up with a cabin on the lake so I was exposed to the beauty of the region at a very early age. Wheneverpossible, I paddle with fellow board member John Case in the Quetico Provincial Park in search of walleye. If you read his prole from the Summer 2013 edition of the Wilderness News, I am one of the many teenagershe introduced to QPP and I am hooked!

What is the most pressing issue you see in the region today? I think educating the public on the region itself is the most pressing issue. I think many people do not knowthe extent of what it has to offer. There are National forests and hiking trails, camp grounds, youth camps,resorts, and outtters that are available throughout the region to help anyone enjoy the area.

There are also many threats to the region like the Sulde Mining activity in northern Minnesota. Issues likethis need to be communicated to the public so they are informed on how such activity can affect the area fordecades to come.

Whats one of your favorite memories from the Quetico-Superior Region? I nd every trip to the region memorable - from the people in your party, to the weather you experience, thetime of year, or the area that you travel. My favorite memories are simply spending quality time with friendsand family away from the distractions of daily life, and I nd no better place to do that than in the wilderness.I also met my wife on a canoe trip to Quetico Provincial Park so you never know what you may nd in thegreat outdoors!! My wife and I look forward to sharing experiences with our son in the years ahead as well.

Whats your favorite spot or way to see the Quetico-Superior Region? I think my favorite way to see the region is in a canoe. Paddling along the water gives you a unique perspec-tive on the scenery and wildlife. I am biased towards Quetico Provincial Park, but anywhere you can get outand experience nature is a good place to be.

QUETICO SUPERIOR FOUNDATION

BOARD MEMBER PROFILE



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Jon and Carol FarchminKen Fortenberry Mark GammAndrew and Georgia FruthCliff and Pat GastineauWilliam GedemerGlenn GilyardBetty Lou GordonJanet GreenDavid GreenleeRichard and Patricia GruppPaul Gusted

Jean GutschenritterBruce HansonRoger HarmonDave HackettMark HaarmanMel HarringtonRobin HayesRoger HenkemeyerDavid HenningRandy HermansonRalph HeucheleDean HillEdwin HillHarold and Ardis Hines

John HoeftLarry HollernWilliam HomrigGeorge HuberTom and Suzanne InmanHarold IversonTom and Marilynn JenkinKristine JohnsonTed and Rita JohnsonVance JohnsonStephen JonasGeorge JoyceMartin and ester KelloggCharles A. Kelly David Klett

Charles Richard KnudsenGerald Kritzeck John and Jan KronholmEllis LaitalaThomas LanmanJim LarsonLoren LarsonRobert LarsonRonald LarsonMark LeRoux Dennis LitnStephen Locher

Perry J. MackinLinnea Matson and JamesNelson

Cletus and Ellen MagsamenMichael MajerleWillaim and Susan MajewskiClarence Malick Mary Alice and James

MayerleHelen MarshAngela Medina In Memory of Walter

Tomascak John McQuaid

Christine McVay Robert MinishHans MockerEdward MoersfelderKenneth MolenaarMark MolitorLawrence V. Morgan, Jr.Constance NelsonDon NeubauerCharles NorsengFrederic NordeenHugh and Mary ParkerDoris PattonFrank PendleRose Pendle

Joan PetersDavid and Jane PiepgrasWayne PotratzThomas and Nora RathDaniel RatkeDavid and Jill ReeseMartin Reeck Roger RitzmanJeffrey and Sharon RomeRobert RoppeRobert RoseneMarianne Rother

Gordon RouseJohn RudEvelyn and Phil RuggieroHarland and Faye SamsonJames and Rita SannerDarwin SappThomas ScharberHarry Schlieff Neill SchurterLawrence SchwankeChris SeybaldB. Jessica ShatenJoyce SemankovichGlen Shrley

John and Maxine SinclairSteven M. SkrabaEleanor SmithHelen SmithMerle SmithJohn StahlAndrew SteinerThomas StevensAl StrombergDavid SucherJohn SwansonJanette Sweasy Duane SwensonRenee TasakaDiane Tessari

Edward ThompsonMaressia TueleAnne UehlingTom and Linda VeblenHugh A.VickersThomas VollbrechtT.O. VollenWilliam VogtTom and Jo Ann Vouk M. Kristine WarholJohn WauerLawrence Whalen

W. Richard WhiteBoak WiesnerMichael Woolsey Catherine YamoorJohn YoderRandy Young

Minneapolis Foundation:Andrews-Hunt Fund

Frederic and Eleanor WinstonCharitable Annuity Trust

Wyman Family CharitableFoundation



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