Friends of the Boundary Waters podcast

When exploring the Boundary Waters, you're bound to make a mistake or two. Our guest Tiger Beaudoin knows this first hand. He's guided first-timers, grandparents, parents with children, and paddled solo across our favorite wilderness for years. He's also made more than a few mistakes.In this fast-paced presentation, he'll describe 10 lessons learned “the hard way” while paddling hundreds of miles and portaging thousands of rods in the BWCA and Quetico.Using these packing, equipment, camping, and fishing tricks, you'll enjoy a safer, more worry-free experience in the BWCA.BONUS: Check out Tiger's ultimate BWCA checklist, and a copy of his presentation with shocking videos and product links.

In this informative World Water Day discussion, we celebrate and discuss the threats, and ways that we can fight for clean water.We'll also discuss a water report we just published that assesses six major water threats to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and provides policy recommendations that, if adopted, would help to ensure that all Minnesotans have access to clean water for decades to come. Also, talk to the authors of legislation (SF 3633/HF 3888) that would create a State Water Plan to ensure that Minnesota has an abundant supply of clean water for the next 50 years. Guests:Minnesota State Senator Jen McEwenMinnesota State Representative Kelly MorrisonAmanda Koehler, Land Stewardship ProjectVisit https://www.friends-bwca.org/podcast for more information, resources and a video of this presentation.

February in Minnesota is a perfect time to plan your winter Boundary Waters adventure. Some of the best winter camping happens from now through March— with the right layers and the right precautions, winter can be a great time for a peaceful, quiet, mosquito-free adventure.On this podcast, BWCA expert and author Dan Pauly shares his tips for staying warm and dry, and discuss gear and how to keep yourself safe. Join us for this podcast to learn how to start preparing for your trip! Visit https://www.friends-bwca.org/podcast for more information, resources and a video of this presentation.

Join the Friends of the Boundary Waters staff as they react to the HUGE news of Twin Metals' canceled mineral leases, and a halt to the mining project near the Boundary Waters. We also discuss how the lease cancellation relates to other steps by the federal government, including a 20-year moratorium on mining at the edge of the Boundary Waters. We're also joined by Senator Jen McEwen from Duluth to discuss legislative efforts to protect clean water, and we review the recent Polymet wastewater permit decision, and how you can make your voice heard.Visit https://www.friends-bwca.org/podcast for more information, resources and a video of this presentation.

The northland has inspired some incredible children's books that can plant that seed of adventure in a young person's heart.We talk to four Minnesota authors and illustrators for a discussion on children's books related to the Boundary Waters and northern Minnesota. They preview what they have created for the youngest BWCA lovers, and share their own history with the Boundary Waters, and insight into their creative process.You might discover something for yourself, and learn about books to spark a child's imagination.Guests:Polly Carlson- Voiles (Author, Someone Walks By, Summer of the Wolves)Jenny Anderson “Girl of 10,000 Lakes” (Author, 1-2-3 Ice Fishing)Wes Erwin (Author, Boundary Waters A-B-C)Chuck Dayton (Photographer/ Illustrator, Secrets of the Loon)Visit https://www.friends-bwca.org/podcast for more information, resources and a video of this presentation.

How will climate change affect northeastern Minnesota? Dr. Lee Frelich discusses how ecological changes brought on by forest succession, species migration and warming waters will drastically transform the Boundary Waters.If you want to know what climate change will do to the wildlife, trees and vegetation of the BWCA, don't miss this special episode.Visit https://www.friends-bwca.org/podcast for more information, resources and a video of this presentation.

Climate change isn't just an environmental issue, it's a public health issue.Human health and the health of the natural world are intricately linked together. Understanding these connections is increasingly important. Dr. Bill Rom, originally from Ely, Minnesota and now a research scientist at New York University's School of Public Health, discusses impacts that extreme weather, wildfires, and other climate-related disasters have on human health. Visit https://www.friends-bwca.org/podcast for more information, resources and a video of this presentation.

Coinciding with the 2021 Glasgow Summit, we'll look at how climate change will affect the Boundary Waters and the broader ecosystem of northeastern Minnesota.In this episode, Dr. Steve Emerman, international expert on hydrology and geophysics digs deeply into how the two proposed copper-sulfide mines — PolyMet and Twin Metals — will exacerbate the climate crisis.Dr. Emerman has conducted in-depth research into the carbon cost of copper-sulfide mining and he  discusses his research into how these mines will drastically increase Minnesota's carbon footprint. Visit https://www.friends-bwca.org/podcast for more information, resources and a video of this presentation.

Proposed copper-sulfide mining in northern Minnesota threatens some of the cleanest water in the country, including the Boundary Waters and Lake Superior.Over the past year, Friends of the Boundary Waters and our partners have won important legal challenges against PolyMet's proposed toxic copper sulfide mine, which threatens to pollute Lake Superior. In October 2021, PolyMet was back in court, before the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Friends' Board Member Evan Nelson, an attorney at Maslon LLP, will provide a special look at the important wastewater permit before the court and where this case will go from here.Evan breaks down the legal arguments from Friends of the Boundary Waters and its partners Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, WaterLegacy, and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa who are also involved in this case. Visit https://www.friends-bwca.org/podcast for more information, resources and a video of this conversation.

The Biden administration recently announced it was requesting a 20-year ban on copper-sulfide mining on 225,000 acres of federal land surrounding the Boundary Waters. How will this impact conservation movement in the area and the future of America's most popular Wilderness Area.We'll hear directly from our legal experts, who offer background information on this important development in the fight for clean water that could potentially stop the proposed Twin Metals' toxic mine near the Boundary Waters.Visit https://www.friends-bwca.org/podcast for more information, resources and a video of this conversation.

Explore the link between clean water, the Boundary Waters, and Native American issues in this timely episode.Minnesota Senator Mary Kunesh and Representative Heather Keeler join Friends Executive Director Chris Knopf  to talk about Indigenous Peoples' Day, clean water, and their experiences as Native women in the Minnesota legislature.Senator Kunesh has been in the legislature since 2016 and was a founding member of the Native American and People of Color & Indigenous (POCI) caucuses. Representative Keeler joined the legislature in 2021 and has a background in activism and fighting for the Native American community in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Visit https://www.friends-bwca.org/podcast for more information, resources and a video of this conversation.