One of Jason Krogman's summer traditions as a teenager was as Minnesotan as flannel: He would join his father and family friends on fishing trips into the Boundary Waters.
Krogman, of Cottage Grove, remembered seeing signs during their journeys for the "Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness" as well as the "Boundary Waters Canoe Area." He's been thinking more about those signs lately as he reads stories that parallel the past about mining leases and the protection of the BWCA.
It inspired him to ask Curious Minnesota, the Star Tribune's reader-powered reporting project: Why was the BWCA designated a wilderness managed by the U.S. Forest Service and not a national park managed by the National Park Service?
The simple answer is that the federal government created the Superior National Forest, which includes the Boundary Waters, more than a century ago to balance competing demands for industry, preservation and recreation in the Northland. And recreation was top of mind. Parts of the forest were carved out for primitive travel and exploration, and growing regulations over the years ensured it remained undeveloped.
Why is the BWCA a wilderness and not a national park?
Krogman, of Cottage Grove, remembered seeing signs during their journeys for the "Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness" as well as the "Boundary Waters Canoe Area." He's been thinking more about those signs lately as he reads stories that parallel the past about mining leases and the protection of the BWCA.
It inspired him to ask Curious Minnesota, the Star Tribune's reader-powered reporting project: Why was the BWCA designated a wilderness managed by the U.S. Forest Service and not a national park managed by the National Park Service?
The simple answer is that the federal government created the Superior National Forest, which includes the Boundary Waters, more than a century ago to balance competing demands for industry, preservation and recreation in the Northland. And recreation was top of mind. Parts of the forest were carved out for primitive travel and exploration, and growing regulations over the years ensured it remained undeveloped.
Why is the BWCA a wilderness and not a national park?