Recorded at Seagull Lake, Boundary Waters Canoe Area, 9:30AM July 8, 2013.
Audio-Technica AT3032 mics in Variable (medium) Boundary Array. Tascam DR-680, 16bit/48khz, low cut/limiter- off.

Conditions (Grand Marais Airport, ~50 mi. SE) 57 deg. F, wind 0 kts. It felt more like 65.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=48.144818,-90.930742&hl=enll=48.144814,-90.930748&spn=0.008476,0.01929&sll=48.144818,-90.930742&sspn=0.004238,0.009645&t=h&z=16&iwloc=near

Song Sparrow and Ravens

On the bluff above the 'beach' campsite at Seagull Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a time-compressed recording from ~9pm - 1:30am. The wind rises and falls. Ruffed grouse drum and loons call in the middle distance. Is that a large ungulate passing through the woods?

N48 08.737 W90 55.920 elev. 1491ft.

Dual Primo EM172 capsules in Medium variable boundary array recorded 48khz/16bit to Olympus LS-11.

130708 Beach site bluff twilight to midnight

Season Two of A Podcast to Save the Boundary Waters launches Monday morning, March 14! 

Since the end of season one of this podcast, the Campaign has seen significant progress in the fight to protect the Boundary Waters from sulfide-ore copper mining. At the end of the last season, we were just heading into a 90-day comment period in which the Bureau of Land Management solicited public comments on the application to ban copper mining in the watershed of the Boundary Waters for 20 years. 
The Campaign and its partners helped to generate a record breaking quarter of a million comments in support of Boundary Waters protection. At the same time, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources hosted a 30-day comment period to solicit public input as it considers whether or not Minnesota's state mining rules are adequate to protect the Boundary Waters. Thank you to everyone who participated in these opportunities to speak up on behalf of the Wilderness!

2022 has seen this momentum continue - in January, the U.S. Department of Interior announced that it was canceling the two federal mineral leases held by Twin Metals in the watershed of the Boundary Waters. This move effectively kills the Twin Metals mine, as the company no longer has rights to any of the federal land or minerals on which their mine plan depends. In February, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's administration also announced that it would no longer consider the Twin Metals mine plan, and expressed concern over the proposed location of the mine's tailings facility. 

This year is the year of the Boundary Waters - a forever wilderness and a beloved canoe country. While we continue our efforts on advocating for the future of the Boundary Waters in court, Washington, D.C., St. Paul, and through legislation, we can't forget the tangible memories and moments formed year round that create our connections to this landscape. That's why in season two of A Podcast to Save the Boundary Waters, we head into the Boundary Waters for winter camping adventures. 

Again, Season two of A Podcast to Save the Boundary Waters launches Monday morning, March 14.

Meanwhile, look for the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters at Canoecopia in Madison, Wisconsin, this weekend! (March 11-13)

Season Two Preview Of A Podcast To Save The Boundary Waters

July 28, 2021, 10:22 PM. A late night aquatic visitor on Seagull Lake.

Most Likely A Moose

Just ahead of the upcoming paddling season, there was news of a court case that could end the longstanding practice of using motorized towboats to help Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness visitors get started on their wilderness trips at least temporarily. A national organization, Wilderness Watch, is seeking an injunction to halt the towboat permit system as soon as the ice melts.

The US Forest Service allows the use of towboats are used to assist canoeists starting their BWCA journey, dispersing visitors deeper into the million-acre BWCA. Some outfitters at the end of the Gunflint also use the towboat service to help paddlers reach Quetico Provincial Park via the Cache Bay Ranger Station. The towboats typically drop paddlers at American Point on Saganaga Lake, which is partially inside the BWCA.

If the federal judge reviewing the injunction rules in favor of Wilderness Watch, it could disrupt the plans of thousands of Minnesotans who have already booked towboat-assisted trips with BWCA and Quetico outfitters. Here in Cook County, the ruling could impact Tuscarora Lodge and Outfitters, Seagull Outfitters, and Voyageur Canoe Outfitters. The ruling would have a much larger impact on the Ely area, where many canoeists receive a tow across Moose Lake each season, among other lakes in the Ely area.

The organization Wilderness Watch claims that the Forest Service is not upholding its self-imposed restrictions and limitations of towboat services. The Forest Service’s most recent figures showed that in 2019, there were 4,817 tow boat trips, and 3,815 total trips in 2020. These figures amount to nearly “tripling the level that the Forest Service pledged that it would limit the total to,” according to officials from Wilderness Watch.

We asked officials from the Forest Service to comment on this story and the towboat situation, including if the towboat services can operate while the judge considers a ruling on the injunction. Forest Service spokesperson Joy Liptak VanDrie said the agency does not comment on current litigation. However, she did say that since a current ruling has not been issued in the case, there is no change in towboat services at this time.

In this episode, guest contributor and Grand Marais journalist Rhonda Silence speaks with Matthew Ritter of Voyageur Canoe Outfitters. Also featured is an interview with Kevin Proescholdt, the Minnesota-based conservation director for Wilderness Watch.

News Track: BWCA Towboat Services In Question

29 June, 2016, ~17:45 CDT
N48 04.511 W90 17.411

16 bit, 48 kHz
Lightweight Modular Partially Baffled Boundary Array
Audio-Technica AT3032 Omni Condenser Mics
Sound Devices MP-2 preamp w/limiter
Olympus LS-11 recorder
Post-processing: iZotope RX5 De-Clip, gain adjustment


160629 Caribou Lake Thunderstorm Approach

Morning at the north end of Red Rock Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. An everyday, yet dramatic moment in the BW: Eagle scores breakfast, everybody gets a little uptight for a few minutes.
On top of a 25-ft bluff, overlooking an L-shaped inlet. The eagle was perched on the opposite shore of the bay.
2 foam-nosed partially-baffled boundary arrays spaced 40 feet apart, w/ Audio-Technica AT3032 &  AT4022 microphones, recorded to Tascam DR-680, 48/16.
Ravens, Common Loon, Bald Eagle, Blue Jay, Red Squirrel, Red-breasted Nuthatch, more species IDs to follow.

News Track: BWCA Towboat Services In Question

WTIP Boundary Waters Podcast

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