Haze in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area

Those of us who have lived in Minnesota for any amount of time are familiar with the one million acres in northeast Minnesota, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). It is a parcel of land, first home to the Ojibwa, and later traders and then foresters. In 1978, the land of lakes and trees, habitat for thousands of species of wildlife, was set aside as protected national park land, and its use is regulated for minimum impact.

However, despite such efforts, it is still susceptible to the same things that ails our earth's inner cities-- air contamination.
The real time air quality monitor set up the the BW as well as other wilderness places throughout the state, gives us an understanding of the effects of carbon emissions and it isn't very pretty.

When I first saw this monitor, it was a hazy day. I was surprised to see what looked like fog shroud the land. I always considered the BW, a sacred place, immune from such contamination. What a silly thought. Coal plants, cars, and even the fires campers gather around, send billions of tiny particles into the air.

Along with air pollution, more moose have been found dead this year-- unexplained and bewildering. They dont seem to be killed by wolves, and many scientist think that global warming is causing the moose, who need cold weather, to rub their fur off. Their exposed skin is then more vulnerable to insects, which live longer due to warmer temps, and carry diseases which are infecting the moose.

It isnt just the "middle" that is broken. Travel north by car about 240 miles. 35 to 33 to 169 and then turn right on the Echo trail. Drive north twenty miles and you are in the BWCA. You can't drive. You have to paddle a canoe to go further into the interior, like the original people did in their birch bark canoes before they were rounded up and put onto reservations.

Listen to the Loons' tremolos. They see you and warn their brethren--you are an uncertain presence to them. They dont trust you.

Karen