Prairie State Canoeists Conservation News

Biden administration cancels Twin Metals' leases to mine near BWCA

News2 Coordinator — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 23:45:19 GMT

Great news for Paddlers!! The Biden administration has canceled two federal mineral leases held by Twin Metals Minnesota, dealing a potentially fatal blow to the company’s bid to build an underground mine for copper, nickel and precious metals on the doorstep of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Those leases, located along Birch Lake in the Superior National Forest, about 7 miles east of Ely and just south of the BWCA, are critical to Twin Metals’ plans. They’re required for the company to access the valuable minerals underground. - more info can be found on MPRnews.org

Hammel Woods Dam Removal to begin

Website Admin3 — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 14:15:31 GMT

The Forest Preserve District’s Hammel Woods Dam removal and modification project is about to begin.

As a result of this work:

The Grinton Grove section of the preserve will be closed. Grinton Grove is the southernmost portion of the preserve off the Route 59 access area.
A portion of the DuPage River Trail from Route 52 to the dam overlook will be closed. Trail closure signs will be put in place on the trail near Shorewood Grove.
The section of the DuPage River that goes through Hammel Woods will not be open for boating or tubing as the dam work takes place.
The portage area that exists now for boaters to go around the dam will be removed. A new canoe/kayak launch will be built downstream of the current launch prior to the old launch being removed.
The parking lot adjacent to the dam site will be closed.

The Hammel Woods project in Shorewood is scheduled to begin in July and is expected to take three months and to be completed in October, but weather and other factors could affect this timeline.

https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/News-Events/News/Hammel-Woods-Dam-Removal-and-Modification-Project

Save the Boundary Waters

Website Admin3 — Sun, 04 Jul 2021 17:38:03 GMT

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum introduced HR 2794 - the Boundary Waters Protection and Pollution Prevention Act in the 117th Congress. The bill would forever ban sulfide-ore copper mining on federal lands in the watershed of the Boundary Waters. It is important to have broad co-sponsorship of this bill by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

To find out more Save the Boundary Waters

What is Leave no Trace?

Website Admin3 — Sun, 04 Jul 2021 17:37:17 GMT

The Seven Principles of Leave No Trace provide an easily understood framework of minimum impact practices for anyone visiting the outdoors.

Plan ahead and prepare

Travel and camp on durable surfaces

Dispose of waste properly

Leave what you find

Minimize campfire impacts

Respect wildlife

Be considerate of other visitors

For more information Protect the Outdoors - Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics (lnt.org)

Enjoying a Campfire, without a Campfire

Dave Watts — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 02:18:38 GMT

https://lnt.org/blog/enjoying-campfire-without-one-0

Enjoying a Campfire Without One

Salt Lake City, UT: After one month in the beautiful desert mountains of Central Arizona, we are northbound chasing winter – driving through snowstorms with blustery winds as we cross over the border from Arizona into Utah. Finally! Winter, and the seasons are upon us. We sigh happily. Our eyes light up. And we start to hum songs about snow, “Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, and since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!” As our outward excitement grows, we quietly brace ourselves for cold weather camping. And what better way to warm our bodies and spirits than by having a campfire? There’s no better way; or is there?

As we drove higher and higher into winter, we were faced with one minor issue - campfires are rarely permitted at high-elevation wilderness destinations (typically those above 4,000 feet). Why, you might ask? Well there are a lot of reasons actually:

1. Frequent removal of wood can exhaust the high country of nutrient-rich, soil stabilizing ground cover. In addition, the regeneration of wood sources often cannot keep pace with the demand for firewood.

2. The natural appearance of many areas has been degraded by the overuse of fires. For example, rock scars are a common unfortunate sight in the backcountry.

3. Irresponsible fires can cause wildfires that wreak havoc, damaging precious landscapes, homes and infrastructure along the way.

4. There are great alternatives available for cooking food, such as lightweight affordable backpacking stoves.

In fact there are alternatives to every common reason that people desire to have a campfire – warmth, cooking, moral and light. Let us elaborate. There was a day, when campfires were required to cook and keep from freezing to death. Well, the fact of the matter is that modern advances in camping equipment and gear are contributing to a shift towards lightweight stoves and movements like Leave No Trace are encouraging a user to consider enjoying their stay without a campfire. That’s right. No campfire. Now what? Here we break down ways to enjoy a campfire without one.

1. Warmth – The idea that heat loss occurs primarily through our head is an old wives tale. In actuality, the only reason we would lose more heat through our head is if it is the only part of our body not covered. Make sense? Cover up and keep warm. The human body is not engineered to withstand freezing temperatures for extended periods of time. However, your 600 fill down, merino wool and Polartec layers are designed to help you do just that. And thanks to co-ops like REI you can find your essentials for an affordable price.

2. Cooking – Gone are the days of needing to cook your wieners over the fire. Lightweight efficient stoves are trending in the outdoor community because they are fast, flexible, eliminate firewood availability as a concern in campsite selection and promote minimum impact camping. Get your superior stove here!

3. Morale – You can’t put a price on morale! That is why it’s important to always remember your favorite lightweight games: dice, cards, a portable magnetic chess set, Frisbee and the list goes on. Any wannabe musicians in your party? Bring the flute and harmonize on (so long as you’re being respectful of your neighbors of course)! Caught up in your favorite murder mystery novel? Bring it along and relax into the pages. With a little bit of prep and imagination, you’ll be hard pressed to find yourself bored.

4. Light – Let’s see… there are literally hundreds of light alternatives: Luci lanterns (our favorite!), headlamps (a must have), hand crank lanterns, battery operated lanterns, Eno hammock led twilight lights, solar lights, old fashioned flashlights, new fashioned phone flashlights, candles, starlight, moonlight. Need we list more?

So as we neared the majestic snow-covered mountains, we maintained a peaceful feeling knowing that we had so many options to enjoying a campfire without one. Won’t you join us in this movement during your next campout?

To learn more, check our recommendations on how to minimize campfire impact.

Helping keep our wildness wild,

Jenna and Sam - Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Team West

Leave No Trace’s Jenna Hanger and Sam Ovett are part of the 2015 Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Program that provides free, mobile education to communities across the country. Proud partners of this program include Subaru of America, Deuter, Hi-Cone, REI, Smartwool, The North Face, and Yakima.

Sources: http://online.nwf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=gabc_GetReady_REI_campfir...

- See more at: https://lnt.org/blog/enjoying-campfire-without-one-0#sthash.3k1nTadi.dpuf

Do you 'Clean Your Bottom' ?

Dave Watts — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 02:12:58 GMT

https://lnt.org/blog/clean-your-bottom

Clean Your Bottom!

Springfield, MO--Springtime invites you to take advantage of the sunshine and dancing waterways; but after a day of paddling, don't forget to clean your bottom!

Your boat's bottom, that is. Giving your boat a good scrub before heading back home can help eliminate the spread of invasive species, invasive species that may be trying to hitchhike their way into new ecosystems. Do your best to remove all small seeds and micro-organisms; if accidentally transferred, these hitchhikers may be introduced to a new area/region creating an imbalance. 42% of endangered species are actually put out by invasive species each year and in attempt to eradicate these invasive species, more than $138 billion dollars are spent annually (Marion 2014).

As recreationists and lovers of the outdoors, it is important to understand our role in the spread of invasive species so we can continue doing our favorite outdoor activities for years and generations to come.

See you on the trail (or water!).

Katelyn and Blake

Leave No Trace’s Katelyn and Blake are part of the 2016 Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Program that provides free, mobile education to communities across the country. Proud partners of this program include Subaru of America, Deuter, Eagle's Nest Outfitters, Smartwool, and REI.

- See more at: https://lnt.org/blog/clean-your-bottom