Big Red Canoe - Friends of the Boundary Waters podcast

Those who have traveled in the Boundary Waters are often drawn to the wilderness, and they may have wondered what it might be like to live immersed in the wilderness. Ashley Bredemus, owner and co director of Birchwood Wilderness Camp, has spent much of her life living near the Boundary Waters past the end of the Gunflint Trail. Ashley gives us a glimpse of what it's like to be in the wildern...

We're joined by special guest, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. While you may know him through his public service roles, you may not know that Attorney General Ellison has a deep love of the Boundary Waters and has led wilderness canoe trips for teenagers. In this episode, we talk to Keith Ellison about his experiences in the Boundary Waters, the importance of wilderness, clean water...

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 mile...

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, t...

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...

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 fr...

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...

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...

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 o...

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...

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, b...

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...

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 an...