Hope you can pull it up?

Very good article on wanting the public to use the recreational resource, but we are loving it to death often.

I hope you can pull the article up-it is worth reading and much of the BWCA overuse talk pertains here. Also like in the BWCA natural resource staff is less than 1/2 of the past but usage has skyrocketed on many of our recreational lands.
Loving it to death and high impact uses vs low impact.

Good read. I lean toward the option developing more parks and wilderness areas.

I'm old enough to remember when there was concern that places like this and the BWCA would go away because young people don't like going outside.

Gadfly: "I'm old enough to remember when there was concern that places like this and the BWCA would go away because young people don't like going outside. "

Yes, even Yellowstone had a decrease in visitation for a short visit.

The Last Best Place and they don't make them anymore holds truth.

billconner: "Good read. I lean toward the option of developing more parks and wilderness areas."

agree, getting hard tho with development everywhere.

The entire northshore has been loved to death! And two times over! Between Duluth and Grand Marais there’s little to no wilderness left…it’s like a 120 mile long city park!

GunflintTrailAngler: "The entire northshore has been loved to death! And two times over! Between Duluth and Grand Marais there’s little to no wilderness left…it’s like a 120 mile long city park!"

That's sad and once it happens there is no second chance to change it.

GunflintTrailAngler: "The entire northshore has been loved to death! And two times over! Between Duluth and Grand Marais there’s little to no wilderness left…it’s like a 120 mile long city park!"

I have often thought to myself as I make that drive up 61, "Sheesh, another state park already?!?" I think there are 6 between Two Harbors and GM.

billconner: "Good read. I lean toward the option developing more parks and wilderness areas."

Here is an article about an expanding State Park in the UP. Wonderful gift.

Craig Lake State Park

Just seems there room for some development in USFS and BLM land. I could be proven wrong, but just SNF seems to have potential.

Thats why I go to the UP.

Isn't this the conundrum and the Aldo quote is great reinforcement that this isn't anything new. Sure the numbers change, the perception of impact changes, and culture changes, but it's the same concern. There are three big things that I have never totally understood with the issue, and I wish there were a perfect solution.
In a perfect world, more people in a space should be a greater number of people that appreciate and care for a space but....

1) The harder a place is to access usually, the higher the skills and preparation of the visitors and the lower the chances that those people are there with wanton disregard for its care (though that's not always true, people can still be calloused about LNT.) As places get easier to get to and more developed (usually as a response to higher visitation), the cycle repeats itself and the lower the preparation of the parties visiting. Then if the average visitor is only stopping by for 20 minutes on a road trip rather than taking a multi-week journey to a space, the odds of them absorbing something decreases.

2) Can we grow the number of people TO SCALE with the growth of education and volunteerism. If a park cannot get the staffing to fix every issue, a well structured public group can really boost things. Unless the resources to educate people grows at the same rate as the number of people, the quality will stretch to thin. And if people introduce themselves to a place or an activity (rather than being brought in by a more experienced friend) the odds go down even further (we've seen that haven't we!) Usually volunteer groups consist of a very small number of folks that have a deep and lasting connection to a particular space. If every public space had a well organized volunteer core behind them, the short staffing issue could be mitigated. How then do we educate new visitors to the point that they care enough to be part of the solution?

3) And then the discussion of do we develop more spaces. I think of the levels of natural spaces as a filter (goes hand in hand with my first point.) At the coarsest level, we have our urban/suburban areas. In the twin cities like many urban areas, they are getting trashed. Development is increasing in impact (lots getting smaller, houses getting bigger, more mechanized development), and centuries of litter and pollution stack up in the lakes and rivers. The parks that exist get huge numbers of traffic and a percentage of those visitors are there with intentionally detromental impacts in mind (digging up plants, vandalism, poaching...) That's the coarse filter. From there, the state parks and national parks have more resources to handle more people, but being further away from the population centers and having visitor fees makes them the next filter. And then National Forests and other public land, places like the busier areas in the BW all play their role. Each of these filters represents the furthest into natural spaces that some people will go eventually focusing into the select few people that go to the really remote or challenging destinations (people pass through the "filter" by appreciating places more, having the skills and resources to go further in response) And the hope is that each subsequent level of the filter is able to impress a sense of wonder about nature to the people that experience it. The problem is do we develop some levels of those "filters" more so that more people can get through the regional parks and enjoy the state parks and national parks or even places the BW. When a space gets totally overwhelmed can it still impress people, inspire people, and motivate them to care about natural spaces? The risk is that it stops being a natural wonder and becomes a sideshow that doesn't fulfill the purpose of inspiring people to care.

bobbernumber3: "

billconner: "Good read. I lean toward the option developing more parks and wilderness areas."

Here is an article about an expanding State Park in the UP. Wonderful gift.


Craig Lake State Park "

I am fortunate to have a cabin 2 miles north of Craig lake state park. There are a number of lakes in the area that were part of the Miller Family's estate that were not included in the park. I was sure they would be subdivided and built up with cabins, however the Nature Conservancy purchased over 11,000 acres protecting several small lakes, ponds and the headwaters of 3 rivers. I have bushwhacked into many of these lakes with a canoe or packraft and they are spectacular.
Wilderness Lakes Reserve
Wilderness Lakes Reserve map with expansion

user0317: "

bobbernumber3: "

billconner: "Good read. I lean toward the option developing more parks and wilderness areas."

Here is an article about an expanding State Park in the UP. Wonderful gift.



Craig Lake State Park "

I am fortunate to have a cabin 2 miles north of Craig lake state park. There are a number of lakes in the area that were part of the Miller Family's estate that were not included in the park. I was sure they would be subdivided and built up with cabins, however the Nature Conservancy purchased over 11,000 acres protecting several small lakes, ponds and the headwaters of 3 rivers. I have bushwhacked into many of these lakes with a canoe or packraft and they are spectacular.
Wilderness Lakes Reserve
Wilderness Lakes Reserve map with expansion "

The Nature Conservancy has done one awesome job in purchasing undeveloped land in Minnesota and elsewhere. They are a very worthwhile group to support.

thegildedgopher: "

GunflintTrailAngler: "The entire northshore has been loved to death! And two times over! Between Duluth and Grand Marais there’s little to no wilderness left…it’s like a 120 mile long city park!"

I have often thought to myself as I make that drive up 61, "Sheesh, another state park already?!?" I think there are 6 between Two Harbors and GM."

I'd rather the public have access to (insert park name here) to see the falls or lake or whatever over some mcmansion built at the falls and it being fenced off and private.

We are awful lucky to have our State parks. Within the parks, we have to watch we don't overdevelop (always hate that word sounds like we are improving something over just leaving it alone) them, that we lose its natural aspects.

With the covid restrictions, and many park closures in Canada, many folks who used to go to Canadian waters, no longer go there.
Also with all the fires in Quetico, Woodland Caribou, has deterred people from some of those areas.
This has put additional pressure on the BWCA, Voyageurs, etc.
If your not vaccinated, not worth hassle to tAavel to Canada.
Restrictions are to absurd.

thegildedgopher: "

GunflintTrailAngler: "The entire northshore has been loved to death! And two times over! Between Duluth and Grand Marais there’s little to no wilderness left…it’s like a 120 mile long city park!"

I have often thought to myself as I make that drive up 61, "Sheesh, another
state park already?!?" I think there are 6 between Two Harbors and GM."

Well if they weren’t state parks, you’d be seeing lake homes and condos instead.

To piggy back just a little off of SunCatcher some of this is temporary. Until recently you couldn’t even go to Canada. Now for the vast majority of Americans it is a pretty simple process to cross over and it will get even easier for everyone in the next 1-2 years. That will take some pressure off the BWCA and really other areas. Northern MN resorts have had their business increase significantly during COVID as well because vacation options were more limited. We’ll see in a couple of years.

T

h20: "Thats why I go to the UP."

Me too, since the 1970"s

I'm good with this: Next National Parks