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The U.S. Forest Service in partnership with the John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution (National Center) held the first in-person meeting for the new Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) Collaborative in Duluth on April 24, with 28 of the 31 members in attendance.
Seth Cohen and Lauren Nutter, facilitators from the National Center, began the meeting by reviewing the current agenda, discussing the charter, the decision-making process, meeting attendance and the agenda development process.
Members first spent some time getting to know one another by sharing experiences and connections to particular places in the BWCAW.
They reflected from the standpoint of recreationalists, nearby home or cabin owners, gateway community members, state and federal partners, outfitters who serve thousands of visitors, and as educators who have helped youth and adults experience and learn about the BWCA.
Peter Taylor, forest planner, provided a presentation and fielded questions from the group on the BWCAW Forest Plan Amendment, in the public engagement process with public comment through May 17. The presentation reiterated the topics and information provided during the projects virtual open house on April 18.
The group then moved on to discuss initial ‘BWCAW Topic Priorities and Next Steps’ which included:
• Accessibility and access,
• Permits and Reservation system,
• Fire management,
• Impacts and restrictions outside the BWCA lines due to the BWCA,
• Water quality, climate change, and aquatic invasive species (AIS),
• Labor and workforce,
• Motorized use and towboats These topics may serve as a basis for voluntary collaborative member working groups with support from Forest Service subject matter experts and the National Center facilitators.
The National Center will also work with Forest Service to gather information and data as requested on these topics, and they may reach out to members to help identify data needs and gaps. Several action items were noted for follow up.
“There is great interest from the group to keep the momentum by meeting four times a year and engaging on specific topics,” said forest supervisor Tom Hall. “We all agreed that the collaborative is coming together in a meaningful way and we truly appreciate everyone’s energy to help increase understanding, stay informed, and contribute to better management of the BWCAW.”
Detailed notes from all meetings are available for public reference after they are finalized by collaborative members. Meeting notes are posted to the Superior National Forest website, BWCAW collaborative page: https://www.fs.usda. gov/BWCAWcollaborative
