Conclusion: Prospects for the Future
While recreation certainly does not have beneficial impacts on the environment, in the Superior National Forest and BWCA, resource managers have done a fairly good job of creating a good balance between human use and wilderness preservation. In limiting the overnight use of the BWCA to those with permits, the intensity of disturbances due to recreational activities is consequently reduced. In addition, the forest ecosystem in itself plays a role in confining recreational impacts. Studies have shown that when confined by trees and other boundaries, hikers and ORV users are less likely to stray off trail. The Superior National Forest in this sense acts as its own buffer.
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However, there are several courses of action that can be taken to mitigate the impacts of recreation on Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Currently the supply of campsites and campgrounds exceeds the demand for recreational resources. As a result, several campgrounds could be closed or relocated to redistribute recreational use and impacts on the ecosystem. Another step would be to suspend indefinitely horseback riding in the BWCA, as this type of activity is more disruptive to ecosystems than either hiking or biking. This specific course of action is less feasible, however, as riding is a substantial component of the tourist economy. A third proposal involves confining ATV and other off road vehicle use to one specific section of the forest. In doing so, impacts associated with off-trail and road biking would be confined to a smaller, more localized section of the forest. Bikers would have access to both groomed and ungroomed trails. Of course, this means sacrificing one section of the forest ecosystem to detrimental recreation, but the overall benefits to the BWCA and Superior National Forest would outweigh such harms.