Policies and Regulation
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) is over one million acres of designated wilderness area that attracts thousands of visitors per year. With as many as 1500 canoe routes and 2,200 designated campsites, canoeing is a popular attraction for people from all over the United States (1). The north woods of MN, and the BWCA, as well as surrounding lakes in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Canada, have created and perpetuated a canoeing culture in the Midwest. While there are other areas in the United States that are popular for canoeing, the BWCA has a reputation for being one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in the states.
Recreation in northern Minnesota continues to be possible because of policies that designate wilderness areas, as well as plans for management and numbers of visitors allowed in the area. As a result of state legislation, administrative actions and court decision, the BWCA was designated a wilderness area under public law 95-495, 92 Stat. 1649 (3). The portion below is from this policy and states the intentions of the government in the BWCA.
“SECTION 1. The Congress finds that it is necessary and desirable to provide for the protection, enhancement, and preservation of the natural values of the lakes, waterways, and associated forested areas known (before the date of enactment of this Act) as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and for the orderly management of public use and enjoyment of that area as wilderness, and of certain continuous lands and waters, while at the same time protecting the special qualities of the area as a natural forest-lake land wilderness ecosystem of major esthetic, cultural, scientific, recreational and educational value to the Nation” (2).
As a wilderness area, there are additional strict regulations on mining, peat harvesting, and the exploitation of other natural resources in the area. In order to receive a permit, license, or lease for any one of these activities, there must be prior approval from the legislature only in cases of national emergency, which have been declared by congress. After congress declares a need, exploration and inspection may be allowed, but otherwise no state-owned or administered land may be leased for the purpose of harvesting natural resources (3).
In addition to being protected by both federal and state governments, the BWCA has strict policies in the park to ensure the preservation of the wilderness with recreational use by visitors. These policies include requiring all visitors to purchase permits and register boats, which allows the park to regulate the traffic through the area. Additionally, visitors are required to stay at designated campsites and portage trails, which condenses traffic to delegated areas and minimizes the affect of thousands of people trammeling through the wild.
1. www.bwca.cc/bwcaw-activities.html
2. http://www.bwca.cc/historical/wildernessactof78.htm