Partnerships

Like a lot of Montanans, I measure decisions about public lands through hard-earned experience, not political talking points. I’ve spent most of my adult life in Montana. I’ve built my career here and raised my family here. But I grew up in northern Minnesota, just west of the Boundary Waters. As a kid, I fished for walleye on Birch Lake, southwest of the Wilderness boundary, and I remember the signs posted at the landing: Don’t eat the fish. Mercury levels too high. Those warnings weren’t theoretical. They were the result of mining waste that found its way into the water. Back then we were told “the solution to pollution is dilution.” Time proved otherwise.

After a massively successful year of planning, preparation, and executing a huge volunteer day last August, we are excited to offer some updates on the Pine Island Wildlife Management Area on Lake Vermilion! Thank you to our incredible sponsor, the onX Access + Stewardship Initiative, the Minnesota DNR Tower Wildlife crew, the 50 volunteers who helped us pull this off, and everyone who had a hand in this project.

Release: Hunters and Anglers Applaud Introduction of Legislation to Permanently Protect Boundary Waters. A historic push to ensure future generations can hunt, fish, and paddle in the iconic watershed could be in dire jeopardy if public land advocates remain silent.

Since its inception, Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters has worked tirelessly to protect the outdoor opportunities we have all come to cherish in Minnesota’s Arrowhead region through three presidential administrations.  We’ve seen everything from permanent protection legislation to mining lease reinstatements, regulation changes and interpretations, positive stewardship initiatives and negligence, and every manner of opinion and political movement. 

This October, Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters is honored to announce a partnership with North of North Wilderness Resort. Located 10 miles outside of Ely, nestled on the shores of beautiful Birch Lake, North of North is truly a resort like no other.

Grouse season is upon us! The leaves are starting to change, the evenings are getting cooler, and there are grouse around every corner in the Northwoods. Here at Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters, we live for this time of year. Among the myriad of tasks that go into working on behalf of the Boundary Waters region, nothing keeps the fire burning like a limit of birds, fellowship with old and new friends, and feasting on wild game.

Looking to the future, SFBW has a few more tasks on the Pine Island WMA. This winter will tell the tale of how much work we’ll need to do in the Spring. First, we need to understand how well the trees we planted will fare between wildlife browsing and tough conditions. We fully intend to plant as many supplemental trees as necessary in the Spring.

Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters is excited to announce our latest partnership with Boundary Waters Outfitters based out of Ely, Minnesota!

Through support from onX’s Access and Stewardship Program, the Tower Area MN DNR & MeatEater, Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters is working to create, conserve, and restore wildlife habitat and access in the Northwoods of Minnesota. This summer, Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters (SFBW) has adopted Pine Island Wildlife Management Area (WMA) on Lake Vermilion. The Pine Island adoption is the first project of SFBW’s Stewardship and Habitat Initiative, a program SFBW is excited to implement in multiple spheres in and around the Boundary Waters with partnering agencies, conservation organizations, and outdoor industry leaders.

Author’s Note: Below is a short excerpt from my new book, The God of Wild Places: Rediscovering the Divine in the Untamed Outdoors. The book tracks my journey out of the church – I used to be a pastor – and into the woods. As the passage below hints, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has been an important part of my healing, which is why I so fervently support the mission of Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters. If you love the BWCA as much as I do, I hope you’ll find some resonance in the words below, and in the book as a whole.