The Pagami Creek Fire (the final word...for now)
Believe it or not, two and a half months after a seemingly harmless lightning strike, the Pagami Creek Fire still has a few "hot spots". While, with the onset of winter, the threat of anything more happening with this event is done, it is pretty amazing to see the natural course a large forest fire like this one takes before totally done. Two weeks ago, we had a unique opportunity to join a contingent of paddlers along with U.S. Forest Service officials, to take a canoe tour through some of the burn areas.
Our tour took us out to the southern end of Lake Three and included stops at two campsites affected in some measure, by the fire. One campsite was totally impacted by the fire, while the other one was largely unaffected. That was a somewhat common thread in our tour. That is, many areas were heavily impacted by the fire and others were spared. Still other areas had some degree of impact. The visual evidence seems to support the campsite numbers from our last newsletter. Over the course of the off season, there will be plenty of discussion and debate on issues like permit quotas and forest rehabilitation. We will keep you updated as this information becomes available to us.
The following picture are from the tour. Hopefully they will give you a sense of what we were able to observe. Photos include campsites that were and were not affected, some new growth and even some signs of wildlife.
We hope to follow up this canoe tour next spring with a trip out further east, beyond the Lake One Chain and out to Insula Lake. Stay tuned for future information.
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NO CHILD LEFT INSIDE
This package was so popular that we have decided to offer it again for the 2012 season. We are starting a campaign to get families out of the house, away from the computer games, and out enjoying nature. In order to help you we are still offering our NO CHILD LEFT INSIDE package. This package includes all of the gear that your family will need for an excellent adventure into the Boundary Waters, lodging before your trip with a dinner and breakfast in our dining room, es 10-18 will get 25% off the regular complete outfitting rates, and each youth 9 and under will go for free.
transportation to your entry point, routing and fishing information and tips. For every child that brings an adult, the adult will get 20% off complete outfitting rates. Each youth ag |
PERMIT INFORMATION
PERMIT INFORMATION
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW).
We have heard of some changes happening to the Boundary Waters Permit System. It does appear that there will be some type of change, they just aren't sure how many changes will be in effect. One of the big changes being discussed is doing away with the lottery system and opening up the reservation system on a specific date and on a first come first serve basis. This will allow for everyone to see what permits are available and be able to know what they received immediately. The date of this opening is yet to be determined, but we are hearing that if this happens it will be around the same time as the lottery has been. We will still provide the free service of obtaining permits for our guests, but we ask the you get your preferred dates to us as soon as possibly. We may have quite a few to obtain in one morning and want to make sure that yours is in the mix.
http://www.startribune.com/local/131298954.html
Quetico Park
Permits are issued on a first come first served basis exactly 5 months to the day before your desired start day. This year the park will open May 20th, 2012. Our Crew will be happy to help you obtain your permits at no extra cost to you. If you are going into Quetico Park, be prepared to have the names of all group members to list on your permit. Also a brief description of your tents and canoes (for search and rescue purposes) also to be listed on your permit. Update: as of last July, camping fees for entering at Prairie Portage are $21.50 for adults and $8.50 per youth (per night) |