Protect Minnesota's Wilderness -- The BWCAW --

Wilderness is our legacy for future Americans.

Clean water
The Forest Service estimates that 60 million Americans receive their water from sources with headwaters on a national forest. In the Superior National Forest, the Seven Beaver Roadless Unit contains the headwaters to the St. Louis River––the largest tributary to Lake Superior and a source of drinking water for Duluth, Minn.

Protected wildlife habitat
Protecting 90,000 acres of roadless areas in the Superior National Forest is critical for protecting some of our most valued wildlife. This is where moose wander and loons yodel. It is the last vestige for the boreal owl. Several of the roadless units foster Minnesota’s rebounding lynx population, a species once thought to have left the state forever. All of the areas are key links in stretches of unfragmented forest that house the largest wolf population in the continental U.S.––and provide vital refuge for warblers and other migratory songbirds.

Places to hunt and fish
These roadless areas harbor some of the best lakes in our state for walleye, bass and many kinds of trout. They contain the lush conifer stands that provide thermal cover for some of our favorite game species, like ruffed grouse and deer. They also provide outstanding opportunities to hunt for rare game, like moose and spruce grouse.

Peace and quiet
Inventories of the roadless units in the Superior National Forest reveal that these wild places offer something that––in this age of real-time digital technologies and “anytime, anywhere” global communications––may be our most precious social resource––solitude. This is where you can sit under a grand old white pine and contemplate life, cast a line in a trout stream and forget about the mortgage, or trade in the daily commute for a portage and a paddle. It is where, in the words of canoe country poet Sigurd Olson, we “find silence, oneness, wholeness…spiritual release.”