New Year Message to BWAC Volunteers

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Happy New Year to you.  In this New Year’s message I want to share our past accomplishments and a glimpse into BWAC 2020 plans.  Last year was nothing short of extraordinary.  More than 185 volunteers cleared 25 miles of treefalls.  The jack pines that proliferated after the Pagami Creek fire, and reached 12-16 feet in eight years, have been cut from the entire trail and no longer obscure the path.  For the first time since 2016, several groups of backpackers have been able to hike the entire loop.

This is a tremendous success we should be rightfully proud of.  Forest Service Kawishiwi (Ely) District Ranger Gus Smith was impressed and sent a thank you note to us, commenting on the high quality of trail clearing work by BWAC volunteers last summer.

What lies ahead in 2020?  Our work is far from complete and much more needs to be done.

1) We estimate there will be about 3,000 treefalls on the trail after winter snows, up from the 2000 treefalls counted at the end of 2019 clearing. Our trail committee has already met twice in December and is organizing ten trail clearing crews for May, 2020.  Be sure to look for your own 2020 adventure or two on Meetup in mid-January!

2) The good news: by Memorial Day weekend, the Powwow trail should be passable to most hikers with above average trail finding skills.  In 2020 the Forest Service plans to replace the PWT trailhead kiosk, including a map. The not-so-good news: eight unrestored campsites remain along the trail.  These have been removed from official maps and presently there is no timeline or plan to reopen them. Pose Lake is the only campsite that has been restored (2015).  Hikers need safe locations to camp, with fire grates and latrines and without danger of hazard trees falling. Camping off the trail is impossible due to the sheer number of treefalls and choking growth of new jack pines that blanket the ground.

3) The BWAC advocacy team plans to meet with the USFS this winter and lobby for renewal of the eight campsites.  In addition to asking the Forest Service for help, we intend to reach to our elected officials.  We will ask that “deferred maintenance” funds by the Natural Resources Appropriation Committee be specifically designated for trail maintenance on the Powwow Trail, so that the Forest Service has means to restore the sites.

4) On the organizational side of our work,  Duluth BWAC volunteers  successfully established a Northern MN BWAC Chapter with a sponsorship from Frost River Outdoor Store.  Thank you Duluth area volunteers for two years of maintaining Powwow Trail!

5) On the sponsorship front, BWAC has other good news. Kawishiwi Lodge / Lake One Outfitters, donates the use of Kevlar canoes and their lakeside bunkhouse for BWAC crews paddling to the west and north side of the Powwow Trail. Trailtopia offers a 20% discount for their nutritious and convenient backpacking food to all BWAC volunteers, and a 50% discount to crew leaders.

The Boundary Waters Advisory Committee has an awesome track record in trail advocacy and trail restoration. I believe that with your help and commitment, we will be successful in bringing about a complete rebirth of Powwow Trail experience for backpackers in the upcoming year.

To celebrate our successes and to learn more, I invite you to join us at the BWAC Annual Meeting and dinner on February 6, at REI Bloomington.  Meet crew leaders, reconnect with your past crew members and hear Cary Griffith author of  “Lost in Wild” an incredible story of survival on the Powwow Trail.  Please RSVP today at https://www.meetup.com/Friends-of-BWCA-Trails/events/267188399/

Thank you for your commitment to BWCAW hiking trails. The passion and energy of BWAC volunteers is not only bringing back the Powwow Trail, but makes BWAC a reliable partner with the Forest Service, land manager for the Powwow Trail.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions at wtrails2@yahoo.com or at 651-214-5849 cell.

Regards,

Martin Kubik,  BWAC president and public servant, ESL