The Mission Achieved
Here in the 20th year since its founding, Boundary Waters Advisory Committee continues to achieve its mission “to preserve existing historic and intrinsically beautiful trails in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of the Superior National Forest.” And we could not have done it without all of our wonderful volunteers!
As we near the end of trail maintenance season for 2022, we want to thank all of our member volunteers who stepped up and made a noticeable difference in the hiking condition of the Powwow Trail. Though we started off slow, due to lasting snow and high-water levels in the spring, when October is done, we will have had 20 trail trips this year, comprised of almost 130 volunteers.
Our continued focus on our mission of advocacy and maintenance of hiking trails in the BWCAW, working with the Forest Service - Superior National Forest, resulted in almost 9,500 volunteer service hours between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022, in planning, recruiting, training, and maintaining the Powwow Trail.
Changes in Leadership
In June of 2022, Susan Pollock announced that, effective August 1, she was stepping down as President of Boundary Waters Advisory Committee, though not stepping down from her involvement in BWAC. She continues to serve on the Board of Directors. Susan has been involved with BWAC since 2013, first as a volunteer for trail clearing, then working under our Founder, Martin Kubik, on both trail and organizational tasks, and then serving as President starting in 2020. Susan’s love of the Powwow Trail, engaging new volunteers, and successfully leading day-to-day operations of BWAC is evident in the growth of BWAC’s membership and high retention of volunteers. THANK YOU, SUSAN!!
In August, BWAC’s Board of Directors unanimously elected Rod Markin as President of BWAC, who started in the position September 1, 2022. Rod has been a dedicated BWAC volunteer and leader since he joined BWAC in 2009, most recently serving as BWAC's Treasurer, and a member of the Board of Directors. He brings to BWAC a vast amount of business and organizational experience, including consulting other non-profit organizations on strategic development and optimization of operations.
In September, The Board of Directors unanimously elected John Mattson as Treasurer of BWAC. John has been an active member of BWAC since 2016, helping with leading trail maintenance trips, leadership and volunteer training, organizing events, and other support. He has substantial experience with budgeting, reporting on project costs and activities, vendor relations, and other relevant finance responsibilities from his prior business life.
Midwest Mountaineering EXPO
Looking forward, BWAC is once again staffing a booth at Midwest Mountaineering’s Fall EXPO on November 18-20, providing us with the opportunity to introduce BWAC’s mission and volunteer opportunities to new people. Look for the announcement later this month, inviting our members to help in staffing the booth. What is involved? Greet visitors, hand out brochures, and do your part to advocate for wilderness trails in the Boundary Waters. You can make a difference for the wilderness, take time to browse dozens of vendors and sale merchandise at the Expo, and support one of BWAC's sponsors, Midwest Mountaineering.
Rod Markin, President
Boundary Waters Advisory Committee
rjmarkin@boundarywaterstrails.org