USFS Ranger Jon Benson to be awarded by BWCAW Trail Organization

Duluth, MN; October 11, 2023. The Boundary Waters Advisory Committee (“BWAC”) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has been restoring, maintaining, and advocating for Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness trails for over two decades. In 2022 alone, BWAC volunteers collectively spent 9,475 hours performing volunteer service on trail, equivalent to over $300,000 in wilderness stewardship value to the public good. Much of this work is done thanks to a partnership with the United States Forest Service (USFS) – Superior National Forest. While BWAC is maintained by volunteers, an integral contact for the organization is the USFS assistant district ranger. 

Since 2008, Ranger Jon Benson has filled this role at the USFS Tofte Ranger District. With his partnership, guidance, and enthusiasm for maintaining the BWCAW, BWAC has contributed tens of thousands of hours of volunteer work towards maintaining BWCAW trails under Ranger Benson’s purview. This, in turn, furthers the public’s recreational enjoyment of the wilderness while also providing substantial cost savings to the public. As a thank you to Ranger Benson for his 15 years of partnership with the volunteer community, BWAC will be presenting Jon Benson with the first ever Mike Manlove Memorial Award. The award will be presented by Mike’s spouse, Rebecca Manlove. 

The award is named after Mike Manlove, a former USFS ranger who was a wonderful partner of BWCAW trail maintenance volunteer organizations in the 1990s and 2000s, prior to his passing in 2007. In his time with the USFS Mike provided constant devotion to and expertise for establishing wilderness trails in the BWCAW—assessing trail layouts, performing back-country rescues, and training trail volunteers. Mike readily partnered with trail clearing and maintaining volunteer organizations to lessen the burden on taxpayers. It is in this spirit of partnership and enthusiasm that Jon Benson was selected for the Mike Manlove Memorial Award. 

Please join BWAC in honoring Jon Benson with this first ever Mike Manlove Memorial Award on Monday, October 23, 2023, at 3:30 p.m., at the USFS Duluth office, 8901 Grand Ave Pl, Duluth, MN 55808. 

Contact: Martin Kubik, Founder, BWAC

 phone 651-214-5849

email martin.kubik@boundarywaterstrail.org