Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness situational assessment report released by USFS
In August 2022, the Forest Service entered into an agreement with the National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution (NCECR) to conduct a Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) Situational Assessment. The primary goal of the assessment was to assess ways to strengthen communication and engagement surrounding BWCAW management challenges. The final report of the BWCAW Situational Assessment is now completed and available.
“We are pleased with the level of involvement that the NCECR was able to obtain for this important assessment,” said Tom Hall, Superior National Forest supervisor. “The BWCAW is such a special place with a complex level of management. We look forward to moving into next steps - the development of a collaborative group and working proactively on BWCAW issues.”
Between December 2022 and May 2023, the NCECR conducted confidential assessment discussions with participants, through a thorough analysis of discussion results and has compiled their findings into a report titled Boundary Waters Canoe Area Situational Assessment: Challenges and Opportunities.
The full report is now available and includes input from 100 individuals representing 66 distinct groups of cooperators, outfitters, guides, partners, Wilderness visitors, academics, non-government organizations, local governments, non-affiliated past permit holders, and federal, state, and county staff.
Discussions explored participant personal perspectives on Wilderness management, communication and education needs, and the value of establishing ongoing collaboration between the Forest Service and interested parties.
“The results of the report highlight a wide range of stakeholder interests and views about the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and how it is managed,” said Seth Cohen, senior program manager for the NCECR, “Most assessment participants would like to see Superior National Forest explore collaboration opportunities to address challenging management issues. We look forward to continuing to support SNF staff as they consider new opportunities to engage interested parties.”
The BWCAW Situational Assessment Report highlights participants perspectives on the needs for successful collaboration, explores challenges and opportunities to improve management of the BWCAW and provides perspectives on how the Forest Service might strengthen its communication, coordination, and educations efforts.
The report represents the diverse perspectives of the assessment participants on a variety of management and communication issues, including visitor use patterns, campsite and trail maintenance, how to prevent and address “Leave No Trace” violations, permit system challenges, access to and availability of opportunities to experience the BWCAW, motorized and non-motorized use issues, and current and future environmental impacts to the BWCAW.
The assessment concludes with overarching recommendations for the Forest Service to consider with regards to management, communication, education and collaboration.
During the internal review of the report, staff and assessment participants raised additional questions that could not be fully addressed within the report. With assistance from the NCECR and assessment participants the Forest Service created a ‘questions & answers’ document to compliment the report and provide additional information. The questions & answer document can be found with the final report.
What’s next? Over the coming months, the Forest Service will review the recommendations from the assessment and begin working to address them. In addition, the Forest Service will work with the NCECR to set up a BWCAW collaborative group to begin engaging with and learning from interested stakeholders while working on a broad range of wilderness management.
If you are interested in learning more about the BWCAW Situational Assessment summary and/or recommendations, please contact Susan Catton, Public Services Staff Officer, susan.catton@usda.gov.
