"Wilderness Trails of the BWCAW Need Your Help."
By Martin Kubik
I recently perused through my club files and came across a Kekekabic Trail Club poster. The top of the poster bears the title of this article. Underneath the title is a birds-eye-view photo of the BWCA forest devastated by the July 1999 storm. The bottom of the poster features the club logo and contact information. This storm obliterated the Kekekabic Trail. Two months after the storm, most of the portages, cross-country and snowmobile trails were cleared, yet there was no indications that the USFS planned to clear the Kekekabic Trail. After realizing this, hikers and backpackers wrote to the USFS and Congressmen. Soon thereafter the USFS decided to reopen the trail.
Today there is another disaster going on at the BWCA. Unlike the storm, this disaster creeps on silently. In fact, its effects from day to day are imperceptible. Over the period of years this disaster is just as devastating as a powerful storm. Our wilderness trails are disappearing in front of our eyes because of neglect and lack of maintenance. What went wrong?
Getting USFS to grant permission to restore a trail that was removed without public input is a long and tedious process. It took KTC six years and three weekends to re-open the Brule Lake Trail. Six years to obtain the administrative permission to clear the trails and three weekends of trail clearing. For Brule Lake Trail, that translates to whole year worth of struggle to get FS permission to clear one mile of trail with hand tools . . . in one day.
Other trails appear to be no exception. The reasons for the USFS aversion to abandoned trails go beyond the scope of this article. But it is clearly evident that we need to stand up and speak up for the trails if we want these special places to exist. Let's work together and make sure that 100 years from now your great-great grandchildren will enjoy these trails as you and I enjoy the Kekekabic Trail today.
To assure freedom of the trails, hiking enthusiasts are rallying together joined by a common goal - protect, preserve, and maintain BWCAW trails. The Kekekabic Trail Club has done a great job of maintaining trails on the FS inventory. Yet, existing trails dropped past from the FS trail inventory have no protection. In fact, the USFS discourages those who might take the initiative to clear or mark vanishing trails.
Ours is a democratic society with freedoms of speech, press and that of the web. We must request of our elected representatives to make a difference. I propose that we increase the public awareness about the threatened trails in the BWCAW. The idea of wilderness experience and unique places goes beyond just one trail. If you would like to make a difference and save our trails from neglect, I ask you to join me in the Boundary Waters Trail Preservation Association (BWTPA). Yes, "Wilderness Trails of the BWCAW Need Your Help."
For more information on Boundary Waters TPA and how to join/help save our trails, contact:
Martin Kubik
wtrails2@yahoo.com
or call 651-653-4068 home
651-214-5849 cell
By joining the Boundary Waters TPA you will be doing the right thing for the future of trails.
