Forest Service Reopens BWCA’s Pagami Creek Fire Area
3 May
Pagami Creek Fire, Looking west on Lake Polly, September 12, Photo by Hans Martin, courtesy http://inciweb.org/
The Forest Service has announced that much of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness closed to public use after the Pagami Creek Fire has reopened. Campsites in some areas will be posted as closed, and the following areas are still closed:
- Portages accessing Horseshoe, Brewis, Harbor, North Wilder and South Wilder Lakes
- Pow Wow Trail and Pow Wow Trail Entry Point
However, traveling through the rest of the burn area will give paddlers the unique opportunity to witness the forest regenerate. The Forest Service does have a few reminders when traveling in affected areas:
- Find campsites early in the day–the number of sites will be limited on some lakes and some will be posted as closed.
- Watch out for snags–standing trees that look solid might have lost their root system to the fire, they could fall at any time.
- Use a camp stove–leave charred wood and woody debris on the ground; they have much needed nutrients for the recovering forest
- Use a bear proof food container–many camp sites will have insufficient tree coverage to hang packs
- Use only existing tent pads, trails and latrines–not creating new trails or disturbance will help the forest recover more quickly
The Pagami Creek Fire burned a total of 93,000 acres last fall. You can read more about the rehabilitation work on Wilderness News and Minnesota Public Radio. For a complete list of closed campsites and quota reductions within the burn area, visit Canoeing.com or read this Forest Service PDF.
