Starting June 30, a group of canoeists will set out on a 350-mile canoe expedition to celebrate the centennials of Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park and Minnesota’s Superior National Forest.
Starting June 30, a group of canoeists will set out on a 350-mile canoe expedition to celebrate the centennials of Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park and Minnesota’s Superior National Forest. The expedition, which will be completed in six legs varying from two to six days, begins in Atikokan, Canada following a route through Voyagers National Park, Superior National Forest and Grand Portage, to Fort William and Thunder Bay. The expedition completion date is set for July 18.
Participants will travel in 24-foot voyageur canoes, but unlike the early voyageurs they won’t be carrying 100-pound stacks of furs. Instead they will carry educational messages for those they meet along the way about the Leave No Trace principles and non-native invasive species. Educational public events are planned at points along the route including Atikokan, International Falls, Crane Lake, Ely, Gunflint Trail, Grand Marais, Grand Portage, Fort William and Thunder Bay.
The whole expedition is sponsored by the Heart of the Continent Partnership—a Canadian/American coalition of land managers and local stakeholders working together to promote economic, cultural and natural health in the Ontario/Minnesota border region. Organizers hope that the voyage will not only serve to celebrate the Quetico and Superior National Forest, but that it will bring people together in efforts to benefit public lands. For more information visit www.heartofthecontinent.org.