Outdoors

Brainerd fish house company to pay $115,000 to settle discrimination claim
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights says Glacier Ice House laid off an employee who was on leave for cancer treatment, and didn’t give the worker a chance to move into a different position.
Bear incidents on the rise in Cass County
Officials said the best way to keep bears away is to secure food, including bird feed and garbage.
Where’s the water? Drought dries up Minnesota lake levels
In north-central Minnesota, a persistent drought stretching over several years has created a “storage drought,” depleting water stored in lakes, streams and groundwater. It will take months of above-normal rainfall before they bounce back.
Rain helps contain wildfires so more of the BWCA will reopen, but fires burn on
The U.S. Forest service says recent rains have helped firefighters in their effort to contain several wildfires burning in and around Minnesota’s Boundary Waters. Now, the fires are at least 50 percent contained and some are fully contained.
Forest Service to open more of the Boundary Waters to canoeing as wildfire concerns ease
Several popular lakes in the Boundary Waters will reopen to day use beginning July 31, including Moose Lake and the Number Chain of lakes near Ely, and Saganaga and Seagull Lakes at the end of the Gunflint Trail.
Back into the BWCA: Canoeing campers return to the wilderness after wildfire closure
The Forest Service Thursday reopens about 40 percent of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to overnight campers. But some outfitters say more access should be allowed as the wildfire risk wanes.
Towboats, which are often controversial in the BWCA, praised for their role in fire rescues
Resort owners and outfitters in Ely played a critical role this week in helping evacuate canoeists from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, as they used their motorized towboats to get people and their gear out. But there's long been a controversy over the use of noisy towboats in the quiet and pristine wilderness.
Reaching a record level, Duluth's hazardous air quality forces many tourists indoors
Smoke from the wildfires burning in northeastern Minnesota and in Canada is creating the worst air quality on record in many cities across Minnesota and the entire Great Lakes region. One of the worst spots has been Duluth, which is in the height of the city's busy tourist season.
 Boundary Waters closed? These alternatives can deliver a wilderness fix
There’s no perfect substitute to the BWCA. But paddlers and campers can still find peaceful water, star-filled skies and off-the-beaten-path experiences in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Here’s where to look.