From rare birds to pristine lakes, how firefighters are working to preserve the BWCA
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If you’re camping in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, you are likely abiding by the principle “Leave No Trace,” meaning leave nature undisturbed and clean up after yourself before you leave.
Firefighters are abiding by a similar motto.
As the wildfires continue to be contained, crews are documenting everything that needs to be restored and repaired.
“We have the conditions before fire documented, and we'll make repair notes. So when we're ready to go into full repair mode, we can get that work done, or as much of it done before the snow locks us out,” U.S. Forest Service official Matt Nourmohamadian told Minnesota Now host Nina Moini.
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Wildfires have been burning for six weeks now in northeastern Minnesota and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. As of Monday, the fires have burned more than 66,000 acres. And there are more than 650 fire personnel assigned to the fires.
Nourmohamadian works as a resource advisor coordinator, which means he’s the eyes and ears of the wildfires. That’s not only the responsibility of understanding the flames, but also making sure as much of the forest is preserved as possible.
For example, a wildlife biologist is making sure that the nests of rare bird species, the Goshawk, are marked to keep them safe from firefighting equipment and the fire itself. That work is helped by years and years of mapping from biologists.
Additionally, firefighters have been building their own trails to access wildfires. That’s all being recorded on maps with directions to repair the forest back to what it was before.
As for the pristine lakes of the BWCA, crews are making sure aquatic invasive species aren’t spread by making sure hoses, canoes, watercraft and seaplanes are all cleaned and dried properly.
Archaeologists are also on staff to make sure historic sites are preserved.
Once the fires are out, which officials say may be until winter, officials will implement a repair plan. Nourmohamadian says it could take a year to get the forest back to what it was. But crews will be out in dogsleds to get the forest back to what it was.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation between Nourmohamadian and Minnesota Now host Nina Moini.
Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
