For more: Can mine leave no trace in BWCA?
On a drizzly day this month, Amy Freeman heaved a Kevlar canoe atop her shoulders and trudged forward, like she had countless times before.
Except this time she wasn’t portaging between lakes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. She was portaging to the front gate of the White House.
On Dec. 2, Freeman, 32, and her husband Dave, 38, completed a 2,000-mile paddling journey that began in September with a shove on the Kawishiwi River, swung through the Canadian metropolises of Ottawa and Montreal, and ended with a portage from the shores of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. The trek aboard “Sig” — a nod to environmentalist Sigurd Olson and the signatures of supporters that adorn its hull — was chronicled at PaddleToDC.org.
Their goal was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, which established the 1-million acres Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota along the Canadian border, and to raise awareness of — and rally opposition to — plans by Twin Metals to drill under the Kawishiwi as part of an envisioned underground mine not far from the wilderness.
The Freemans, who trade time between Grand Marais, Minn., and Ely, Minn., were named National Geographic Adventurers of the Year for a three-year dogsled-hike-paddle across North America from 2011 to 2013.
Dave Freeman recently sat down for an interview with the Pioneer Press.
Q. How did the trip go?
A. It went really well. We were shooting for 40 events and we did 40. We met with 3,000 people. I felt it exceeded our expectations.
Q. How did the logistics of the trip work out? Some of your route was classic wilderness canoeing, but much of it was developed areas and you had a schedule to keep. And then wasn’t there some shipping canal that bans non-motorized traffic and if you didn’t get permission, you would have needed to portage for miles and miles?
A. Yeah, that was a weird one. The Delaware-Chesapeake Canal. We finally got clearance a week before going through. The Army Corps of Engineers runs the canal, and they were really happy to have us. They had a PR person meet us there and take pictures and video while we were going through. Paddling it wasn’t a big deal. We didn’t see any commercial traffic when we went through.
Q. Was this an adventure or a PR tour?
A. It was a melding of an adventure and a campaign to raise awareness. There were some amazing wild places in the Boundary Waters, Canada and Lake Superior. But we also paddled through a lot of developed areas and huge superfund site on the Hudson River. Paddling through New York Harbor with the ferry wakes bouncing us around was an adventure.
Q. What surprised you about the trip?
A. At almost every event, at least one person had been to the Boundary Waters. We’d be in Vermont and I’d ask how many people had been there, and three or four people would raise their hands. The Boundary Waters has a longer reach than I realized.
Q. Did you accomplish your goals?
A. I think so. Most folks, even avid Boundary Waters users outside Minnesota, hadn’t heard about the mining plan. We did over 50 media interviews, so I think we reached a wider audience with our message.
Q. Do you think you actually changed anyone’s mind?
A. I think so. Nobody had heard of this. When we explained to them the most popular wilderness east of the Rockies and north of the Everglades could have mines (nearby), and we showed them the history of the mining industry and pollution, I think a lot of people realized this is no place for a mine.
Q. Is there any sort of Plan B you would support, or are you just saying no mining, period, where Twin Metals is planning?
A. This area is right on the edge of the Boundary Waters, and it’s a maze of connected lakes and rivers. I don’t think that’s an appropriate place. I don’t think it’s the specific plan. It’s just one of the worst places in the world to build a mine.
Q. I assume you know the politics of northern Minnesota and the state. There’s a lot of support for mining, from Republicans and Iron Range Democrats. What are your chances of stopping it?
A. Things are changing in northeast Minnesota. The number of people choosing to live here is growing, and the number of people employed by the mines is falling. I think the science and the economics will come first, and the people will follow.
Q. One of the themes of tension in the Boundary Waters has always been “outsiders” telling locals how they should live. You engaged mostly like-minded crowds from well outside Minnesota. Do you worry you’ll only galvanize your opponents?
A. I live there. We were joined by 45 people from Minnesota who traveled to D.C. Northern Minnesota is our home, too.
But I want to say something else. I was with a group of 20 people in Chicago and they must have had 300 (BW) trips among them. These are people who return to the Boundary Waters, and look forward to it every year, and might retire up there. It’s not fair to these people to say what they think doesn’t count.
Dave Orrick can be reached at 651-228-5512. Follow him at twitter.com/OutdoorsNow.
