Northwoods Volunteer Connection

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Mission Accomplished!

FIVE ACRES of invasive plants controlled!

Two groups of volunteers have helped the Northwoods Volunteer Connection reach a goal for 2016 by controlling five acres of invasive plants. In July, volunteers worked to control spotted knapweed at the old Isabella environmental learning center (ELC) (pictured below). The US Forest Service has been using herbicides to control spotted knapweed in this area in past years. A native planting is scheduled for this fall in the old ball field area of the ELC grounds with a focus on plants that support pollinators. Northwoods Volunteer Connection volunteers removed spotted knapweed by hand and using digging tools from a total of 4.5 acres.

Earlier this month the Cook County YMCA day camp (pictured above) completed a service learning project at Pincushion Mountain. Campers learned about the negative impacts of invasive species on the ecosystem and how to identify St. John's wort, a non-native invasive plant. These energetic youngsters pulled St. John's wort from a half-acre area surrounding the overlook parking lot.

2016 Project Goals

Improve or maintain 15 miles of trail
Control 5 acres of invasive species
Improve or maintain 4 campsites
Complete 6 volunteer projects
Log 950 volunteer hours

Volunteer in the BWCA Wilderness

September 12th - 16th

Big Moose to Cummings Lake Boardwalk Repair

Departing from Cook
Registration Deadline: September 1st

Volunteers will repair a portion of the boardwalk on the Big Moose Lake to Cummings Lake portage. New planks will be placed and secured to the original foundation to replace the aging wood. Volunteers will travel by canoe from the Big Moose South entry point approximately 4 hours to Big Moose Lake where they will camp for the duration of the project.
There is space for up to two more volunteers on this project, register today to secure your spot!
More information.

Food and most of the camping equipment volunteers need for this project is provided. A complete packing list can be found here.

The cost for participation in Wilderness projects is $10/day for adults and $5/day for students. These fees cover the repair and replacement of the equipment provided to volunteers.

Portage Brook Road Project

The Northwoods Volunteer Connection is partnering with the Cook County ATV Club on a project to clear and repair the Portage Brook Road. The Portage Brook Road is a non-maintained Forest Road that functions as a multiple-use trail and provides a connection between Shoe Lake Road (FR 313) and other State Forest Roads which are open to ATV users and snowmobilers.

Volunteers are needed to clear downed brush and trees and to haul gravel and fill holes in the road. These activities will help make the road passable to motorized and non-motorized trail users. Work days will take place in early September. Stay tuned to the Northwoods Volunteer Connection's social media feeds for detailed information!

Funding for this project comes from the National Forest Foundation and TreadLightly's Quadratec Cares grant program.

Border Route Trail Volunteer Weekend

September 1st - 5th

The Border Route Trail Association is hosting a trail clearing event over Labor Day weekend. Many portions of the Border Route and connecting trails were hit by a devastating ice storm last December followed by a mini-blow wind storm on June 19th. The group will camp at the Otter Lake camp site and follow the tentative schedule below. Volunteers are welcome to join for a single day or the whole weekend!

Friday: Hike in on the Otter Lake Cutoff and clear eastbound on the BRT from the Meteor Pond Overlook.
Saturday - Sunday: Continue from the junction past the six overlooks on the way to the 270 degree overlook and down to the Swamp River Trailhead.

More information can be found on the BRTA's Meet-up Group page.

Haven't found a volunteer opportunity that aligns with your schedule or needs?

Check out our website!
You'll find more volunteer opportunities from other organizations in the region.

Contact us!
We will do our best to connect you to a volunteer project that interests you or to accommodate your group.

Support the Northwoods Volunteer Connection

Your donation will help support our efforts to put tools in the hands of volunteers to conserve public lands in Minnesota's northwoods. Donations can be made through PayPal at the link below.

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You can also support the Northwoods Volunteer Connection with your Amazon purchases! Simply go to AmazonSmile before placing your order, choose to support the Northwoods Volunteer Connection, and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase to our cause.

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We will be sending you occasional updates with information about the latest volunteer opportunities in northeastern Minnesota. You can opt out to these updates at any time by following the link at the end of this email. Thank you for subscribing, we hope to see you out in the woods or on the lake this summer!

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.