Dave and Amy Freeman have traveled more than 30,000 miles by kayak, canoe, and dogsled. This fall they are embarking on the adventure of living in the wilderness for a full year.
By the time Dave and Amy Freeman of Lutsen finish their yearlong stay in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) they should be on a first name basis with just about every mosquito in the almost 1.1 million acre park. However, as friendly as they get with the little blood-sucking pests, they have a whole other mission in mind.
“This trip,” said Amy, “is about bearing witness to the very land and water we are fighting to protect.”
The Freemans are representing the “Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters” formed by a contingency of environmental groups and concerned individuals attempting to permanently stave off nonferrous metals mining along the periphery of the park.
It’s not the first time the young couple has taken on the mining industry. Last year the 2014 National Geographic Adventurers of the Year spent three months on a “Paddle to D.C.” trip from Ely to Washington, D.C. carrying a petition (via signatures on their canoe) to legislators at the Capitol asking them to oppose open-pit, sulfide-rich ore mining in northern Minnesota.
The Freemans plan to depart from civilization on the Fall Equinox, September 23, 2015, leaving by canoe from the Kawishiwi River and paddling into the Boundary Waters. Friends and colleagues will bring them supplies as they travel about the park.
Along the way the Freemans will collect water samples from major lakes for the Center for Biological Diversity to analyze. They will also keep busy with their journals, blogging, updating two websites, skyping, and, said Amy, “Dave will continue writing the National Geographic adventure blog.
“One of our main goals is to get to every named lake on a travel route and even some of the lakes not on routes. We want to get into as many lakes as we can,” she said.
The Freemans are still seeking funds to help pay for this rigorous expedition. They are receiving some donations and help through an umbrella of environmental groups who also are opposed to the proposed mines. “These include Friends of the Boundary Waters, The Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club and others,” Amy said. “These groups are invested in this project and are devoting a lot of manpower to make sure we get our re-supplies.”
By the time they are done the Freemans estimate they will have camped at 120 of the 2,000 designated campsites and traveled more than 3,000 miles by canoe, foot, snowshoe and dogsled.
Dave and Amy are no strangers to difficult challenges.
From the Amazon to the Arctic, the Freemans have traveled more than 30,000 miles by kayak, canoe, and dogsled, sharing what they have seen with more than 100,000 elementary and middle school students and 3,200 teachers worldwide through their Wilderness Classroom organization.
The Freemans own land in Lutsen and call Cook County home, although they are currently guiding canoe trips out of Ely. This is one way for them to make a living. They also make some money speaking in front of groups, but they don’t earn any income from conducting their Wilderness Classroom.
“We knew we wouldn’t make money from the online classes we do for kids, but we believe it is important to promote education and advocacy for the outdoors,” Amy said.
When they aren’t traversing the BWCAW, the Freemans will use their down time to write, sift through photographs and read. “We’re bringing a Kindle so we can read books,” said Amy. “We also expect to have people join as we travel—journalists, photographers, and other people that love the BWCAW. We are going to extend an invitation to politicians to join us. We’ll see how that goes,” Amy said with a broad smile.
In the winter the Freemans will heat their tent with a small wood stove, gathering dead and downed wood to burn. “We love being out in the winter. If the conditions are right you can go a long way really efficiently. We plan on bringing three dogs with us and Frank and Sherri Moe of MoeTown Kennels have also said they will let us use three of their dogs if we need them.
“One thing about this trip that is different from the others we have taken is that we aren’t on a schedule. We won’t have to travel when the weather is marginal,” she said.
Who are they fighting?
Amy explains that the Polymet Mining Corporation is seeking permits to develop an open pit mine to take copper, nickel and other precious metals from an area near the Embarrass and Partridge rivers, which both flow into the St. Louis River, which empties into Lake Superior. If built the “NorthMet Project” will be located between Babbitt and Hoyt Lakes. The Freemans and other environmental advocates believe sulfates will escape and enter the groundwater system that feeds wetlands and rivers for miles around, all the way to Lake Superior.
Twin Metals Minnesota LLC, which is owned by Antofagasta PLC, a Chileanbased mining company, is looking at developing an underground mine near Birch Lake, near Ely. If it is developed it will be the largest underground mine built in Minnesota. “Polymet is a lot further along in the permitting process than Twin Metals,” Amy said. “But we know from other mines this could take 10 years to stop, and we’re willing to make that sacrifice,” she said.
“I have to give Dave the credit for making this happen. He has wanted to do this for a long time. The idea has come up a few times but we had to put it off. But because of the issues of mining near the BWCAW, and the effects it could have on an area that we love so much, now was the right time for us to do this.
“People think that we are anti-mining. We aren’t anti-mining. We use laptops, drive cars, and use products that come from the mining industry.
“We are, however, opposed to this type of mining and our goal is to help educate the public and politicians about why we don’t want to see this happening here. We just think this place is too precious to disturb.”
“Our main point of this venture is to share information about the uniqueness and beauty of the Boundary Waters. We will keep our petition going and also hope to gain support for Betty McCollum’s bill which is a call to action to stop the mining,” Amy said.
McCollum’s bill, which didn’t gain enough support last time to pass, seeks to “extend additional protections to prevent mining related pollution from destroying these two treasures,” namely Voyageurs National Park and the BWCAW.
When the year is over Amy said she hopes to take time to write a book about their adventures and all of the wonders they encounter. It will seek to gently nudge the readers to gain a better appreciation of nature, its beauty and the constant challenges to keep it pristine while man forages for a living. It will be a celebration of our world and its plants and animals, and yes, said Amy, even the mosquitos.
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