Boundary Waters Advisory Committee volunteer Lynn Schwarz was honored in August for her work to obtain funding to be used on the Kekekabic Trail. Congressman Rick Nolan presented the award.
Congressman Rick Nolan recognized Lynn Schwarz as 2013 Volunteer of the Year for the Boundary Waters Advisory Committee (BWAC) at the 2014 National Park Service Volunteer Recognition and North Country Trail Association’s Annual Awards presentation event in August in Duluth.
Schwarz received the award because of her hard work in applying for and receiving a Recreational Trails Program (RTP) for the U.S. Forest Service Gunflint Ranger District in 2013.
The RTP grant helps the Forest Service maintain and preserve Minnesota’s historic back packing trails in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) for present and future generations.
In this case, the funding is specific to the Kekekabic Trail, which is slated to be part of the North Country National Scenic Trail, to run through northeastern Minnesota, to extend the trail into Vermont to connect with the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar addressed conference participants via video and mentioned the importance of RTP grants. Senator Klobuchar secured continuation of the Recreational Trails Program as part of a larger Surface Transportation bill.
“Minnesota snowmobilers and countless other outdoor enthusiasts benefit from the use of these trails,” said Klobuchar in video cast.
Senator Klobuchar also acknowledged the legacy of Jim Oberstar and his vision and dedication to preserving Minnesota’s trails. In 1998, Congressman Oberstar helped volunteer groups get the BWCAW Brule Lake Trail back into the trail inventory after it was removed in the 1993 BWCAW management plan.
The Boundary Waters Advisory Committee was established in 2002 to advocate for hiking trails and special places in the BWCA Wilderness. In 1990, BWAC president Martin Kubik, spearheaded the effort to save the Kekekabic Trail with volunteers. Without volunteers, the Kekekabic Trail would not exist today and the North Country Trail link would not be possible.
BWAC is currently focused on the Pow Wow Trail that burned in the Pagami Creek Fire in 2011, and has not been fully restored. For more information about BWAC, contact Martin Kubik at wtrails2@yahoo.com or 651-214-5849.
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