A Canoe Expedition: Water Quality in the BWCAW

For generations, our family traveled into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness each summer to escape the business of life. Over the years, and many many trips, this became a place I have cherished and longed to protect. Therefore, for my senior project, my brother and I will be completing a trip I have wanted to do since I was a child by canoeing the longest continuous route in the Boundary Waters while collecting data on water quality. It is my hope that with this information, I will be able to help others grow a connection to wild places and ultimately protect the natural world we live and love to play in.

As part of this project, I have planned the route, permitting, risk management plan, trip members, gear lists, meals, a resupply, and all of the overall travel logistics. During this trip, I will be partnering with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) by conducting water quality research to include dissolved oxygen, temperature, conductivity, turbidity, and pH levels. I will then analyze the data during the following semester to help inform the MPCA, United States Geological Survey (USGS), and the United States Forests Service (USFS) with updated and relevant data.

My overall budget is 3,000 which includes gear, food, travel expenses, permits, and a wilderness first aid course. If you would like to see a full layout of my budget, please contact me directly.

This trip means the world to me, and I can not do it without the financial support of others.

I plan to create trip reports and a short documentary afterwards that I will share with all donors.

Thank you for your time and consideration.