BWCA closure extended to early September

Superior National Forest officials confirmed with WTIP Tuesday they have extended the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness closure through at least Friday, Sept. 3.

Tofte District Ranger Ellen Bogardus-Szymaniak confirmed the closure extension. The choice to keep the BWCA closed for at least another week was widely expected.

“We considered the weather, historically dry conditions, fire behavior and the resources that we have and decided to go for another week,” she said. “Nothing has changed since the day we put it on.”

The closure, which affects the entire BWCA, was set to expire Friday, Aug. 27.

The original closure went into effect Aug. 21.

WTIP spoke with the Tofte District Ranger about the closure and the latest news on the active wildfires burning in the region. Full interview and audio shared below.