Vistors Are Breaking Rules At The BWCA, What Can You Do?

More people are discovering the outdoors than ever before, which is a good thing, but people aren't paying attention to the rules say some of the Rangers it may be causing damage.

The BWCA tells Quetico Superior that the way people get their permits changed because of the COVID-19, so people have to watch videos online and get their permits online. People aren't watching the videos so they are doing things you shouldn't in the wilderness. Before they would get in-person training from a Ranger to make sure they understood the rules and regulations. Now, they aren't getting that and it is leading to people doing exactly what the videos say they shouldn't.

Even the US Forest Service has a lot of the things people should do when they get their permits. They are being ignored. The BWCA workers are telling Quetico Superior that they have caught people doing dishes in the lake with soap, cutting trees, using chemicals to get rid of bugs and mosquitos, and bringing too many things to hike and camp which could cause injury or cause them to lose balance and fall down cliffs and rocks. The BWCA tells Quetico Superior that people are bringing drones to get breathtaking shots when it's noisy and chops up trees and plants when they lose control.

What can the average person do to help? The biggest thing I took away was to watch the youtube videos and know what you are getting into. Watch others and speak up when you see someone misusing the land. What I did was went to youtube and put the videos here, because the rules you use at the BWCA also work in the wilderness and forest in other places too.