CC = GTVFD Community Center
PA = Waterfront Picnic Area
Friday, June 12th – Expo Hours 4pm – 6pm
4pm – Expo Opens!
4:30 pm
Fishing the Gunflint Trail | Cory Christianson
Cory Christianson has been guiding anglers to Walleye, Lake Trout, Northern pike and Bass on
the Gunflint Trail since 1995. He specializes in Walleye fishing on Saganaga and Northern Light
lake in both Minnesota and Ontario. His philosophy is to help anglers understand the sport of fishing and to
educate angling ethics to preserve its future. You will come away from this presentation prepared to catch fish!
At CC
4:30 pm
The Birch Bark Canoe: Evolution from Traditional to Contemporary Use | Erik Simula
This presentation is a discussion of the North American birch bark canoe's lore, utility,
traditional use, tribal and fur trade designs, harvest of local materials, construction and
maintenance techniques, paddling and portaging considerations, and influence on modern canoes. A traditional
birch bark hunting canoe will be on display.
At PA
6pm – Exhibitor booths close. Join us for campfire activities with the USFS
th
Saturday, June 13 – Expo Hours 9am – 6pm
9am – Day 2 of the BWExpo Opens!
9:30 am
Canvas/Leather Canoe Pack Basics | Mark Bartell- Frost River- Duluth, MN
Is there a canoe pack that I can pass on to my kids along with the stories and looks better than
when I purchased it? When purchasing canoe gear for your next canoe trip to the BWCA why
choose canvas and leather? This lecture will explore the methods, materials, and procedures used in making
traditional canvas and leather canoe packs. Discover the advantages and disadvantages between modern canoe
pack construction and the traditional waxed canvas/leather canoe packs. Explore the history and learn from a
long time pack designer and canoe enthusiast as he shares his priceless knowledge on making the right choice
for your next canoe pack.
At CC
9:30 am
At PA
How to Portage and Paddle your Canoe | Cliff Jacobson
Learn how to safely and efficiently pick up a canoe (with 1, 2 or 3 people) and portage it
comfortably. Learn and practice the basic paddling strokes in bow and stern: pitch/J/Canadian, draw/crossdraw,
pry/draw, back and reverse-J.
11:00 am
When Mishaps Happen: Wilderness First Aid Tips & Techniques | Paul and Kelly Dahl
11:00 am
Solo Wilderness Travel| Bear Paulson
What happens when your long anticipated wilderness trip goes wrong with an injury or
illness? In this presentation, we will explore some of the common mishaps that occur out on
the trail and how to approach such issues in the wilderness setting. Simple tips that can either help prevent or
decrease the chance of making a medical issue worse will be covered. We will also discuss wilderness first aid
kit items and demonstrate essential first aid techniques.
At CC
Are you sick of listening to your tent mate snore? Are you tired waiting for the group to get
ready? Do you talk to yourself? If you answered yes to these questions, you’re a perfect
candidate for travelling solo. Bear Paulsen, a frequent solitary conversationalist and General Manager at
Northstar Canoes, has done many extended solo wilderness trips in all seasons. He’ll discuss the differences
between travelling with others and alone. He’ll cover how to travel solo safely and discuss logistical
considerations. Finally, he’ll ruminate on ways to approach solitude through his own experiences and the
writings of many authors.
At PA
1:15 pm
Tarp Rigging Techniques | Dan Cooke
1:15 pm
Lake County Navigation | Cliff Jacobson
2:45 pm
55+ years in the BWCAW | Bob O’Hara
2:45 pm
Planning your adventure: How an outfitter can help you and your family plan your
next BWCA adventure | Dave Seaton
Does your rain-fly flap in the wind? Have you ever wanted to leave the tent behind and sleep in
a tarp shelter? Dan Cooke, of Cooke Custom Sewing, will show a variety of ways you can utilize a
tarp to better enjoy your wilderness adventure. He'll demonstrate various rigging methods, suggest some
creative ideas to common challenges and show the best knots for setting up a storm-proof shelter.
At PA
Learn how to read a map and compass and GPS. Use your new skills to navigate complex lakes
in the BWCA. Participants, please bring an Orienteering style compass. Maps and some
compasses will be available for your use.
At CC
Bob O’Hara was introduced to the boundary waters in 1959--before the wilderness act. Since
then he has canoed the Quetico-Superior region every year. Numerous changes have occurred
over this half century, but the magic of the wilderness still remains. Join O’Hara as he presents illustrations of
the many moods of the BWCAW through slides. Highlights feature camps, portages, flora and fauna plus some of
natures natural destruction through wind and fire. Come hear the stores of 55+ years of travel.
At CC
At PA
Description yet to come.
4:15 pm
At CC
Small Treasures of Quetico Park | Jon Nelson
Quetico Park is known primarily as a wilderness park with lakes surrounded by an intriguing
mixture of boreal and mixed forests. I have spent over thirty years canoeing in Quetico – twelve
of them as a park ranger – but instead of a slide show and talk featuring images of Quetico’s lakes, canoes, cliffs
and moose, we will explore tiny landscapes just inches wide with my camera and a macro lens. When you
concentrate on looking at a small area – whether it’s plants growing on the forest floor, the variety of life on a
floating bog, or lichens on a cliff face – you will find a fascinating world that is easy to miss. These small
treasures exist within Quetico’s large landscapes and are places where blueberries, calypso orchids, pitcher
plants, caribou lichen, toadskin lichens, old man's beard and nodding trillium thrive amidst a variety of insects
and small mammals. We will examine lichens growing on bedrock cliffs, living on narrow cliff ledges, growing on
the edge of portage trails and thriving on the branches of a dead spruce tree. We will scrutinize wild flowers,
take a close look at pitcher plants and sundews that feast on a variety of insects living in floating bogs and
investigate the network of openings at the base of the snow pack known as the pukak.
4:15 pm
What is Wilderness? | Suzanne Cable
This will be an interactive discussion about defining Wilderness: what it means to people that
love and visit it, and what it means according to legal definitions. We'll talk about individual
interpretations, the language of the Wilderness Act, and how that translates into US Forest Service management
of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the experience available to visitors to the area.
At PA
6pm – Exhibitor booths close. Join us for a highpoint of the
weekend, campfire storytelling and Q&A with canoeing
legends Cliff Jacobson and Bob O’Hara.
Sunday, June 14th – Expo Hours 10am – 2pm
10am – Expo Opens!
10:30 am
At CC
“Inspired by Wilderness: A Four Season Solo Canoe Journey” | Gary Fiedler and
Dawn LaPointe
Join us for an engaging presentation about Gary Fiedler’s 221- day solo canoe trip in the
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and Quetico Provincial Park during 2014. Along with
stunning photos and videos, Gary and Dawn will share various aspects of the odyssey including planning, gear,
and support. Hear how the journey unfolded through various challenges and countless memorable experiences.
Learn about wilderness adventures, photography tips for wilderness tripping, the benefits of protecting wild
places, and participate in Q&A.
10:30 am
Gearing up for your canoe trip | Bob O’Hara
When is a canoe trip not a picnic? Good question. Going into the wilderness is like a picnic,
having fun enjoying the outdoors. However it does require some gear that is specific to
camping, portaging and paddling. Food-shelter-clothing are the basic essentials, just like home, but you should
adapt these needs to specifically fit the outdoor camping mode. Bob O’Hara will share options you have to
accomplish your goal of preparing gear for a canoe trip. Equipment with be shown, discussed and handouts
provided.
At PA
12:45 pm
At CC
Portages and Pine Pitch: An archaeological essay of three fur trade era sites in the
eastern Boundary Waters Region | Lee R. Johnson - Superior National Forest
Approximately 150 miles of the historic water route connecting Grand Portage to the Pay
d’en haut, or “Upper Country” stretching northwest of Lake Superior, form the US-Ontario border on the
northern fringes of the state of Minnesota. Commonly referred to as the “Voyageurs Highway”, or “Old Road”,
this ancient route is comprised of a series of interconnected waterways, overland carries, campsites, and
geologic features, many of which still bear place names of French and Algonquian derivation. To date,
investigations of fur trade era sites (ca. 1680-1850) along the Old Road within present day Minnesota have
focused on the major fur trade depots, such as Grand Portage (Lake Superior), Fort Charlotte (Pigeon River) and
Fort St. Charles (Lake of the Woods), while sites in the interior portions of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Wilderness remain enigmatic and ill-defined. This presentation will discuss recently discovered sites in the
eastern Boundary Waters region, and shed light on temporal, spatial, and functional questions regarding fur
trade activities along interior portions of the route.
12:45 pm
At PA
12:45 at PA
Wildfire Management | Patti Johnson
Description to come.
2pm – 1st Annual BW Expo Closes – See you next year!
Friday, June 12 || Expo Hours 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Time
Event
Presenter
Location
4:30 p.m.
Fishing the Gunflint Trail
Corey Christenson
GTVFD Community
Center
Erik Simula
Waterfront Picnic Area
4:30 p.m.
6:00 p.m.
The Birch Bark Canoe: Evolution from
Traditional to Contemporary Use
Exhibits close | Join us for Campfire
activities with USFS
Saturday, June 13 || Expo Hours 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Time
Event
9:00 a.m.
Expo Tents Open
9:30 a.m.
Canvas/Leather Canoe Pack Basics
9:30 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
How To Portage & Paddle Your Canoe
When Mishaps Happen: Wilderness
First Aid Tips & Techniques
Solo Wilderness Travel
1:15 p.m.
Lake Country Navigation
Cliff Jacobson
1:15 p.m.
Tarp Rigging Techniques
Dan Cooke
2:45 p.m.
55+ years in the B.W.C.A.W.
Bob O’Hara
2:45 p.m.
Planning your adventure: How an
outfitter can help you & your
family plan your next BWCA
adventure
Dave Seaton
4:15 p.m.
Small Treasures of Quetico Park
Jon Nelson
4:15 p.m.
What is Wilderness?
Suzanne Cable
6:00 p.m.
Exhibits close/ Campfire begins
Cliff Jacobson/Bob O’Hara Waterfront Picnic Area
11:00 a.m.
Presenter
Mark Bartell of Frost
River
Cliff Jacobson
Paul & Kelly Dahl
Bear Paulson
Location
Public Landing
GTVFD Community
Center
Waterfront Picnic Area
GTVFD Community
Center
Waterfront Picnic Area
GTVFD Community
Center
Waterfront Picnic Area
GTVFD Community
Center
Waterfront Picnic Area
GTVFD Community
Center
Waterfront Picnic Area
Sunday, June 14 || Expo Hours 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Time
Event
Presenter
Location
Gary Fielder & Dawn
LaPointe
Bob O’Hara
Public Landing
GTVFD Community
Center
Waterfront Picnic Area
Lee R. Johnson –
Superior National Forest
GTVFD Community
Center
Patti Johnson
Waterfront Picnic Area
10:00 a.m. Expo Tents Open
“Inspired by Wilderness: A Four
10:30 a.m. Season Solo Canoe Journey”
10:30 a.m. Gearing up for your canoe trip
12:45 p.m.
Portages & Pine Pitch: An
archaeological essay of three fur trade
ear sites in the eastern Boundary
Waters Region
Wildfire Management
2:00 p.m.
Exhibitor Booths Close
12:45 p.m.
1st Annual Boundary Waters Expo comes to a close. Thanks for attending, see you next
year!!!