​Day 11: Paddles & Pines — Fire in the Boundary Waters

Today we were at McDougal Lake, a place forever marked by the 2021 fire. Blackened tree trunks still stand, but all around them, new growth is pushing up through the soil. It’s a living reminder that fire can take, but it can also give — shaping the forest in ways we’re only beginning to understand.

We began with Alison Nyenhuis from Friends of the Boundary Waters, who showed us how to build a fire of our own. As the sparks caught and the flames took hold, she reminded us that fire has always been part of human life here — used for warmth, cooking, protection, and gathering together.

From there, the day unfolded into deeper conversations:

🌿 Melonee Montano, co-author of Ishkode: A Story of Fire, shared Indigenous fire stories and reminded us that these lands were never “untouched.” For centuries, fire was used with intention to care for the forest.

🌲 Lane Johnson, Fire Ecologist at the Cloquet Forest Center, helped us see how scientists read the land for clues about past fires — even those from hundreds of years ago. He explained what happens when fire is suppressed for too long and how prescribed burns help keep forests healthy.

To wrap up, students were challenged to put themselves in the shoes of engineers. Their task: design a fire-resistant structure that could keep people safe while also respecting the environment. They thought hard about materials, cost, and sustainability — and began sketching out creative ideas for how communities might live more safely with fire in the future.

The takeaway from today was clear: fire is not only about destruction. In the Boundary Waters, it’s also about renewal, resilience, and balance.

Thank you to Alison, Melonee, and Lane for guiding us through today’s learning, and to Friends of the Boundary Waters for making this work possible.

❄️ Next up: our final LiveStream of the series this Friday — Frozen Water: Winter Survival and Dog Sledding. You won’t want to miss it!