There are countless unsung heroes who routinely go the extra mile when it comes to conservation efforts, whether that’s protecting and improving habitat or ensuring the health of fish and wildlife populations. Dave and Amy Freeman are going an extra 2,000 miles. In a canoe.
If all goes according to plan, on Tuesday, December 2, the couple will guide their We-No-Nah canoe into Washington D.C., completing a 100-day, 2,000-mile odyssey that began in Ely, Minnesota on August 24. The purpose of their journey is to raise awareness of the threats posed to their beloved Boundary Waters Canoe Area by proposed sulfide-ore mines in northeastern Minnesota. The BWCA is one of America’s most popular wilderness areas, and 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the Wildnerness Act.
The Freemans have been collecting signatures on their canoe at stops along the way and hope to deliver the floating petition to President Obama upon reaching the nation’s capital. To read more about the Freemans’ quest, learn about the potential hazards of sulfide mining in the watershed of the BWCA, and to virtually sign the petition, check out paddletodc.org.