Before I start talking about Ober's contributions towards the creation of the BWCAW, I want to use this blog entry to show his own appreciation of the BWCAW. I feel it is hard to really understand or care about what Ober did unless you can see and understand his passion, through his own eyes. I was going to write this blog through my point of view, about how I really look forward to and enjoy my yearly Boundary Waters visits, but decided Ober could do the job better. This blog entry is an attempt to give insight into Ober's passion for the Boundary Waters, in order to create some sort of understanding in the reader. Hopefully this will lead them to better appreciate what Ober fought and struggled for, over a period of almost 60 years. I thought the best way to sum up his passion for the wilderness of Northern Minnesota, would be through his own words:
"It was still a place of rare delight- a region apart from the modern world, where man could enjoy the profusion of nature as completely as in the days of Colombus. There was nothing wilder in the jungles of Brazil or the heart of Africa. It wasn't a somber forest, but a forest threaded with sparkling waterways, flooded with sunshine and people with all its ancient creatures."
This quote was taken from one of my principle web sources: www.eober.org. This site has a TON of information on Ober and is set up by The Ernest Oberholtzer Foundation on Mallard Island (the Northern Minnesota home of Ernest- on Rainy Lake). This foundation has access to a lot of Ober's letters, which is where this quote sprang from.
The quote I chose, gives a small but telling glimpse of Ober's passion for the Boundary Waters. It is this very passion that gave him the strength and motivation to dedicate most of his adult life to protecting the place he called home. I agree with Ober completely in his statement. The BWCAW is a rare gem, there is no other place like it. The park has everything a man like Ober would ever need; crystal clear water, majestic, rugged land, clear blue sky, a strong, cleansing breeze, and the sounds of animals in their natural environment. I can also relate to his description of the Boundary Waters as nothing akin to "a somber forest". It is anything but somber. The area is alive in every sense of the word and we should consider ourselves lucky to have the opportunity to walk through its forests, canoe its lakes, look up at its sky, and hear the chatter of its creatures. It remains a unique fossil of the past; a look back in time; before humans ransacked and conquered nature. Alas, the BWCAW continues to be the wildest part of Minnesota and as Ober stated, perhaps the whole world.
The Boundary Waters does not only matter to me, but to MANY other people. In fact, about 200,000 people visit the BWCAW each year, with a permit of course. This is the largest possible number of people that can enter the Boundary Waters in any given year. This limit on visitation (the permit system) was created in order to keep the area as undisturbed as possible by human traffic and use. So far, the BWCAW has managed to stay relatively pristine, due to regulations such as the permit system, created and drawn up by conservationists such as Ober. In fact, it's because of Ober that in the 21st century, people like me are able to follow in his footsteps and find enjoyment and peace in the wilds of Northern Minnesota. Through his efforts, he was able to protect and provide people with a place to connect with nature, family and friends. A place to self-reflect and regress back to a simpler time, when it was just you, your body, and nature. Without the Boundary Waters many of us would be lost; lost in the hustle and bustle of life or lost in the materialistic world we are surrounded by on a daily basis.As Ober said, "Man was made for broad scenes and tall shadows. He craves a noble background. Cramp him, and he reverses in an ever narrowing circle, until finally he doubts his own destiny. The song goes out of his soul."
I love the discussion of Boundary Waters as not "a somber forest." Overall, you're tapping into the reasons why so many people are drawn there as well as defining Ernest's own love for the area. I wonder how he would feel about the modern state of the area... would he find anything troubling?
ReplyDeletePerhaps your project will explore some of the less obvious reasons, as well as the common reasons, why this area is so beloved. All while exploring Ernest's original vision.