Campsite Ecology of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Abstract

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) has regulations reflecting a "Leave No Trace" philosophy for its campers. Despite these regulations, and efforts to abide by them, human impacts are apparent in and around lakeshore campsites. To quantify these impacts, this study examined 12 campsites at different distances from a common BWCAW entry point and assessed tree richness, campsite trash counts, and soil campaction, pH, and conductivity.