What environmental issue should we study next week?

17 January 2012

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The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is a very special place.  There are several ways in which this area is threatened.  Several mining companies are interested in opening mines near the BWCAW.  A few non-native invasive plants and animals have been found in or near the BWCAW.  Climate change is having an effect on the plants and animals that live in the BWCAW.  Please help us pick a threat to study.

Mining companies have found copper, nickel, and other metals near the BWCAW.  Mining for these metals is called sulfide mining.  This type of mining produces sulfide ore waste.  When rain falls on the sulfide ore waste, sulfuric acid is produced.  This is called acid mine drainage.  Even though the mine wouldn't be in the BWCAW, it could contaminate the lakes, rivers, and groundwater in the BWCAW.  This would cause problems for humans, fish, and other animals in the area.

Non-native invasive species are plants or animals that are not native to an area.  They can cause harm to the environment.  They can spread quickly and compete with native species.  Some of the invasive plants are buckthorn, purple loosestrife, and Eurasian water milfoil.  Invasive animals in the area are the rusty crayfish, zebra mussel, and gypsy moth.

Climate change is affecting the BWCAW in a few ways.  Weather patterns are changing.  The area is warming and getting less rainfall.  This will cause different plants and animals to move in.  We could study how scientists project the changes that will happen in the BWCAW over the next 50 years.

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