Today, more than 200,000 people visit the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness each year. This unique, natural area is widely appreciated, but in the time leading up to the passage of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act, the Boundary Waters were the subject of contentious debate. Tune in Thursday, May 23, at 7 p.m. for "History Speaks: The Boundary Waters" for a reflection on the impact this quiet wilderness area had on residents and visitors alike in the years before the BWCAW Act passed. Photo courtesy of the Cook County Historical Society.

WTIP has received a flurry of calls recently of hummingbird sightings by residents throughout Cook County.  Check out the Hummingbird Sightings Map we created to track them.  Have you spotted one?  Give us a call at 387-1070 and we'll add yours!  And visit Hummingbirds.net to log your sighting nationally.

Didn’t get enough of our First Thursday Community Conversation on economic development in Cook County? You can re-listen to the hour-long program, and while you’re there, check out a PDF of the latest version of the Cook County Economic Analysis. Stay tuned, as we will continue to bring you more information and discussion on this ongoing community conversation!

In a study conducted last summer, Lorena Rios Mendoza, assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, discovered evidence of accumulating plastic particles in the surface water of Lake Superior, Lake Erie and Lake Huron. While the study is still in its early stages, in this edition of the Lake Superior Project, Mendoza explains what she's discovered so far and what it could mean for the Great Lakes. Check it out!

Check out the latest edition of Anishinaabe Way, featuring potter, painter and Episcopal priest Johnson Loud Jr. He is from the Red Lake Ojibwe Reservation in Northern Minnesota, and has served his parish at Prairie Island, Minnesota, for 15 years. He was recently in Cook County along with his colleague Robert Two Bulls, for an art show and a series of religious seminars. In this feature, he discusses the connection between his art and his work as an Episcopal priest.

Funding from Minnesota’s Clean Water, Land & Legacy Amendment is enabling WTIP, in conjunction with AMPERS independent public radio stations across the state, to take part in preserving Minnesota’s history and cultural heritage through programming features. Learn more and check out our projects here. Photo by Travis Novitsky