Fourth death in the BWCA reported ahead of busy holiday weekend
A recent death in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness – the fourth in recent months – has Forest Service officials calling for paddlers to be mindful and cautious during the busy Labor Day weekend.
“There’s no magic wand that is going to get you out of a bad situation,” said Carl Skustad, the recreation and wilderness lead for Superior National Forest on Kawishiwi District near Ely. “Slow down and take risk-management precautions.”
In mid-August, a California man died after the canoe he and his son were traveling in capsized on Isabella Lake in the BWCA. News of the death was shared with WTIP August 31 from the Lake County Sheriff’s Department in Two Harbors.
According to the report, just before 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 15, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a party who heard someone “yelling for help” on Isabella Lake. The reporting party said they had possibly seen life vests floating on the water.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Lake County Search and Rescue arrived to the edge of the wilderness about 20 minutes later. Also responding to the scene were the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Border Patrol.
At Isabella Lake, search and rescue officials made contact with David Zastrow, of Pasadena, Calif, who stated the canoe he and his father were in capsized when they tried reaching for a map that had blown into the water, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.
Cletus Zastrow, 65, from Glendale, Calif., drowned while trying to right the canoe after it capsized on Isabella Lake. He was wearing a life jacket at the time, according to the law enforcement report.
An autopsy was performed, and Zastrow’s death was ruled as an accidental drowning, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.
Zastrow’s is the fourth death reported in the BWCA during the 2023 paddling season, and the second in the month of August. One day before Zastrow died in the BWCA, a Minnesota man likely died by suicide at a campsite before he was discovered by a group of canoe-campers on Brule Lake, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Department in Grand Marais. In that incident, the body of 36-year-old Justin Sperl, of Marshall, Minn., was recovered August 14 from Brule Lake.
In May, a man from Texas died on Seagull Lake at the end of the Gunflint Trail. In June, a young man from Wisconsin drowned on Gillis Lake, south of Tuscarora Lake in the BWCA.
The Boundary Waters will be a busy place as summer winds down in the coming days. There are few permits remaining for the BWCA during the first weekend of September. Labor Day weekend is traditionally a bustling scene when it comes to outdoor recreation throughout northeastern Minnesota. Campsites across Superior National Forest, which in includes the entire BWCA, are typically full as people venture out for a final outdoor adventure before settling into autumn. Campfires are a standard at most campsites, particularly in September. However, given the unusually warm forecast for this weekend, officials across the BWCA are reminding people to be safe and smart with any fire activity, including casual campfires.
WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with Skustad and Christine Kolinski, a public affairs specialist for Superior National Forest, about safety reminders for fall paddling, including during Labor Day weekend. Audio below.
Joe Friedrichs September 1, 2023
