Origin

In 2004, the Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario approached the OA Wilderness Voyage program at the Northern Tier Charles L. Sommers Canoe Base about creating a trail building program based out of Atikokan Ontario, for the purpose of repairing portage trails in the Quetico. This led to a number of Voyage staff members volunteering 10 days work at the end of the 2004 season to demonstrate what kind of work would be done if a program would be started. Additionally, a proposal was made to the Northern Tier management as well as the Order of the Arrow to start a program not for the Order of the Arrow, but endorsed by the OA.

Proposal

Our past success generates this new proposal. Specifically, that the OA Wilderness Voyage program, based out of the Northern Tier, Charles L. Sommers Canoe Base, expand to offer programming based out of the Northern Tier, Donald Rogert Canoe Base in Atikokan, Ontario, for the purpose of providing service to the Quetico Provincial Park, and the Canadian Ministry of Natural Resources, beginning the summer of 2009. Specifically, we propose operating a 4 session pilot program in the summer of 2009. For this we would need to hire five additional staff members; one Assistant Director for the Canadian Program and four additional foremen. We would send the two foremen out of Atikokan as partner’s pair with crews at the same time as our A and B rotation foremen in the US take out crews. This would be at the same time as sessions one, two, four, and five. In addition, increase to the Voyage program’s operating budget is requested to cover expected additional costs.

The intent would be to fully expand to Canada in the summer of 2010 sending out a Canadian crew every session. This would require seven additional staff members; one Assistant Director for the Canadian program, and six additional foremen.

Purpose

The OA Wilderness Voyage program has experienced and been recognized by the USFS for 10 great seasons of providing much needed volunteer service to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and the United States Forest Service. The Quetico Provincial Park, managed by the Canadian MNR, is in great need of having some portage trail maintenance done, particularly in the entry areas on the northern side of the park. In addition, the Donald Rogert Canoe Base is in need of having some portage trail and campsite maintenance done in the Crown Lands Area, also managed by the Canadian MNR, in order to help keep their programming fees at a minimum. An expansion of the OA Wilderness Voyage program to Atikokan, would allow for significant service to be accomplished.

Reason

As the OA Wilderness Voyage program wraps up it’s 10th season, and the Quetico Provincial Park and Superior National Forest gear up for a joint centennial, we feel that the time is more right than any to start offering our services to Canada, and launch a major international service project for the Boy Scouts of America and the Order of the Arrow. With our recent successes of filling the program for 3 straight seasons, completing unprecedented service to the Boundary Waters as well as having completed our first international trail in the summer of 2007, and in the wake of the Order of the Arrow’s successful call to service with Arrow Corps 5, it is felt that we can and should do more as an organization. This benefits our country and our neighbors as well.

Benefits

• Adds 28 spots for participants in the 2009 season bringing the total number of available spots to 112 (14 less than the number of available spots during full seasons).
• Involves the Order of the Arrow, Boy Scouts of America, and Northern Tier National High Adventure Bases in a large scale international service project.
• Thousands of Boy Scouts use the trails in the Quetico Provincial Park every year, as well as citizens of the United States. 80% of all visitors to the Quetico are in fact citizens of the United States.
• Aides in minimizing programming fees for the Donald Rogert Canoe Base.

Submitted Respectfully,

Davey Warner