Minnesota is famous for a number of natural features: the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, North Shore of Lake Superior, the land of 10,000 lakes, our parks and public lands, and much more. Here in Bemidji, Park Rapids, Walker, and Grand Rapids we too have a unique natural feature that gives all Minnesota geographic recognition, and that is “Headwaters Country” – the birthplace of the Mississippi River – one of the great rivers of the world.
This forest contains incredible diversity, including plants and animals of threatened, endangered, or special concern. DNR inventory has identified
- Resident Timber Wolves
- Trumpeter Swans nests in Beltrami County (protected specie)
- Bald Eagle nests
- Virginia Rail (specie of special concern)
- Bog Adders Mouth (endangered specie in Iron Springs Bog in Clearwater County)
- Hump Bladderwort (rare)
- Ramshead Orchid (a threatened specie in Hubbard County)
- Creek Heel Splitter and Black Sand Shell Mussels (mussels of concern)
- Clustered Burr Reed (rare)
A geologic feature unique to this area and vulnerable to ATV damage is the LaSalle Tunnel Valley. The prolific wetlands here are home to a plethora of wetland species such as the Virginia Rail and a wide variety of ducks and other waterfowl. Aside from the rare and unusual plant and animal species found here, there are sought-after fur bearers such as beaver, muskrat, fisher, and otter. Deer and duck hunting are excellent. Blueberry picking and wild rice harvesting are second to none.
Reading this list of threatened species, you may be asking yourself, what are these seemingly obscure critters good for anyhow? Ask first, what good are we doing here, while these critters are filtering water, stabilizing the river bed or shoreline, being part of the food chain, and often giving us memorable and breath-taking human experiences, none of which are compatible with off-highway vehicles.
Many specific sites and camps along this stretch of river have names that resonate with our history here: Wanigan, Coffee Pot, Bear Den, Fox Trap, and Pine Point.
Here a long history of American Indian cultures thrived. These people preceded whites by 12,000 years in Headwaters Country. Whites are relative new-comers as evident at the Itasca Bison Kill Site 7,000 to 8,000 old. Names connected forever to the Headwaters are Esh-ke-bug-e-coshe, Oziwindib, Pike, Cass, Bonga, Schoolcraft, and Giacomo Beltrami.
From 1541 when de Soto first laid eyes on the river at the Gulf of Mexico to 1832 when Schoolcraft reached the Headwaters (long occupied by American Indians and frequently visited by white fur traders), the river has too many fascinating stories to told here.
If We Don’t Act to Protect the Forest, We Will Lose It