Sigurd Olson

The Sigurd Olson Circle recognizes individuals who play a vital role in the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness’ work to protect, preserve and restore the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Quetico-Superior ecosystem.

Sigurd Olson Circle Benefits

• Special reports from the Executive Director
• Invitations to special events
• Acknowledgement in the Friends’ annual report and on the website
• The satisfaction of knowing that you are making a significant contribution to the preservation of wilderness for future generations

Please Donate Today

Please help us make a difference. Join the Sigurd Olson Circle with a gift of $1,000 or more per year today. For more information, please call 612-332-9630 or email Paul Danicic at paul@friends-bwca.org.

Sigurd Olson

“This is the most beautiful lake country on the continent. We can afford to protect it. In the end, we turn to nature in a frenzied, chaotic world-there to find silence, oneness, wholeness . . . spiritual release.” – July 8, 1977 speech at Ely High School

Sigurd F. Olson (1899-1982) was one of the greatest environmentalists (though he preferred the term “conservationist”) of the twentieth century. A conservation activist and popular writer, Olson introduced a generation of Americans to the importance of wilderness. From his home in Ely, he explored and celebrated the canoe country of Minnesota and Canada. In several important collections of essays, Olson described the beauty, solitude, and challenges of wilderness canoe trips. Believing that wilderness held important spiritual values in an increasingly hectic modern world, he motivated thousands to venture into the Boundary Waters.

Olson’s great love for the canoe country formed the foundation of his conservation work. He served as President of the Wilderness Society and the National Parks Association, and as a consultant to federal government on wilderness preservation and ecological problems.

Sigurd Olson was a guiding light for the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. He provided invaluable vision and strategy in the early years. In Ely, he was an outspoken advocate for the highest level of protection of the Boundary Waters during the legislative campaigns to create the wilderness. His passionate and unwavering advocacy for wilderness often put him at odds with other environmentalists of his day and, at times, his own neighbors. Sig’s example and legacy provide inspiration for the work of the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness today.

Olson’s books include The Singing Wilderness, Listening Point, The Lonely Land, Runes of the North, Open Horizons, The Hidden Forest, Wilderness Days, Reflections from the North Country, and Of Time and Place.