Voyageurs trails pass changing wetlands

Voyageurs National Park officials hope to remove invasive hybrid cattails.
Photo courtesy of Voyageurs NPS.

Anytime there are lakes and rivers flowing into them, the landscape will feature bordering wetlands. Voyageurs National Park is no exception, and the Rainy Lake Recreation Trail/International Falls Bike Trail, when it nears Rainy Lake or a tributary's shoreline, passes plenty of them.

The wetlands seen today along the trail today likely will look different in a few years. The park is working hard to rid the wetlands of invasive hybrid cattails and replace them with such natives as bur-reed, bulrushes and wild rice.

Exactly how to best do that is a question mark for the moment. Removing by hand, fire and mechanical harvesters all are being tested, and in varying settings one method may be better than the other.

The hybrid cattails so common in Voyageurs' many wetlands arose when native broad-leaved cattails crossed with narrow-leaved cattails brought here from Europe. The hybrid grew faster and in denser stands than native species.

That proved a disaster for native fish and waterfowl relying on native plants. The dense stands decreased spawning habitats for black crappie, golden shiners, northern pike and white suckers. As the hybrid filled in ponds, they left little forage and few resting spots for migrating waterfowl and songbirds, reducing their populations.

Some great Voyageurs National Park trails that pass wetlands include:
• Rainy Lake Recreation Trail/International Falls Bike Trail
• Tilson Connector Trail (partially in neighboring Koochiching State Forest)
• Vermilion Falls Trail (in neighboring Superior National Forest)
• Vermilion Gorge Trail (in Superior National Forest)

Learn more about the park’s day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at Voyageurs National Park guidebook.