Distinguished Guests

Listening Point has always been a Mecca for visitors who have read the book, for friends from far away, and for wilderness lovers and supporters across the nation. Indeed, it has become over the years the Upper Midwest's Walden Pond. This was especially true this summer when the Point had 122 visitors during the centennial week activities alone. Among them were Wilderness Society President Bill Meadows and Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold and their wives and staffs who were in Ely as guests of Wilderness Society Board of Directors Member and Vice Chair of the Friends of the BWCA Becki Rom.

Senator Feingold spoke of his admiration for that "kid from Northern Wisconsin" Sigurd Olson and of his "desire to help people truly understand the meaning and legacy of wilderness. I want to play a part in this legacy," he said, "and am organizing a group of Senators to work on wilderness issues in the senate."

Wilderness Society President Bill Meadows spoke of his pleasure at visiting the famous Listening Point at last and at the establishment of the Listening Point Foundation. Meadows feels that our fundamental challenge is to nurture in the public a love for and understanding of wilderness. "To each of us in his own way," he has written, "wilderness is a sacred place that graces our lives with beauty and wonder and offers us solitude and connection." (Wilderness 1999, p. 2.)

Perhaps it was a miracle, perhaps not. But it was marvelous to see that steady rain during their visit did nothing to dampen the pleasure and enthusiasm of all concerned.

Visits to Listening Point are considered to be an important resource in the Foundation's wilderness educational mission. For many it is an unforgettable experience where seeing and actually experiencing Listening Point, its rocks, trees, water, and, of course, the cabin, is worth a thousand words. At the same time, we have to be careful to limit wear and tear in order to preserve "the natural and historical integrity of Listening Point." We are carefully shaping the visitor program in order to determine the carrying capacity of the Point and, since all visitors are escorted, the capacity of the Foundation to meet the demand.