Today: Joseph Goldstein, whose sense of environmentalism and love of the North Woods spawned his organization, Kids for the Boundary Waters, aka Kids4BW. Goldstein, 17, is organizing a trip for young people to travel in June to Washington, D.C., to lobby for protection of the wilderness. The first trip there in 2018 helped launch Kids4BW. Several Minnesotans help make up the Kids4BW board. Goldstein, of Springfield, Ill., first visited the Boundary Waters Canoe Area when he was 6. A bout with leukemia when he was 13 reignited his devotion to the wilderness.

Reading

I just finished "Macbeth" for my senior British literature class. Not sure why we can't read the funny Shakespearean works. For fun, I'm re-reading "North to the Pole." It is the story of Will Steger and Paul Schurke and their trek to the North Pole in 1986. Paul is a good friend of mine, and his story is inspiring.

Following

I'm following Greta Thunberg, the Swedish activist, who is doing incredibly meaningful work in the European Union to get action on climate change. Greta, 16, is one of a number of really amazing young people who are planting their feet and saying, "Enough." Autumn Peltier out of Canada is a water defender and another amazing environmental advocate. And the kids from Parkland, Fla., at Stoneman Douglas High School. Everywhere you look, my generation is taking a stand. It's powerful.

Watching

Honestly, I don't watch much of anything. The news, of course. My little brothers like me to take them to the movies, so I've seen the usual roundup of "The Incredibles" and "Lego" movies.

Doing

I am in the process of organizing a "fly-in" to Washington, D.C., for my organization, Kids for the Boundary Waters. This is the second large fly-in I have organized. The trip will begin with a group dinner and an intensive advocacy training session. That evening will thoroughly educate and update the attendants on the threat to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and they will practice their "pitch" for scheduled leadership meetings.

Kids for the Boundary Waters in 2018 took its case to the nation’s capitol. Joseph Goldstein is shown at center.

The next two days are a whirlwind of meetings on Capitol Hill with appointed leaders at the U.S. Forest Service; Department of the Interior; Bureau of Land Management; Department of Agriculture; and high-ranking members of the House and Senate. We will encourage and assist the delegates in securing meetings with their own members of Congress before the fly-in, and will divide the large group into effective teams. Each will have an experienced Kids4BW team leader to help navigate the halls of Congress.

The trip will take place from June 17-20, and is open to anyone age 15-22 with an interest in environmental advocacy, regardless of previous BWCA experience. Applications are due Sunday, and can be found along with more information at kidsfortheboundarywaters.org/d-c-fly-in.