Environmental studies graduate completes 1,200-mile canoe journey to promote public lands conservation

After she graduated from Ohio University in May 2025, Helena Karlstrom had a busy summer.

Her summer wasn’t filled with job interviews or an internship, though, instead, she spent it in the wilds of Northern Minnesota and Canada. The Honors Tutorial College and Environmental Studies major—and Voinovich Undergraduate Research Scholar—joined three friends in an all-female crew, dubbed the Hudson Bay Girls, for an epic 1,200-mile canoe trip to highlight stewardship of public lands and to inspire young girls to engage in paddle sports.

The entire trip took 85 days, starting at the Grand Portage near Lake Superior, through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), one of the most remote nature areas in North America, then onto Lake Winnipeg before ending at the southern mouth of Hudson Bay in central Manitoba. The conditions were rugged, with volatile weather and whipping winds constantly dictating their daily route. They had to navigate through open water, canoeing through choppy waves and navigating rapids on certain rivers. And they did all of this while carrying 115-pound bags of gear.

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Karlstrom says her love of the outdoors began when she was in Girl Scouts, and during her time at OHIO, she took a job at Outdoor Pursuits, eventually becoming a trip supervisor. She spent more than 100 days in the wilderness leading student backpacking, climbing, and canoeing trips.
Her academic endeavors also had a profound impact.

“Being an environmental studies major totally changed the way that I saw things throughout my college experience,” she says. “The opportunities that I got to have in my community were really life-changing for me in college.”

Karlstrom, who wrote her undergraduate thesis on food security in Appalachia, points to Sarah Davis of the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service as being particularly influential.

“She is my idol and probably the smartest person I've ever met,” she says. “She used an outdoor classroom, we’d go on hikes, and she made us really be thoughtful about engaging with the community. I worked for her as a Voinovich Scholar in her undergrad lab, and she was always just pushing us to think about things harder.”

The BWCA may be remote, but it sits on valuable copper beds that could be mined if the federal government issues permits. That possibility has come under fierce opposition from environmentalist groups, such as Save the Boundary Waters, as well as public and private companies, and outdoor enthusiasts from all walks of life. The BWCA is a special place for Karlstrom and her crewmates.

“All of us got our major canoe experience with trips to the Boundary Waters,” she says. “We wanted to raise awareness to ensure future generations of girls can have the same amazing times we did.”

Now back on dry land, Karlstrom is taking some time to figure out what she wants to do next—graduate school is on her radar—and she’s grateful that her time at the Voinovich School and OHIO’s Honors Tutorial College has helped prepare her for whatever she decides to do.

“I think my next steps are going to be a wonderful journey there in and of themselves,” she says. “But for now, it’s nice to sleep in a real bed for a while.”

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