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Boundary waters canoe area7/31/2023 ![]() ![]() Zabokrtsky said he’s been told that popular entry points in the Kawishiwi Ranger district, where he likes to send customers, will see significant reductions.įor example, he said that the number of parties allowed to enter the wilderness via an entry point known as Moose River North will be reduced from seven parties a day to five. “And I think excluding people from experiencing the Boundary Waters doesn't align with our mission as a business, or what I think is necessarily in the best interest of the wilderness and the people of Minnesota and the people around the country that love to visit this special place.” “They’re taking actions that mean that a lot of people who want to go to the Boundary Waters won't be able to because there won't be a permit,” Zabokrtsky said. ![]() Still, it’s a decision that rankled Jason Zabokrtsky, owner of Ely Outfitting Company, one of many businesses in northeastern Minnesota that supply gear, food and other services for thousands of canoeists every summer. The reduction in quota “isn't a decision that we made overnight” she said. Gilkeson said while those issues were amplified the past couple summers, they’ve been getting those kinds of complaints for years. Forest Service's Superior National Forest division posted this photo to Facebook July 2020, as part of a series highlighting what not to do in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. There were also reports of increased crowding and noise levels, as well as disruptive, oversized groups. ![]() That increased popularity played a role in what Forest Service officials called “unprecedented natural resource damage” in the Boundary Waters, including the cutting of live trees, littering, and improper disposal of human waste. Visitation was again high at the beginning of the summer of 2021- many outfitters reported record reservations - but wildfires later in the summer forced evacuations and closures of broad areas of the wilderness. The number of permits issued jumped from around 25,000 to more than 30,000. Nearly 166,000 people visited the BWCA in 2020, a 16 percent jump from the previous year and the most in at least a decade, according to the U.S. Visitation to the Boundary Waters has surged over the past couple summers during the COVID-19 pandemic, as people have sought out outdoor activities and other family activities were canceled. Gilkeson said the quota reduction would be spread across the entire wilderness, with a focus on more popular entry points and lakes where visitors have complained over the years about resource damage, an inability to find campsites, “and just not having the wilderness experience that they expected to have or that they've had in the past.” ![]()
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