REGIONAL— Concerns about changes to the reservation and lottery system for permits for the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness have made it to Washington. In a letter to Interim Chief of the Forest Service Vicki Christiansen, Eighth District Congressman Rick Nolan is seeking answers to those concerns, many of which have been raised by resort owners and outfitters on Fall and Moose lakes, near Ely.

The local businesses are most concerned by the phaseout of the lottery system, which typically ensured that those businesses that served users of the wilderness would have sufficient permits, particularly day-use motor permits, to serve their customers. The issue was the subject of reporting in the Timberjay last week.

Rep. Nolan is asking the Forest Service to hold off on changes until some of the issues raised by stakeholders can be addressed.

Specifically, Nolan’s letter to the USFS states:

“To what extent were unique visitor situations (elderly, disabled, or otherwise) considered when making the change to the lottery process, especially when these individuals were served by cooperators? It is my understanding that the previous model found a good balance between the public seeking access to these entry points and the remaining resort owners who provide a complete suite of guiding and outfitting services for those seeking to enter the wilderness. A complete revamp of the system, cautioned one business owner, could harm wilderness access for current visitors that don’t have the capabilities to make these reservations on their own – such as a computer-less World War II military Veteran that would need to stop coming north if the lottery system goes away. 

“How does the Forest Service reconcile lottery trend user data with changes to the lottery process for Fall and Moose lakes? In July 2017, the Forest Service published a report displaying permit and visitor use statistics for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from 2009 to 2016. The data suggests continued high use of the lottery, especially for day use motor permits. In fact, the USFS found that this category of lottery applications has been increasing, corresponding to an increase in the number of unsuccessful lottery applications.

“How does the USFS plan to address disparities in access to Recreation.gov in rural communities? Many of the cooperators are located in rural, “end-of-the-road” locations where access to reliable broadband is not a given. On top of this, Northern Minnesota in January can be an unpredictable place. Expecting cooperators to overcome this issue by driving into Ely or other nearby towns is impractical and could be unsafe, depending on the weather and road conditions.  A number of other questions come to mind in this regard:

Will cooperators be able to block off or make mass-bookings for multiple guests over the Recreation.gov hotline (1-877- 444-6777).

If not, what process does the Forest Service envision for these businesses?”

The Forest Service had no immediate response to the Congressman’s inquiry.