Hope for state aid wanes

REGIONAL— The governor’s emergency order for the July 6 fires quietly expired on Tuesday this week and it appears hopes for a special session to address economic relief for wilderness edge communities may have expired along with it. And that’s a major disappointment for businesses that have been hit hard by the impacts of area fires and the July 14 closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
On and off rain over the past couple weeks has helped to slow fire activity and firefighters have made progress in protecting those homes, cabins, and businesses in the vicinity of the fires. That’s allowed the Superior National Forest to reopen about two-thirds of the BWCAW. While that’s encouraging news, conditions are still far from favorable for businesses that serve visitors to the 1.1-million-acre wilderness.
The lost business, the vast majority of which can’t be made up, has been crushing for some, as the cumulative impact of lost bookings have taken their toll.
Mark Anderson, the sole outfitter operating out of Crane Lake on the far west end of the wilderness, estimates his losses alone at close to half a million dollars. Anderson does a lot of his business with his towboats, hauling outfitted clients along a motorized route along the border, most commonly to Lac La Croix. “We still had 647 people to haul when the closure hit,” he said. “It’s a major kick in the shorts.”
Anderson has probably been the hardest hit of any of the outfitters serving the BWCAW, since the portion of the wilderness where he operates has been the hardest hit by the fires and much of it is expected to remain closed for the rest of the year.
But the situation is only marginally better for outfitters in the Ely area, where some nearby entry points into the BWCAW have reopened in recent days.
“It’s a mixed bag,” said Steve Nelson, at Spirit of the Wilderness Outfitters in Ely. He said he and his staff have been busy calling clients who had scheduled trips in August. “We haven’t crossed too many of them off yet,” he said. “Some say they are still planning to come. Those who were entering up the Echo [Trail] where work is still being done, we’re giving them the option of looking for permits at different entries.”
That’s not always easy, since most entry permits tend to get scooped up months before the canoeing season even arrives. And as visitors and outfitters scramble to rebook permit reservations to replace those that have been canceled, the quotas are becoming a roadblock. “Some permits are still available,” notes Nelson. “But for the most part, it’s tough.”
Most outfitters learned last week that a special session was unlikely. Nelson called that “disappointing.”
So did Steve Piragis at Piragis Northwoods Company, another prominent Ely outfitter, who figures his business is down by half, at least, since the wilderness closure.
While his staff is also talking to clients who had booked earlier in the year, he said given the uncertainty surrounding closures, many made alternative plans for summer vacations. “It seems like we can’t get these folks to come back,” he said.
While those cancellations are disappointing, he said they do create the opportunity to rebook others who still want to come. “So many people have canceled that there are more openings than usual for this time of year,” he said.
While conditions are improving, Piragis said it’s a slow recovery. “We’re still feeling the pinch,” he said.
Dwindling media coverage reduces prospects for aid
As the fire conditions have lessened and the BWCAW has begun to reopen, area businesses worry that the media will move on to cover the next hot story and as that attention moves on, the prospect for some kind of an assistance package wanes.
“That’s when things could be a little rough,” said Nelson, who noted that the media coverage has helped build public support for the businesses most impacted by the fires, smoke, and related fallout. “People have been very gracious,” said Nelson. “Some are asking us to hold their deposit. Some have even asked to be charged for their trip even though it was canceled. That’s just an open heart,” he said, clearly moved by the generosity.
Area businesses may have to rely on that generosity given that it now appears a special session is unlikely. Even so, Sen. Grant Hauschild said he’s working to draft legislation that outlines a possible relief package. Without a special session, however, that legislation won’t be considered by lawmakers until the 2027 legislative session begins on Jan. 12.
Hauschild said he’s hoping that other private and public agencies will be able to do something before then. He noted that the United Way of Northeastern Minnesota is offering assistance, ranging from $2,500-$10,000, to many businesses, using funds donated specifically for economic relief. The deadline to apply for that help was Aug. 10, with funds expected to be released by Aug. 17.
Hauschild said with a near-term legislative relief package now unlikely, he is hopeful that other agencies, like Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation, will have some funding available to help those businesses hit the hardest.
“Now that it appears a special session isn’t happening, I think we’ll need to do more.” He said he’s also reaching out to the Department of Employment and Economic Development to see if they have any pots of funding that could be tapped sooner than next year.
There is a widespread understanding that the longer a package is delayed, the greater the likelihood that other state priorities take precedence and the needed help never arrives.
A longer-term recovery
While outfitters can certainly hope that next year won’t see a repeat of the devastating fires, there is a recognition that the impact from the fires is likely to linger into next year and beyond.
“I fear a lot of the campsites [on the west end] are ruined,” said Anderson. “Some of those areas may not reopen next year,” he said, leaving open the prospect of a crippling second year of lost business.
That’s a concern for Piragis as well, since a sizable portion of the clients they serve have traditionally used Echo Trail entry points and routes that have seen the bulk of the damage from fires.
The sizeable cuts in Forest Service staffing implemented by DOGE will almost certainly slow the rehabilitation work that will need to be completed on portage trails and campsites across much of that portion of the BWCAW. That could mean the ripple effects of this year’s fires will be felt for years to come.