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DULUTH – The US Forest Service plans to reduce the number of entry permits for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness over the next year as it cites natural resource damage, crowds and traffic jams.
The forest service did not say how many permits would be abolished and which entry points into the millions of hectares of wilderness would be affected.
Superior National Forest spokeswoman Joanna Gilkeson says the reduction will be spread across the wild, with an emphasis on more popular entry points and lakes where visitors have complained over the years about resource degradation and the inability to find campgrounds to have.
The number of visitors to the Boundary Waters has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic as people looked for more outdoor recreation.
Nearly 166,000 people attended the BWCA in 2020, up 16 percent from the previous year and most for at least a decade, according to the US Forest Service. The number of permits issued rose from around 25,000 to over 30,000, Minnesota Public Radio News reported.
The rise in popularity played a role in what forest service officials called “unprecedented damage to natural resources,” including cutting trees, litter and improper disposal of human waste.
There have also been reports of increased crowds and noise levels and annoying, oversized groups.
Companies in northeast Minnesota that provide equipment, groceries and other services to thousands of canoeists each summer are concerned about the move.
“They’re taking action that means a lot of people who want to go to Boundary Waters won’t be able to because there isn’t a permit,” said Jason Zabokrtsky, owner of Ely Outfitting Company.
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