U.S. Forest Service may eliminate BWCA lottery system

[Lee Borgersen]

 .........

  U.S. Forest Service may eliminate BWCA lottery system.

Well, it's now a done deal . I just got a confirmation letter from the forrest service the other day. It will now be first come first serve. You can reserve your permit by phone or on line and get confirmation right now with no waiting. No more need to request a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd date in hopes of getting one of them confirmed.

You will have the open date options given to you right away so you can pick from them. It's going to be a first come first serve system. Make sure you apply promptly to get the dates you want. It will be interesting to see how this all works out. It sounds good so far!

[JohnWester]

it should be, go when you damn well please, stay as long as you want, take out what you bring in, and don't camp on top of anyone.

[Lee Borgersen]

 .....

The resort owners and outfitters are none to happy with the new system. There will be a meeting today with the forrest service and resort owners/outfitters. First off the forest service never offered a public comment period before making the change. That has always been policy in the past before implementing any major changes. This time the forrest service just rammed the changes through.

It seems that the outfitters have a lot of questions and concerns since this will have an impact on thier businesses and livelyhood. The amount of permits available has already been signifigently reduced by the US Forrest Service in the past.

The day may come when the tree hugger groups have thier way and no one will be able to enter the BWCA. Don't take that last comment to lightly because over the last 35 yrs I've seen how they keep chipping away at the users rights.

[Lee Borgersen]

  New Update.......


Problems with permit system need public input before decisions made



An agency that often takes months or even years to render a decision on most issues decided to rush through one that could impact thousands of visitors to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The result was predictable. People were unhappy that either:

A. They didn't know about it; B. They knew about it and didn't like it; C. They didn't know about it and didn't like it; or D. All of the above.

Whenever the U.S. Forest Service does something without telling people about it, our suspicions rise right away.   There was no news release. There was nothing on the Forest Service   website.   Was this an attempt to pull a fast one?

We understand that the same people who helped create and are now battling the Pagami Creek Fire have been a bit busy lately. And we've also heard them say "if I had it to do over again" in relation to the decisions made regarding the fire. Our concern is that they don't make another major mistake and mess up the permit system and again say "if I had it do over again."

For the most sought-after entry points, the Forest Service created a lottery system. You put as many applications in as you desire starting on Dec. 1 and on Jan. 16, a drawing is held to see who the lucky winners will be.

Now the Forest Service says it doesn't need a lottery system - it'll be first-come, first-serve. And one of the main reasons why? Some people have figured out how to stockpile permits. And around one-third aren't being used.

So with a "let's throw the baby out with the bath water" attitude, the Forest Service decides to end the lottery. They give some people very little time (and others no time) to give input.

We have read the information, listened to the Forest Service and to the cooperators (outfitters and others who give out permits) and the pros and cons involved with this situation.  

This much we have learned so far:

A. There is more to learn.

B. The public was left out of the process.

C. If the Forest Service has a problem   with several cooperators, deal with that problem directly.

D. Putting the brakes on this whole new proposal is the best idea we've heard.

There is no doubt that the Forest Service's decision to abandon efforts to fix the Chain of Lakes issue has led to the point we are at now. Of course we'd be remiss without thanking the Friends and Sierra Club for using the courts to get what they want with little regard for others.

Prior to 1999, there wasn't a problem. We had canoeists, towboats and motorboat folk fishing and enjoying the area together.

The Forest Service issued boat stickers to people who lived on Moose Lake and to outfitters for their towboats. They could then enter the areas of the BWCAW where motors are allowed by law. Others were able to apply for the quota of motor permits available.

But for this system that worked so well, somebody decided to throw a monkey wrench in. Now instead of harmony we have acrimony.

Instead of changing the law, the Friends circumvented it by finding a loophole and using high-priced attorneys to do their bidding.

The average Joe can't get a permit since he's competing with people who used to have a sticker on their boat. And now he better get out of bed early on Jan. 25 and vie with 14,000 other people who just want to motor up to a motorized portage and be able to fish in front of what used to be Basswood Lodge.

Throwing out the lottery system sounds like a short-sighted answer to a long-standing, multi-faceted problem. Who knows? In the end this may be the best solution, but people have every right to doubt the Forest Service's decision. And they should be able to have their say.