![]() ![]() In early 2021, the Forest Service implemented a requirement that visitors watch three instructional videos on Leave No Trace principles before obtaining a permit. According to rangers, there was also an uptick in reports of illegal entry, crowding, disruptive noise levels, and oversize groups.įor years Boundary Waters rangers have dealt with overcrowding and damage. This surge in popularity led to what the Forest Service called “an unacceptably high amount of resource damage.” Visitors cut trees, littered, left campfires unattended, and improperly disposed of human waste. Visitation increased during the first months of 2021, but summer wildfires closed some sections of it and kept the crowds away. ![]() In 2020 approximately 166,000 total people visited the wilderness-up 16 percent from 2019-and officials issued 30,000 total group permits, up from 25,000 the previous year. Officials already issue permits for the Boundary Waters and limit group size to nine individuals. ![]() The Forest Service did not say how many total permits would be available next year, nor which entry points into the wilderness would be impacted. The Boundary Waters, which extends for 150 miles along the U.S.-Canada border, is one of the largest areas of protected wilderness-and uncut forest-in the country, with 1,175 lakes and more than 1,200 miles of canoe routes. On December 3, the Forest Service revealed plans to cut the number of entry permits for Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in 2022 after a surge in visits during the pandemic led to infrastructure and habitat damage, crowding, and congestion. ![]() government is stepping in to protect one of the country’s most popular wilderness areas from its own visitors. You can also get this news delivered to your email inbox six days a week by signing up for the What You Missed newsletter. Welcome to What You Missed, our daily digest of breaking news and topical perspectives from across the outdoor world. ![]()
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December 2022
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