From her outfitting business on the doorstep of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), Clare Shirley can't help but think the U.S. Forest Service went too far in reducing permit availability for the upcoming season.
She agrees something had to be done to curtail crowding and resource damage that burgeoned in 2020 and continued last year. But cutting by 13% seems arbitrary and doesn't prioritize education and enforcement, she said.
"I'm not enthusiastic about it,'' said Shirley, whose family operates Sawbill Canoe Outfitters in Tofte. "I think it's a little reactionary.''
