Deadlines announced for BWCAW permit lottery

The Superior National Forest has announced the deadlines for submission of applications for the lottery for Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) 2005 permits.To be included in the lottery, applications submitted by mail or fax must be received by 5 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST) on January 10, 2005.This deadline has been set so that there is sufficient time for the accurate manual entry of applications received by fax and mail without causing a delay to the running of the lottery. Applications submitted online at www.bwcaw.org must be received by 5 p.m. CST on January 15, as in previous years.All applications submitted by these deadlines, regardless of the method sent, will be processed by the lottery. Those who submit lottery applications online will be able to view results online immediately following the lottery. Applications received after the lottery deadlines will not be processed until January 20, after the lottery has run.Beginning January 20, 2005, first-come first-served wilderness permit reservations can be made online at www.bwcaw.org, faxed, or mailed.Reservations may be made by phone beginning February 1, 2005 by calling the National Recreation Reservation Service toll free at (877) 550-6777.Please visit www.bwcaw.org for additional information and to submit BWCAW permit applications online. Faxed applications should be sent to (518) 884-9951. Applications submitted by mail should be sent to: BWCAW Reservation Center, P.O. Box 462, Ballston Spa, NY, 12020. A BWCAW Trip Planning Guide and the 2005 BWCAW Wilderness Permit Reservation Application are available on the web at www.fs. fed.us/r9/superior, from any Superior National Forest Service office, or by calling (218) 626-4300.