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Public meeting on Forest Service changes to BWCA permits set for Nov. 13 in Ely

The U.S. Forest Service will now hold a public meeting following concerns raised over changes to the BWCA permit system, specifically the elimination of the lottery system for motor permits.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. at the Kawishiwi District Ranger Office conference room.
Both Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Rick Nolan have questioned the changes after Ely area businesses and residents have raised concerns.
Beginning Oct. 1, recreation reservation services on the Superior National Forest were upgraded within the nation-wide recreation.gov website.
These include stronger security controls, better protection of Personally Identifiable Information, and increased fraud protection.
The new system also enables real-time notification of availability and reservation of campsites in Superior National Forest developed campgrounds as well as Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) quota permits.
In addition, as of January 2019, the Forest will implement a 2017 administrative decision to make all BWCAW quota permits, for all entry points, available for reservation using the first come, first served model.
This new, modernized system provides a simpler, more efficient, and equitable way for the public to reserve BWCAW quota permits and offers improved tools for people to plan their trips.
In response to the high level of interest and questions about these changes, the Superior National Forest will host an “Information Sharing” meeting on changes in the National Recreation Reservation System,www.recreation.gov at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the Kawishiwi District Ranger Office conference room.
Members of the public are invited to come and learn about the new reservation system which goes into effect in 2019 and what it means for people wishing to obtain a quota permit to enter the BWCAW.

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