Forest Service proposes cutting refunds to reduce last minute Boundary Waters cancellations
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In a bid to crack down on canoeists who book multiple reservations to paddle in the Boundary Waters, and then don’t use all the permits they reserve, the U.S. Forest Service is proposing tougher cancellation rules for visitors to the popular wilderness area.
Every January, paddlers reserve permits at recreation.gov to enter the Boundary Waters Canoe Area during the busy quota season from May through September. Permits are limited and spread out among different entry points into the wilderness to reduce the impacts of campers and preserve a feeling of solitude for visitors. As a result, popular dates and entry points get snatched up quickly.
But since about 2020, the number of permit cancellations and no-shows has grown every year. Last year, more than 12,000 reservations were canceled, a record high. And thousands of those were canceled within just a few days of the entry date, which meant that there wasn’t much time for other paddlers to be able to use the permits.
“If people make last-minute cancellations, it doesn't give other people enough time to plan a Boundary Waters trip,” said Sunny Lucas, Acting Supervisor for the Superior National Forest, in explaining the proposal.
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“For a lot of people that takes a fair bit of planning, getting the canoe, renting gear. We really want to allow more people to have time to pick up those permits that go back into the system once they're canceled,” Lucas said.
Under the current system, permit holders who cancel at least two days before their entry date are refunded the entire cost of the permit. Those who cancel within a day of their entry are charged $32, the cost of two adult fees. Only a $6 reservation fee is nonrefundable.
The Forest Service’s new proposal would refund permit holders 50 percent of their deposit if they cancel 28 days or more before their entry date. Cancellations within 3 to 28 days before entry would receive only a 25 percent refund. Permits canceled within two days of entry would not receive any refund at all.
The Forest Service worked with a collaborative group of stakeholders, including outfitters and other small business owners, emergency responders, outdoor and environmental advocates and others to develop the proposal.
Clare Shirley, co-owner of Sawbill Canoe Outfitters and a member of the collaborative group, said the genesis for the proposal dates back to the COVID pandemic, when visitation to the Boundary Waters surged.
Around the same time the Forest Service reduced the number of available Boundary Waters permits to limit impacts on the popular area and reduce competition for available campsites
Shirley says those two factors combined to create a “perceived scarcity” of permits that led to many people booking multiple permits when the reservation window opens in January.
“So you have people booking prospective permits for three weekends in a row, because they don't know their kids' baseball schedule yet,” but they feel they have to book them early because if they wait until later in the summer they won’t be available, Shirley explained.
“And then the summer rolls around, they get their schedule, and they may or may not remember to go in and cancel those two permits that they're not going to use, or they don't cancel them until very close to the cancellation date,” she continued.
Shirley said response to the proposal has so far been positive. If anything, she said some people are pushing for a stricter cancellation policy.
“People are frustrated with the current system. There's lots of other potential changes out there that could come down the pike later, but it's a good first start to see what happens.”
Last year, the Forest Service also proposed more than doubling Boundary Waters fees, a change that some argue would cut down on permit cancellations and no shows. Last year, nearly 40 percent of permits booked in January went unused.
The Forest Service accepted public comment on that proposal last summer, but Lucas said the agency hasn’t decided yet whether to move forward with the plan.
Lucas said email is the best way for people to comment on the current cancellation policy proposal. Comments should be sent to sm.fs.bwcawsurvey@usda.gov through July 22. Comments over social media will not be accepted.
“I think it's important to address this now because we want to allow more folks to have access to the Boundary Waters,” Lucas said. “And we want to give our local businesses more time to staff up, stock up, and be ready for the summer season with confidence.”
