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Eighty-two businesses across northeast Minnesota are asking state leaders for help after wildfires and the closure of the Boundary Waters muffled the region’s peak summer tourism season.

The group sent a letter on Thursday to Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota lawmakers, calling for economic relief for businesses impacted by the fires. The letter comes as a special legislative session appears unlikely. The businesses are hoping state leaders will find another way to provide aid, rather than waiting until the Legislature reconvenes in January.

Businesses in St. Louis, Cook, Lake and Koochiching counties are asking for grants of up to $150,000 for businesses that have lost at least 20 percent of their gross revenue this summer, and for the state to get that money out the door quickly.

Elli Paragis knows well that the wildfires have been a particularly hard blow for businesses in Ely, where the summer tourism season is short and heavily dependent on visitors to the Boundary Waters. She is general manager of Paragis Northwoods Company, an Ely outfitter and retail business her parents started in 1979. She said the three weeks that were lost are normally the busiest of the entire year.

Paragis said the retail end of her business lost 44 percent of its sales during that period, and the outfitting business was almost completely lost.

“It’s really important that we are able to keep our heads above water,” Paragis said. “I’m not just concerned for my own business, but the businesses around the whole region.”

The economic effects extend beyond outfitters. Abby Dare owns and operates The Meadows Art Gallery and Studio in Ely, which opened in 2024. She said the fires have been a reminder of how interconnected the local economy is.

“If people aren’t coming up and going on guided trips, or if people aren’t coming up because they can’t get to their cabin, then I would expect to have fewer customers at my shop as well,” Dare said.

That ripple effect is already affecting workers, she said. Dare recently spoke with a guide who lost work because trips into the Boundary Waters were canceled. The guide was considering getting a job in another industry and potentially moving away from Ely altogether.

“Losing that three or four weeks of work has a huge impact on some of these people,” Dare said.

The letter also asks that if lawmakers don't meet in a special session, they make assistance a priority when they return in January. Walz said a special session won’t happen, and Dare said waiting months for help could be difficult for businesses and workers.

“We don’t all have the cushion to be able to do that,” she said.

Paragis said the region also needs to think about how it can prepare for future fire seasons.

“Fire seasons are going to continue to become longer as the climate gets warmer,” Parigis said. “So, as a community, we need to keep brainstorming on how to ensure we can stay afloat in the future years.”

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation between MPR News host Nina Moini and Ely business owners.

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The letter comes after Gov. Walz said there would not be a special session held to address the economic impacts of the fire.  

Live, down to earth, unscripted interviews that aim to connect, inform and entertain. Real people share real stories with Nina Moini. It’s journalism that doesn’t take itself too seriously and puts people first.

82 northeast Minnesota businesses sign letter to lawmakers requesting wildfire relief funds

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