Boundary Waters closure takes toll on Ely businesses

As wildfires continue to burn across northeastern Minnesota, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) closure is taking a toll on businesses in Ely that depend on summer tourism.

Canadian Waters, Inc. has outfitted canoe trips into the Boundary Waters and Quetico Provincial Park since 1964. The outfitter relies almost entirely on the summer tourism season. Owner David Waters says the fires hit at the worst possible time.

“It’s basically brought it to a halt. We have no parties in the woods right now because all entry points are closed,” Waters said. ” Basically, there is no kind of canoe business right now.”

The closure also hit Voyageur North Outfitters during the busiest weeks of its season. Owner Tanner Spicer said the outfitter earns about 90% of its yearly income between May and September. He said losing several weeks during that stretch has been a major financial hit.

“There were a lot of cancellations, a lot of refunds, a lot of times more money going out in a day than comes in because you have to refund people,” Spicer said.

The outfitter reduced its hours and began offering trips outside the Boundary Waters for visitors who still came to Ely. Those changes helped, he said, but they “didn’t close all the gaps.”

The effects of the closure extended beyond Ely’s outfitters. Christopher Glazer, owner of Boundary Waters Kitchen and Market, said several catering events were canceled in the first few days after the fires began.

Glazer said one of the biggest ways the wildfires affected the business was through his young staff. He said much of his focus shifted to helping his staff manage the stress of the first few days. To make things easier, the restaurant trimmed its menu and scaled back some programs.

Signs of recovery

The U.S. Forest Service announced Monday that the BWCAW will partially reopen for day and overnight use Thursday, July 30. The reopening includes 41 entry points in the central and eastern portions of the wilderness area, covering about 39% of the BWCAW.

After several weeks of slower business, Steven Renneberg, who owns the Ely bait shop Arrowhead Outdoors, said customer traffic is starting to pick up again.

“We’re definitely seeing people starting to come back, and things are slowly starting to return to normal here again,” Renneberg said.

While parts of the BWCAW still remain closed, Ely businesses want visitors to know that they are still open.

“There’s plenty of areas outside the Boundary Waters if you want to come up now that we can send you to. There’s a lot to do. Bike riding, there’s ATVs, there’s shopping, there’s dining. Please come up and visit us,” said Spicer.