I see the congress person for the district BWCAW is in is pushing a bill to return to the lottery. I don't really have a dog in this hunt- though I do support the outfitters - but I have some difficulty with taxpayer dollars paying people to come up with the bill's acronym - Letting Outdoor Tourism Thrive for Every Recreation Yearly (LOTTERY). Lame IMHO.

(I was also taken aback by the forest service representative being surprised that internet speeds might not be as fast in the MN north country as the rest of the country in general. Please...)

Is this post too political?

Politicians are by definition political.

Rep. Stauber gets re-elected by prioritizing the special interests of his district even if those interests are not the greater good. It is not surprising that no one has joined his fight.

The lottery is dead.

I'll throw another shovel of dirt on this too.... The lottery is dead.

Rip lotto

I didn’t like the lottery. You sometimes get a date that doesn’t really work that well for you. Your alternate. I prefer choosing my own. If you don’t get your first choice, you can pick your own that best suits you. I like it the way it is now. When the time comes, be there on the spot and you seem to get what you want.

Folks seem to be playing the lottery like crazy here in Iowa, but with different goals in mind, I think....

Here's a crazy idea, not really. Rather than a lottery how about demand pricing as opposed to flat rate as it is now. Days and entry points that are more highly in demand would carry a "premium", i.e. higher cost. Additional revenue could be earmarked for the Forest Service BWCA budget. You could even make some of the less desirable entry points free, a kind of sweat equity .

I believe one way to help / ease the tension of the outfitters would be to open up Moose Lake motor permits for outfitters with businesses on Moose Lake. Either make them pay a certain price once a year that allows them and their boats / canoes access to just the chain; or to make Moose Lake chain ONLY permits.

I think that would stop a lot of the squawking for the LOTTERY system to be back.

Maybe now; just my 2 cents.

They're is already moose chain only permits.

Ha I didn't even know they did away with the lottery. It only affects the really popular areas though correct? I guess it doesn't matter too much to me but part of me thinks it is kind of unfair not having it for the people with slow internet.... if it is anything like ticketmaster.

alpinebrule: "Here's a crazy idea, not really. Rather than a lottery how about demand pricing as opposed to flat rate as it is now. Days and entry points that are more highly in demand would carry a "premium", i.e. higher cost. Additional revenue could be earmarked for the Forest Service BWCA budget. You could even make some of the less desirable entry points free, a kind of sweat equity ."

How about just auction them?

:)

Maybe they could issue lifetime permits. And when you die, they could pass them on to your heirs.