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I just got an email from the USFS. After the weird self-issued permit year, they are doing a very crude survey to attempt to get a sense of DM permit usage for the season.

I understand what they're doing, but it just seems like about the worst way to go about it. They can't possibly compare self-reported data from 2020 with internal data from past seasons when permits had to be issued by the FS or a cooperator? Even the way they ask the questions is an open-ended nightmare. This is not a yes/no question for someone like me who had multiple permits for different lakes and different trips -- some that I used, some that I couldn't use due to last-minute tripping partner illness, and some that I cancelled in advance due to plans changing -- Good luck making use of that data folks!

FS-R9 BWCAW
10:36 AM (1 hour ago)

Dear BWCAW Permit Holder,

We are contacting you to find out if you went on your day trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in 2020, since many permit issue stations operated virtually due to covid-19. Please kindly take the time to answer (2) questions:

Did you use your Day Use Motor permit?
If so, what was your final group size?
Please include how many Adults and Youth (17 & under) were on the trip.

Thank you for taking the time to contact us and help ensure we have an accurate visitor count for last season. For the latest information on BWCAW permits, please visit:
https://www.recreation.gov/permits/233396 and click on the Show Notification arrow to read the latest alerts about virtual permit issuance in 2021.