Emergency Closure NOTICE: The Superior NF has issued an Emergency Closure Order for Iron Lake Search and Rescue operations for land and water in St Louis County, NE MN. Restrictions go into effect at 12:01 am on Monday, May 20, 2024, and will remain in effect until 12:01 am on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. (See images below for order, map and release)
BWCAW CAMPSITES, PORTAGES, LAKES AND TRAILS: All trails, campsites, portages, rivers and lakes that are within the closure area shown in Exhibit A, including but not limited to Iron Lake, including the LaCroix-Bottle portage and LaCroix-Iron portage, and Crooked Lake west of Sunday Bay.

What is the expected behavior of people who are within the closure area?

Hold in place, get to an exit point ASAP? What do you do if that exit isn’t where your vehicles are? I can understand not letting new people access the closed area, but am confused about what people already in the area are expected to do.

There was a body recovery near where I was at last summer, but no wholesale closure of a large swath of the BWCA. This, combined with the heavy handed food storage order, makes me
Want to ask if there has been a major change in management, and has the new command team decided to really flex their muscle to ensure everyone knows who’s in charge?

Search and rescue are managed by the county sheriff department which in this area is St. Louis County.

Presumably related to https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/parts-of-boundary-waters-closed-search-missing-canoeists/

"Officials with the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office say they received a report early Saturday evening of a water emergency on Iron Lake. The caller reported that two canoes had gone over Curtain Falls during the incident.

Two canoeists went missing and another person in the party was badly injured. A helicopter with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources was dispatched to the scene and extracted the injured victim as well as another person who was not injured.

According to the sheriff's office, the injured victim was taken to Essentia Duluth where they are expected to survive. "

To stay clear of any Emergency operation. People within that area, will be contacted by area rangers just like any other time of emergency

I too am confused about the need for a closure order. If the missing people were swept downstream of the falls, the best means to find them is by canoe. And maybe the best people to search the lake and shoreline are people who are expert in paddling canoes- the public that may already be onscene.

BeaV: "I too am confused about the need for a closure order. If the missing people were swept downstream of the falls, the best means to find them is by canoe. And maybe the best people to search the lake and shoreline are people who are expert in paddling canoes- the public that may already be onscene.


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maybe planes trying to land etc.

BeaV: "I too am confused about the need for a closure order. If the missing people were swept downstream of the falls, the best means to find them is by canoe. And maybe the best people to search the lake and shoreline are people who are expert in paddling canoes- the public that may already be onscene.


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While I can't speak to the reasons for the closure in this case I can perhaps shed some light on the concept in general.

I work as a Firefighter/EMT. On a regular basis you get people on a emergency scene, be it Medical, Fire, Car crash, ect.... who want to help out. And in most cases these are the best of intentioned individuals. However, they often have little or no knowledge of how the situation is best handled. While my knowledge of water rescue/recovery is spotty at best, I promise that the Sherriff's office and those called into help have a plan that they practice and are ready for. That plan may call for getting help from John Q Public, but it needs to be requested help. Someone just jumping in is likely to disrupt the process and sadly, often waste everyone's time arguing as to why they should be involved.

I love the attitude of most people who use the BWCA and applaud the efforts they are likely to make, I've just seen too many well intentioned people cause more problems, or worse, get themselves in trouble, to want anyone jumping in without direction.