SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST – The signs came down Thursday morning.

For more than a month, a sign on white printer paper read: “This U.S. Department of Agriculture Office is CURRENTLY CLOSED due to the lapse in federal government funding.”

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history ended Wednesday, Nov. 12 after President Donald Trump signed a bill passed by Congress this week.

This sign in the front window at the Tofte Ranger Station came down Nov. 13. Photo by Joe Friedrichs

Ranger stations across Superior National Forest are reopening after 43 days of scaled-back operations that occurred as a result of the shutdown. Long before the shutdown, the ranger stations across the forest were already offering limited services this year due to funding and staffing shortages, as Paddle and Portage previously reported.

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness remained opened throughout the shutdown, though some operations that would involve the Forest Service during October and November were paused. Some prescribed burning continued across Superior National Forest in the far reaches of northeastern Minnesota during the shutdown.

Superior National Forest Public Affairs Staff Officer Joy VanDrie sent a blanket statement to Paddle and Portage Thursday afternoon regarding the end of the shutdown and the ranger stations reopening. VanDrie did not respond to questions about Forest Service employees being paid or not during the shutdown. Across most national forests nationwide, employees working in jobs deemed essential, which includes wildland firefighters, law enforcement, among others, worked without pay during the shutdown, with the common understanding they would receive back pay after the shutdown ended.

“Superior National Forest offices are open to the public,” VanDrie told P&P Thursday via email.

The statement she sent reads: “The U.S. Forest Service has fully resumed all operations and public services nationwide. We are committed to ensuring a smooth transition back to normal activities and to continuing our mission critical work of caring for the nation’s forests and grasslands.

During the government shutdown, essential services remained active. We advanced timber sales that strengthen local economies, kept recreation sites open and safe for public enjoyment, and carried out critical wildfire response and active management work. With full operations restored, our employees are returning to work across the country to reopen offices, process permits, and to greet visitors at our trailheads.”

Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service on Superior National Forest

The Superior National Forest website is back to its standard operating order as well now that the shutdown has ended. For the duration of the shutdown, which started Oct. 1, a banner posted on the Superior National Forest website read: “The Radical Left Democrats shut down the government. This government website will be updated periodically during the funding lapse for mission critical functions. President Trump has made it clear he wants to keep the government open and support those who feed, fuel, and clothe the American people.”

During the shutdown work that continued across Superior National Forest included reopening a bridge over the Cascade River along The Grade near Tofte and prescribed burning north of Ely near Burntside Lake and along the Gunflint Trail.

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