ELY – The problem is, the U.S. Forest Service won’t answer the most basic question when it comes to a proposed research facility near the Boundary Waters.

“These are proposed closures,” a spokesperson for the Forest Service told Paddle & Portage media April 22, “nothing is final.”

The federal government announced earlier this month it is moving the headquarters for the U.S. Forest Service from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City. As part of the move, the Forest Service says it will also close or repurpose all nine of its regional offices, create 15 state offices, and shutter research and development facilities in more than 30 states, including a site in Ely on the edge of the Boundary Waters.

The specifics on what “research and development facility” in Ely will be closing remains in question weeks after the announcement came out. It’s now possible none of the facilities near Ely might close at all.

That being the case, the national press desk for the Forest Service, where all inquiries on this topic are being sent, still won’t respond directly to this inquiry: Please name the facility or cite the location of the facility that has Ely on this list.

Rather than answering that directly, this was the response:

“We are taking a hard look at the cost of each facility, its utilization, and its deferred maintenance needs – while supporting our people,” the national press desk replied to our request. “These decisions are about facilities and upkeep – not jobs or research programs. In all cases, the research and the research staff will continue their important work.”

Paddle and Portage media spoke with officials from the Northern Bedrock Historic Preservation Corps earlier this month, as it’s possible they are included in the situation, specifically a historic research lab they now manage in Ely via a lease with the Forest Service. The team at Northern Bedrock were uncertain if the site they manage near Birch Lake and Highway 1 was the one in reference on the list. As the uncertainty of this situation simmers, the team from Superior National Forest, from Forest Supervisor Tom Hall to the local spokespeople who handle media requests, are staying mum on the topic, directing all inquiries to the national office.

Meanwhile, the Feds maintain this is all being done in the name of budgetary reasons.

“The reality is, the Forest Service’s facilities footprint is extensive and significantly larger than can be supported under current congressional appropriations, which are declining for facilities — approximately $37 million less in FY 2026 compared to FY 2025,” the Forest Service national press desk said in a written statement sent this week to Paddle & Portage media. “Additionally, our deferred maintenance has grown to $3 billion, and retaining a footprint we cannot adequately maintain would not be responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. We have to make a change here so that our research work can continue.”

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