"Wilderness: It's Neighbor vs. Neighbor In War Over Mine"

"ELY, Minn. — It is high season in the Boundary Waters, when legions of canoe-carrying trucks transform this small outpost 20 miles from Canada into one of the nation's primary gateways to wilderness recreation.

For "Elyites," as the locals are known, it should be the best time of year.

The ledgers of local outfitting companies are shifting from red to black, and main street's retailers, restaurateurs and gallery owners are socking away tourist dollars that will help carry them through the offseason.

Yet Ely (pronounced "Ee-ly") is mired in a fractious debate over its future, one reminiscent of the 1960s and '70s when locals clashed with lawmakers and environmentalists over what came to be Minnesota's conservation crown jewel: the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness."

Daniel Cusick reports for Greenwire August 11, 2017.