A roomful of area outfitters and guides met with representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard at the Ely Joint Public Works Facility on Friday, Nov. 13 to learn more about federal regulations that will affect their livelihood.

The gathering was mostly the Ely version of a similar meeting that took place in Tower at the end of October. Mike Lebsack, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit in Duluth, presented an overview of federal regulations that have been in place since 1968, but for various reasons have not been actively enforced.

Lebsack explained licensing requirements for guides and outfitters who transport passengers for hire into federally navigable waters in the region. The cost of that licensing was one of the dominant concerns at the meeting. Perspectives on the regulations seemed to vary and were sometimes based on the size of a business operation.

Todd Larson is the sole proprietor of Basswood Trails Guide Service in Ely. He also guides in other states and said he has already complied with most of what the Coast Guard requires. This includes CPR, first aid, background checks and drug tests.

His initial concern was having to pay upward of $1,200 to obtain a five-year license. However, he was relieved to find that a formal course is not required. Individuals can go through the application and testing process on their own for slightly over $600.

“My pieces of the pie are already out to the government...I’ve paid my dues,” he said. “If it was $1,200, I would have been done as a one-man operation.”

Larson acknowledged that if he had employees, especially summer workers, the financial burden would be harder. He said the larger outfitters will have a rougher time of it.

“For the guys who have tow boat runners, it’s a nightmare,” he said. “It’s work just to get a decent employee. But to have them go through the testing is even harder. Then they only work for about three months [of the year].”

Betsy Vosburgh owns Vosburgh Custom Cabins in Ely. She’ll need four licenses for her business, but isn’t sure where the money will come from to pay for them. She said she thinks outfitters will be having to foot the bill for younger workers, especially initially. What’s more, they may have to raise customer prices to absorb the expense.

“The cost will be unreal,” she said. “Kids don’t have that kind of money.”

Though the license is good for five years, Vosburgh explained that most of their seasonal help only remain employees for a couple of years.

Along with money, time constraints were a large factor for outfitters with multiple employees who will need to be licensed.

Vosburgh and several others at the meeting questioned when employees, especially seasonal workers, would have the time to take courses in CPR and first aid, and meet the testing requirements. One participant noted that by the time many college students arrive for work, the tourist season is already running at full throttle.

Some outfitters suggested alternatives to the regulations as they are currently established. Vosburgh asked for a phase-in period that would allow outfitters a chance to get up to speed instead of being hit with them all in “one big bundle.”

Similar cost recommendations were also offered, such as a yearly license at $150 rather than $600 for five years. Another suggestion included making the primary outfitter responsible for obtaining a license, with employees of the business certified at a reduced rate.

However, some suggestions would require changes that are out of Lebsack’s hands. The general consensus was to voice them to Minnesota’s U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, and Congressman Jim Oberstar.

Several times during the meeting, Lebsack reiterated that in his position, he has significant latitude in working with outfitters and guides who work with him and who show a good-faith effort to comply with the regulations. Though he will not turn a blind eye to the chronically non-compliant, he emphasized that the enforcement effort is more about baseline safety and an awareness of hazardous situations than about citing infractions.

However, at least one participant at the meeting wasn’t convinced.

“All the opposition here that [Lebsack] hears isn’t going to make a damn difference to him,” he said. “He’s big brother and he’s going to jam it down our throats. He’s big brother’s hatchet man...We’re going to get stuck with this anyway. He don’t care. So why even have this meeting?”

Vosburgh said she felt there was a lot of anger and frustration among the outfitters, but Lebsack was making an attempt to address it.

“The whole licensing thing has gotten out of hand in our area,” she said. “I think he was trying to give us ways to work with it.”

Larson said he felt Lebsack was up front on the guides’ behalf.

“They were tearing him up, but he was going out of his way,” he said.