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Ely distances itself from a rage against visitors
The town on the edge of the wilderness wrestles with evidence that local anti-environmentalist sentiments fueled a drunken shooting rampage.
E-mail this storyBut the bitterness that enormous change left in some Ely residents a generation ago runs like a coil of DNA through a 24-page criminal complaint describing the drunken shooting spree the six allegedly went on in the BWCA in August, terrorizing dozens of campers, including some who say they were threatened with rape and murder.
Among the profanity-laced threats the five men and a 16-year-old boy are alleged to have yelled from motorboats as they chugged beer and shot off guns and fireworks on Basswood Lake were statements such as "get the [expletive] off our [expletive] property."
Other taunts included: "[Expletive] tourists," and "go home [expletive] 'enox' tree-huggers."
While the origin of the obscure term "enox" is unclear, an official involved in the investigation said it is believed to be local slang for "environmentally obnoxious."
Ely's government leaders and business people are universally condemning what occurred, and they say most of the town's visitors they've talked to seem to understand that the Aug. 7 incident was unprecedented and so far beyond normal local behavior that people need not worry that it will happen again.
"If what's in those complaints is proven true, I don't see any public support for this around here," Mayor Chuck Novak said. "I would think that if any other individuals have similar ideas, they'll be laying low after they see what happens to these guys."
But some townspeople and visitors say the ugly incident was a warning that lingering resentments harbored by a minority of residents toward outsiders who pushed for the BWCA's creation have been allowed to fester too long.
A succession of federal preservation laws and policies in the early to mid-1900s called for the government to buy up more and more of the land that now makes up the BWCA, using eminent domain if necessary. Many locals were bitter over being forced to sell their cabins or resorts, and resentment was compounded by the BWCAW Act of 1978, which imposed most of the present restrictions on motorized travel and the permit system to limit visitors.
People in town say that backward thinking clearly fed into the senseless rampage and, if not confronted, could damage the town's image and economy, which now rests almost solely on BWCA visitors.
"These kids never knew the Boundary Waters when it had resorts and free motoring," said Nancy Piragis, who with her husband, Steve, owns Piragis Northwoods Co., one of the town's many outfitters. "They've learned these attitudes."
Accused are in college
The victims of the threats, harassment and threatening acts included several children. One family said its members hid in the woods while the men rummaged through the campsite, threatening to kill and rape them. Another family with children reported that some of the men swam naked near their campsite.
The five adults are scheduled to make their first court appearances today in Lake County District Court on felony charges of terroristic threats, harassment with a dangerous weapon and several other charges. In all, they and the juvenile face 79 charges in state court and also may be charged in federal court and by authorities in Canada, because they allegedly crossed into Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park during the rampage.
The adult defendants are Barney Lakner, 37, 19-year-olds Jay A. Olson, Zachary R. Barton and Casey J. Fenske, and Travis J. Erzar, 20. None of the defendants returned phone messages. Attorneys retained last week by Lakner and Erzar said it's too early to comment because they haven't seen the case documents.
But Olson's attorney, David Keegan, of Duluth, said of his client: "He's a lifelong Ely resident who lettered in hockey, football and baseball, and he's in his second year of college. There's more to him than what's been portrayed."
Piragis, who knows Olson, echoed that sentiment: "Two of the boys are in college, one comes from an established family with an uncle on the school board, and [the 16-year-old] is a very, very intelligent young man. You hate to see such promising young people put away forever.
"But if I was outside hearing about this, I'd be wondering why they're out walking around."
Not 'folk hero material'
According to federal court records, Lakner, a bread-truck driver, husband and father, paid a $275 fine in 2004 for driving a snowmobile in the BWCA. Last month, Olson and Fenske were fined $225 each for driving ATVs in the BWCA in May.
Several of the younger defendants have MySpace Internet pages. While most of those have been blocked to all but friends, Erzar's page as of Sept. 24 is still available via Google. On it, he appears to describe himself as studying to be a diesel mechanic, loves drinking and fast vehicles of many types and is "all about guns and killing things."
Recently, an Ely-area newspaper cautioned the community against any attempts to "rationalize" the actions of the people who have been charged.
"While there has long been a tendency in our area to paint youthful rebels who run afoul of Boundary Waters regulations as folk heroes, this is a different situation entirely," the Timberjay's editorial said. "This wasn't ... like motoring in a paddle-only lake, or a late-night border run on a snowmobile."
Reminding readers that children were among those deliberately terrorized, the paper said: "This isn't folk hero material. Such actions should horrify everyone."
