State senator calls for Coast Guard station to return to Grand Marais

DULUTH — Weeks after two teenaged boys drowned while cliff diving in Silver Bay, state Sen. Grant Hauschild is calling for the return of the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Grand Marais that closed after Labor Day in 2022.

Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, took to Twitter in late June with a plea to reinvest in water rescue resources as the search-and-rescue mission for Austin Henning, of South St. Paul, and Max Williams, of Inver Grove Heights, drew help from the Bayfield, Wis.-based U.S. Coast Guard, in addition to local agencies.

"There is no reason we should rely on Coast Guard from as far away as Michigan and Wisconsin for our safety on the North Shore," Hauschild tweeted.

He has since made a formal written request to state lawmakers for the return of Station (Small) North Superior — which covered Lake Superior between Two Harbors and the international border. It originally was established in 1929, but shifted to a seasonal schedule in 1998. The station was staffed by a rotating crew from Duluth and averaged one water emergency a season in its final decade.

Hauschild, elected in 2022, said he has been hearing about safety concerns from constituents.

"The response to this has been probably one of the biggest responses I've had as a senator so far," he said.

Lt. Phillip Gurtler, public affairs officer for the Great Lakes, said he has been working closely with Hauschild's office. In the case of the two teenagers , the Coast Guard would've pulled a boat from Bayfield even if Grand Marais had been open, Gurtler said. The large waves that day called for a 45-foot boat — whereas the stations in Grand Marais had only 29-foot boats when it was active. The Coast Guard also had a helicopter on the scene.

Hauschild secured funding from the Judiciary and Public Safety Omnibus bill for emergency equipment including boats, additional staff and training. The Cook County Sheriff's Office and Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa will receive more than $3 million to upgrade its response to water emergencies.

Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen said in addition to water rescues, a lack of water patrol means no one is watching the boaters. The county extends 35 miles into Lake Superior, but much of that is inaccessible to his department.

"Our biggest fears are that when people know they won't be checked on Lake Superior, it's kind of a free-for-all out there," he said. "They don't need specific safety equipment. They don't need to keep up on sobriety."

The long winter has meant fewer anglers so far this season but the numbers should increase in upcoming weeks.

"This is a huge liability to us," he said.