ERGLAND — The past few days have looked more like winter as usual for the Upper Peninsula. But that doesn’t erase half a season’s worth of abnormal conditions that have hurt businesses that rely on good snow — and the visitors that come with it.

The Western Upper Peninsula Convention and Visitors Bureau and Lake Gogebic Area Chamber of Commerce have reached out to the state to request aid in dealing with the economic impact the poor winter conditions had on area businesses.

The organizations recently sent out a survey on the economic impact; 43 small businesses in Ontonagon and Gogebic counties responded. They reported combined losses of more than $3.1 million in December alone.

Most of that came from the week between Christmas and New Year’s, when the trails normally filled with skiers or snowmobilers had nothing but bare ground.

“When I say lost, it’s lost, because you can’t make it up,” said Sarah Long, president of the Western U.P. Convention and Visitors Bureau and owner of the Timbers Resort in Bergland.

To date, there’s been 53 inches of snow in Ontonagon County, compared to 149.1 at the same point last year, said Mary Beth DeFazio, president of the Lake Gogebic Area Chamber of Commerce.

“We went through Christmas, New Year’s and Martin Luther King Day weekend with not a lot of visitors,” said DeFazio, who also owns AJ’s Lodge and Oven in Bergland. “We probably had more visitors during COVID when we were in lockdown than we have now. Every business plan, you plan for the bad times, but this is a bit extreme.”

In a normal winter, Long’s cabins would be at least 80% to 90% full throughout the season.

“I have two people here right now in one cabin,” she said.

The impact doesn’t stop at the businesses. With the downturn, Long and other business owners aren’t ordering the same amounts of food and other items, causing a hit to vendors. She normally employs a full-time maintenance person and two housekeepers during the winter. For three weeks, Long cleaned cabins herself because she couldn’t afford to pay workers.

“I’m not going to have someone come in to clean one cabin a week, so their pocketbook is being affected by it,” she said. “It’s a whole trickle-down thing.”

Based on the survey responses, the businesses are looking at a loss of $3.8 million in January. Even with winter weather in the second half of the month, “that’s a lowball number,” Long said.

“The numbers that we put down were very conservative, because we really thought we would have better weather, and we didn’t get it,” Long said. “What we’re calling it is a silent hurricane. It’s a state of emergency. It’s just devastating.”

The groups have heard back from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and state Rep. Greg Markkanen, leading to “very positive” exchanges, DeFazio said. The MEDC reassured her they would “leave no stone unturned” in looking for ways to help, including federal contingencies, DeFazio said.

“They all understand what it is that we’ve been experiencing, and if there’s something they can do, they’re going to do it,” she said.

Long and DeFazio stressed the business owners aren’t seeking a handout from the state. Possible aid could include additional promotion for the area’s tourism, or a grace period for required license fees.

DeFazio said she would also like to see some assistance for their employees. Gogebic County is the second-poorest in the state, she said; Ontonagon is the fifth.

Her staff had received a seasonal sign-on bonus, but have seen reduced hours because of the lack of business. She sat down with her staff before New Year’s Eve for a “hard discussion” about everybody’s needs.

“Our pizza cook who had a baby maybe needs a couple more hours than everyone else, because formula’s so expensive,” she said. “They’re giving and taking. It’s so heartwarming.”

The Lake Gogebic chamber is also scheduling workshops for their members to help them navigate the winter and plan ahead for 2024. The first one was held Tuesday.

“By opening up this dialogue that we’re going to have, it’s going to be essential for us right now, but it’s also going to yield some long-term results,” DeFazio said. “Lake Gogebic’s a great destination.”

While details are still being worked out, the organizations are also planning an additional event for March to attract people later in the season.