National Park Service Park News U.S. Department of the Interior The official newspaper of Around the Archipelago Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Spring, Summer, Fall 2005 New Apostle Islands Wilderness Honors - Gaylord Nelson Wilderness ...there is not another collection of islands of this Management significance within the continental boundaries of the Now that the Gaylord Nelson Wilderness United States. I think it is tremendously important Area has been officially established, what that this collection of islands be preserved.” impacts will that have on how the National - Gaylord Nelson Park Service (NPS) manages the area? Since it is NPS policy to assure that With the stroke of a pen, on December 8, 2004, President management actions do not diminish the George W. Bush approved legislation designating 80% of the land wilderness suitability of an area possessing area of Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands National Lakeshore as wilderness characteristics pending federally protected wilderness. The new wilderness area – Congressional action, most of the Apostle Wisconsin’s largest by far – honors former Governor and U.S. Islands National Lakeshore has been Senator, Gaylord Nelson. This new addition to the National managed essentially as wilderness since Wilderness Preservation System will be known as the Gaylord 1989. This means that changes will be Nelson Wilderness. The designation guarantees that the present nearly imperceptible. One tangible change management style of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore will be will be the removal of picnic tables from 13 maintained in the future - emphasizing continued motorized boat campsites located in the new wilderness access to the mostly-wild islands, but no motorized travel on the area, since NPS policy precludes picnic tables in wilderness. Trail clearing in the wilderness islands themselves. area may take longer because crews would “We’re absolutely thrilled about this,” said Apostle Islands not routinely use chainsaws or motorized National Lakeshore Superintendent Bob Krumenaker. “Senator vehicles, unless they were the minimum Nelson is a visionary who fought long and hard to create the requirement for getting the work done. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and for decades he has been a leading advocate for our nation’s wilderness areas. It is entirely All management decisions affecting fitting that this new wilderness area be named for him.” wilderness must be consistent with the The waters of Lake Superior within the National Lakeshore minimum requirement concept. This is a are not included in the wilderness area, nor are the lighthouses or process used to determine: 1) whether the other existing developed areas of the park. Sand, Basswood, and proposed management action is necessary for administration of the area as wilderness Long Islands were kept out of the wilderness boundary in their Top: Gaylord Nelson at Stockton Island in 2003. and does not pose a significant impact to entirety, along with the park’s 12-mile mainland strip. The Bottom: Wilderness designaiton will have no impact on motorized boat access to wilderness resources and character; and 2) wilderness boundary is shown on the map on page 8. the islands. the techniques and type of equipment Wilderness has been contemplated for the Apostle Islands in existence. However the park’s first General Management Plan, needed to ensure that impact to wilderness one form or another for nearly 50 years, with initial efforts which was approved in 1989, identified that a large percentage of resources and character is minimized. Parks predating even the federal Wilderness Act of 1964 by nearly a the park could potentially qualify for wilderness designation, will complete a minimum requirement decade. In 1955, the state of Wisconsin issued a Policy on pending a formal study with public participation. analysis on those administrative practices Acquisition of an Apostle Islands Wilderness Area. This policy was That formal study was conducted between 2001 and 2004, and and equipment uses that have the potential pursued by then-Governor Nelson throughout his four year term, it involved a public involvement effort unlike anything the NPS to impact wilderness resources or values. which ran from 1958 through 1962. had ever attempted in the region. Following dozens of meetings, Nelson was elected to the United States Senate in 1962, and hundreds of conversations, and thousands of public comments, Each park containing wilderness will develop almost immediately initiated an effort to bring the islands into the the NPS recommended that 80% of the island lands be designated a wilderness management plan to guide the preservation, management, and use of National Park System, convincing President John F. Kennedy to by the Congress as federally-protected wilderness. these resources. This will be developed over tour the islands by helicopter in September 1963. After years of “We learned a lot about what people cared about in the the next two or three years as part of the effort, Senator Nelson succeeded in passing legislation creating the Apostle Islands,” said Krumenaker. “And in the end, we learned park’s new General Management Plan. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in 1970. what I think Senator Nelson instinctively knew all along – that There will be several opportunities for the “While the proposed boundaries of the park changed these islands were meant to visited, enjoyed, and experienced, but public to meet with park staff and have throughout the 1960s, Senator Nelson’s vision for the islands never that they shouldn’t ever be allowed to lose the wild and primitive input. For more information on this wavered,” said Krumenaker. “The islands were always intended to character that brings people here in the first place. Wilderness planning process, go to www.nps.gov/apis/ be wild and primitive, but accessible.” designation for most of the park guarantees that future gmp.htm, or contact the park’s Chief of There was little talk of wilderness during the 1970s and 1980s, generations will be able to experience the islands in essentially the Planning and Resource Management, Jim as the National Park Service struggled to bring the new park into same way we can today.” Nepstad, at 715-779-3397 ext. 102. 2-4 Summer Info 2 Free or Fee? 4 What’s New? 6 Lighthouse Update National Park Service Fees...Coming Soon? U.S. Department of the Interior By Bob Krumenaker · Convenience is critical. There needs discuss this issue. Please call me at 715/ Superintendent, Apostle Islands NL to be an annual pass option for 779-3397 if you want to plan such a frequent visitors and they need to be meeting. We will organize additional We’ve been holding off for as long as available at locations other than park meetings this summer and advertise them Apostle Islands National Lakeshore possible, but user fees are probably coming headquarters. widely to assure that we talk with people Wisconsin’s northernmost landscape juts to Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. · Fees should be as simple as possible. who represent the entire spectrum of park into Lake Superior as the scenic archi- · Fees should be commensurate with users and community interests in this issue. pelago of 22 Apostle Islands. Long a Public policy, as established by the services provided. (This may be vacation mecca, the area realized new Congress, encourages public land irreconcilable, however, with “simple” At some point, probably in late summer, we conservation and recreational value in managers to implement reasonable user fees.) will draft a specific fee proposal and will 1970 when Congress named 20 of the fees to recover some of the costs of · Fees should apply to all park users, not circulate it widely for discussion. We’ll islands and 2,500 acres of the peninsula operating the public lands. Congress, in any particular group or for just some hold meetings to discuss that proposal. as a national lakeshore. In 1986, Long fact, rewrote the authorizing fee legislation activities. We’ll consider all the input we receive, and Island was also included. in 2004, and we have been working on · Fees for docking and camping and eventually finalize a firm proposal for ideas that might work for the Apostle guided tours are reasonable, above consideration by the regional and This fascinating unit of the National Park Islands. Many readers know that I’ve been and beyond the daily fee. Frequent Washington offices of the NPS. The System features a combination of spec- discussing and writing about park finances users of these services want an annual proposal for 2007 fees is due in April 2006. tacular natural beauty and rich cultural history. The wooded islands are studded and possible fees since 2002. pass option for these as well. with bogs and beaver ponds, and · Passes for boaters should not be Here’s my commitment. We will listen trimmed with sea caves, sandstone cliffs, I always start off user fee discussions with specific to location, as boaters need to carefully to the input we receive and do and miles of pristine sand beaches. Na- an expression of regret, because in a be able to move around the park if our best to consider everything we hear. tive Americans, voyageurs, loggers, stone perfect world this wouldn’t be needed. But conditions change. We will make sure there is a widely cutters, farmers, and commercial fisher- despite significant belt tightening, the park · Philanthropy is important to the park, publicized opportunity to provide men all left their marks on the islands. has had to reduce services and and a more efficient means of funding feedback on any proposal before we Six historic light stations were built in the maintenance in recent years. If a fee park needs than fees. (100% goes to finalize it, and we will do our best to make Apostles to aid Great Lakes navigation. program were implemented, accepted by the park, there’s no collection or known the final fee schedule well in the public and fair to the users, 80% of the enforcement cost, and they are advance of implementation.