National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Apostle Islands National Lakeshore • Wisconsin July 2009 APOSTLE ISLANDS NATIONAL LAKESHORE Draft General Management Plan Wilderness Management Plan Environmental Impact Statement Draft General Management Plan / Wilderness Management Plan / Environmental Impact Statement Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Bayfield and Ashland Counties, Wisconsin ____________________________________________________________________________________ Apostle Islands National Lakeshore was authorized by an act of Congress on September 26, 1970 (Public Law 91-424). The last comprehensive management plan for the park was completed in 1989. Much has changed since then—visitor use patterns and types have changed, people are seeking out new recreational activities in the park, and the Gaylord Nelson Wilderness was designated in December 2004. Each of these changes has implications for how visitors access and use the park, the facilities needed to support those uses, how resources are managed, and how the National Park Service manages its operations. A new plan is needed. This document examines four alternatives for managing Apostle Islands National Lakeshore for the next 15–20 years. It also analyzes the impacts of implementing each of the alternatives. The “no-action” alternative, alternative 1, consists of the existing park management and serves as a basis for comparison in evaluating the other alternatives. The concept for park management under alternative 2 would be to provide opportunities for more people to have an island experience. The concept for park management under alternative 3 would be to provide primitive, lake-oriented recreation and education opportunities that include some new and different opportunities. The emphasis in alternative 4 would be on providing a greater variety of structured recreation opportunities on the islands, in nonwilderness areas, and on the mainland. Alternative 2 is the National Park Service’s preferred alternative. This Draft General Management Plan / Wilderness Management Plan / Environmental Impact Statement has been distributed to other agencies and interested organizations and individuals for their review and comment. The public comment period for this document will last for 60 days after the Environmental Protection Agency’s notice of availability has been published in the Federal Register. U.S. Department of the Interior • National Park Service i HOW TO COMMENT ON THIS PLAN Comments on this Draft General Management Plan / Wilderness Management Plan / Environmental Impact Statement(GMP/EIS) are welcome and will be accepted during the 60-day public review and comment period. During the comment period, comments may be submitted using several methods as noted below. Online: at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/apis We prefer that readers submit comments online through the park planning web site identified above, so the comments become incorporated in the NPS planning, environment, and public comment system. An electronic public comment form is provided through this web site. Mail: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore General Management Plan National Park Service Denver Service Center – P, Greg Jarvis P.O. Box 25287 Denver, CO 80225 or Apostle Islands National Lakeshore 415 Washington Avenue Bayfield, WI 54814 Hand delivery: at public meetings to be announced in the media following the release of this plan. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. ii SUMMARY This Draft General Management Plan / provide a variety of personal and nonpersonal Wilderness Management Plan / Environmental services. Impact Statement describes the general path the National Park Service (NPS) intends to follow in managing Apostle Islands National Alternative 1, The Lakeshore for the next 15–20 years. More No-Action Alternative specifically, this plan is intended to Under alternative 1, the National Park Service • clearly define resource conditions and would continue to manage Apostle Islands visitor uses and experiences to be National Lakeshore as it has been managed achieved in Apostle Islands National since the 1989 general management plan was Lakeshore approved and the Gaylord Nelson Wilderness • provide a framework for park managers to was designated in 2004. use when making decisions about how to best protect park resources, how to The natural resource program would continue provide quality visitor uses and to focus on inventorying and monitoring, experiences, how to manage visitor use, resource protection and restoration, research, and what types of facilities, if any, to and mitigation where appropriate. develop in/near Apostle Islands National Lakeshore The cultural resource program would • provide direction for management of the continue to focus on surveying cultural Gaylord Nelson Wilderness, including its resources; protecting historic structures and resources and visitors. landscapes, particularly in and around the light stations; and on mitigation where The general management plan does not appropriate. describe how particular programs or projects should be prioritized or implemented. Those The interpretation and education programs decisions will be addressed in future more- would continue to provide a variety of detailed planning efforts. All future plans will personal and nonpersonal services similar to tier from the approved general management those offered currently. plan. In alternative 1, most of the adverse impacts This Draft General Management Plan / on natural resources, wilderness character, Wilderness Management Plan / Environmental visitors, and park operations would be Impact Statement examines four alternatives negligible to minor in magnitude. No adverse for managing Apostle Islands National impacts would occur to cultural resources. Lakeshore. In all of the alternatives, NPS Among the key impacts would be the managers would continue to strive to protect following. Sandscapes and shorelines would and maintain natural and cultural resource continue to be affected by visitors in localized conditions. Natural and cultural resource areas. Minor to moderate, long-term, adverse management would concentrate on long-term impacts would occur to the natural monitoring, research, restoration, and soundscape in localized areas due to visitor mitigation where appropriate. Interpretation/ use and NPS management activities. Moderate education programs would continue to to major, long-term, beneficial impacts to iii SUMMARY visitor use and experience would continue Center would be replaced with a visitor due to continued opportunities for high- contact station. quality lake and island recreation opportunities. Minor to moderate, long-term, A new ranger station and accessible beach adverse impacts would occur to park ramp would be developed at Meyers Beach. operations due to continued inadequate Compared to alternative 1, most of the facilities, fragmentation of park staff and impacts of alternative 2 on natural resources, facilities, staffing shortages, and lack of wilderness character, visitors, and park funding. None of these impacts would be operations would be long term and negligible considered unacceptable or would result in to minor in magnitude. No adverse impacts the impairment of park resources and values. would occur to cultural resources. Among the key impacts would be the following. Sandscapes and shorelines would continue to Alternative 2, The be affected by visitors and by existing docks, Preferred Alternative resulting in minor to moderate, long-term, adverse impacts in localized areas. New Alternative 2 would focus on providing developments in this alternative and increased opportunities for more people to have an visitor use on some islands would result in island experience. minor to moderate, long-term, adverse impacts to vegetation and to the natural Two light stations would be restored or soundscape in localized areas. Minor to rehabilitated, similar to the Raspberry Island major, long-term, beneficial impacts would light station. Part of the Long Island light occur to visitor use and experiences due to station would be rehabilitated for park staff enhanced access to the islands and increased housing. recreational opportunities. Long-term, beneficial impacts would occur to park Additional transportation opportunities operations due to improved park facilities, would be sought to encourage visitors to come decreased staff fragmentation, and increased to Sand, Basswood, and Oak islands. Some staffing levels. Long-term, beneficial impacts additional visitor facilities would be also would occur to the socioeconomic developed on these islands, including day use environment due to increased spending by areas, new trails, and campsites. visitors and the National Park Service under alternative 2. None of the impacts of Manitou fish camp would be preserved and alternative 2 would be considered stabilized, the cultural landscape would be unacceptable or would result in the partially rehabilitated, and the area would be impairment of park resources and values. interpreted. There would be no change in the number of Alternative 3 public docks, but some docks would be relocated, improved, or expanded.