Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
Preservation
Park Planning
Part One: Pages 1-100 (1.8mb pdf)
Part Two: Pages 101-186 (3.6mb pdf)
Part Three: Pages 187-End (0.8 mb pdf)
Record of Decision Signed by NPS Midwest Regional Director
May 5, 2004
The Regional Director of the National Park Service Midwest Region, Ernest Quintana, has signed the Record of Decision for the Final Wilderness Study/Environmental Impact Statement for Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. With this Record of Decision, the National Park Service is proposing that roughly 33,500 acres of the park's 42,160 acre land base be designated as wilderness by the United States Congress. None of the waters of Lake Superior are proposed as wilderness, so access to the islands will not change. Until Congress makes its determination, the lands proposed as wilderness will be managed to preserve their wilderness character, as required by NPS policy.
Download the Record of Decision (166kb pdf)
Visitor Use Study
Visitor Use Study (801kb pdf)
Visitor Use Report Summary (34kb pdf)
Business Plan
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Business Plan (7.7mb pdf)
Apostle Islands Coastal Watershed Assessment (2007)
This "state of knowledge" report reviews the condition of, and threats to, the park's coastal resources, including water quality, habitat, and invasive species, in a regional context.
View the report (5.47mb)
Support Your Park
"...to promote and regulate the use of the...national parks...which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."
National Park Service Organic Act, 16 U.S.C.1
Wisconsin's northernmost landscape juts into Lake Superior as the scenic archipelago of 22 Apostle Islands. Long a vacation mecca, the area realized new conservation and recreational value in 1970 when Congress named 20 of the islands and 2,500 acres of the peninsula as a national lakeshore. In 1986, Long Island was also included.
"..conserve and develop for the benefit, inspiration, education, recreational use, and enjoyment of the public certain significant islands and shoreline of the United States and their related geographic, scenic, and scientific values, there is hereby established the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Ashland and Bayfield Counties, Wisconsin"
Enabling Legislation for Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, 16 U.S.C. 460w
If you are interested in doing more to support the Apostle Islands and other National Park Service areas, you have many park support opportunities to chose from. You can:
Volunteer
A wide variety of volunteer service opportunities are available at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore:
Volunteer positions are an excellent way to assist the National Park Service achieve its goal of protecting the Apostle Islands and making this priceless resource available for public enjoyment. Volunteers can learn new skills and gain experiences available nowhere else.
Housing is provided for island-based volunteers, and may be available for some mainland positions.
If you'd like to know more about the volunteer program at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, follow these links:
Frequently Asked Questions
Types of Volunteer Positions
Living at a Lighthouse
Find a Volunteers in Parks application and listings for other government volunteer opportunities on-line at:
Cooperating Association
Eastern National (EN) is a non-profit organization that provides quality educational products and services to America's national parks and other public trusts. EN functions as: a part of the interpretive arm of the National Park Service, a business that acquires or produces and sells materials to enhance the enjoyment of park visitors, and a philanthropic organization that disperses its net income to the Service for its diverse programs. EN operates sales outlets at several park visitor centers at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and also conducts sales by phone, mail, and website (www.eParks.com). All purchases benefit the national lakeshore. The "Around the Archipelago" newspaper is just one of many free publications and information handouts that are funded annually through the generosity of Eastern National.
Join Our Friends
Join Our Friends
FRIENDS OF THE APOSTLE ISLANDS
The Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore was founded in 2004 to help foster an appreciation and to build support for the national lakeshore. “The Apostle Islands are gemstones in Lake Superior, and we want to invite people to visit these special islands and to help protect them so that future generations may enjoy them as we do now,” said Martin Hanson of Mellen, WI. Hanson, a driving force in founding the Friends and its Board of Directors, worked to establish the national lakeshore in the 1960s. He was the personal tour guide of President John F. Kennedy who briefly visited the Apostles as he considered a push by former U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson to designate the islands as national parkland.
Friends Mission:
To promote an appreciation for and preservation of the cultural and natural heritage and the natural environment of the Apostle Islands.
Friends Efforts:
Learn more about the Friends of the Apostle Islands.
· Connect people with the history, beauty, and adventure of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. · Increase community involvement with the Islands. · Support the educational, recreational, and resource protection efforts of the National Park Service. · Raise funds to support park projects and events.
NATIONAL PARKS OF LAKE SUPERIOR FOUNDATION
The National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation (NPLSF) is a newly organized, privately supported effort to fund special projects in the five U.S. national parks on Lake Superior, over and above appropriated funds. These projects include preservation of historic structures and lighthouses, improved visitor services and facilities, enhanced environmental education programs and more.
This effort is meant to complement efforts by the Friends organizations of individual parks. Any private donations received will be split evenly between the parks, unless the donation has a specifically targeted project or park. The NPLSF is actively seeking partners to assist in developing this special new funding organization and invite individual and major donors.
To learn more about how to become involved in these efforts write to the following address:
National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation
P.O. Box 632
Houghton, Michigan 49931
906-228-7914
http://www.nationalparksoflakesuperior.org/
Environmental Factors
Environmental Factors
Although Apostle Islands appear unchangeable, climate change, geologic processes, fire, and human-caused factors such as air and water pollution are only a few of the agents of change that have helped to shape the face of the Apostles that we know today. Today large-scale erosion has continued unabated since deglaciation. Erosion rates are directly related to resistance of materials exposed along the shore, intensity of storms, and variation in the levels of Lake Superior.
Water quality of Lake Superior and its tributaries within the Lakeshore is relatively high, and the National Park Service is mandated, at a minimum, to maintain water quality within Federal and Wisconsin standards. Potential sources of pollutants to nearshore waters on the mainland include agriculture runoff form local orchards, and local sewage treatment facilities. Introduction of toxic chemicals, such as PCB's, into Lake Superior have entered the system through atmospheric deposition.
Forest within the Lakeshore provides a spectrum of disturbance histories, ranging from old-growth forest to forests subjected to logging and fires. Diverse and unique habitats on the islands are important to birds, mammals, vegetation and aquatic species, including Federally and State listed species. Because these are unique ecosystems and are undergoing environmental changes, long-term ecosystem monitoring is essential. Monitoring data assists park managers in understanding park ecosystems and their fluctuations, as well as serving as an early warning system to identify threats to park resources. The lakeshore's natural resources monitoring program began in 1989 and continues to be built and refined. There are currently 17 monitoring projects which are conducted either annually or on a periodic basis. Projects range from breeding birds to frogs and toads, from sandscapes to campsites.
Apostle Islands Coastal Watershed Assessment
This "state of knowledge" report reviews the condition of, and threats to, the park's coastal resources, including water quality, habitat, and invasive species, in a regional context.
View the report (5.47mb)
Apostle Islands In Depth
News from the Parks
Colorado Section of Vast Bike Network is 1,000 Miles
January 5, 2009 - 12:43pm
More than 1,000 miles of the 50,000-mile bikeway being spliced together throughout North American lies in Colorado. The Colorado portion is part of the Great Parks section, which includes 2,518 miles from Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada, to Mesa Verde National Park outside of Durango.
January 5, 2009 - 12:43pm
More than 1,000 miles of the 50,000-mile bikeway being spliced together throughout North American lies in Colorado. The Colorado portion is part of the Great Parks section, which includes 2,518 miles from Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada, to Mesa Verde National Park outside of Durango.
Ranchers Oppose Yellowstone Bison Relocation
January 5, 2009 - 12:32pm
Ranchers are voicing concern about plans to relocate some Yellowstone Park bison to Indian reservations in Montana and Wyoming. The ranchers are worried about the animals' history of carrying brucellosis, a disease that causes domestic cows to miscarry.
January 5, 2009 - 12:32pm
Ranchers are voicing concern about plans to relocate some Yellowstone Park bison to Indian reservations in Montana and Wyoming. The ranchers are worried about the animals' history of carrying brucellosis, a disease that causes domestic cows to miscarry.
A Trip to Yosemite National Park via YARTS is a Must for Valley Residents
January 5, 2009 - 12:31pm
The YARTS bus sped up Highway 140 from Merced into the foothills. It passed Mariposa and stopped at the entrance to Yosemite National Park. A sign read, “Chains required.” The driver parked, and deftly fitted the chains over the tires. A horde of enthused travelers lined up outside the bus, but there were no more seats. Instead of turning them away, the kindly driver allowed them to board the bus and stand in the aisle for the remaining 13 miles of the trip.
January 5, 2009 - 12:31pm
The YARTS bus sped up Highway 140 from Merced into the foothills. It passed Mariposa and stopped at the entrance to Yosemite National Park. A sign read, “Chains required.” The driver parked, and deftly fitted the chains over the tires. A horde of enthused travelers lined up outside the bus, but there were no more seats. Instead of turning them away, the kindly driver allowed them to board the bus and stand in the aisle for the remaining 13 miles of the trip.
Nene Killed on the Road in Haleakala National Park
January 5, 2009 - 12:21pm
An adult nene was killed on the road at Haleakala National Park on Dec. 28. Motorists traveling to the park are asked to drive slowly and cautiously. Visitors reported the dead nene to Visitor Use Assistant Tony Manion at 7:30 a.m. Park Ranger Chad Riggin retrieved the dead nene from the road near mile marker 16.
January 5, 2009 - 12:21pm
An adult nene was killed on the road at Haleakala National Park on Dec. 28. Motorists traveling to the park are asked to drive slowly and cautiously. Visitors reported the dead nene to Visitor Use Assistant Tony Manion at 7:30 a.m. Park Ranger Chad Riggin retrieved the dead nene from the road near mile marker 16.
Life's a Beach: U.S. Virgin Islands are Calling You
January 5, 2009 - 12:19pm
Don't just sit there. Pick a destination and plan a vacation, maybe to someplace a little exotic, where national parks come with tropical beaches, and boats rather than big RVs are a common mode of transportation. You can enjoy all that without fretting over currency exchange rates or making sure that your passport is up to date if you head to a little paradise called the U.S. Virgin Islands.
January 5, 2009 - 12:19pm
Don't just sit there. Pick a destination and plan a vacation, maybe to someplace a little exotic, where national parks come with tropical beaches, and boats rather than big RVs are a common mode of transportation. You can enjoy all that without fretting over currency exchange rates or making sure that your passport is up to date if you head to a little paradise called the U.S. Virgin Islands.
