15 FAQs Regarding the Apostle Islands National Park and Preserve Act

1. Why should the Apostle Islands be considered for the esteemed designation of a national park?
   • 30 states, including Minnesota, Michigan, and Indiana, have National Parks. So, why shouldn't Wisconsin join their ranks? While landmarks like Yellowstone’s geysers and Yosemite’s El Capitan are renowned, the Apostle Islands offer their own extraordinary features of sandstone cliffs, historic lighthouses, and ice caves that merit the same kind of recognition. That's why I am seeking to elevate the Apostle Islands from a National Lakeshore to Wisconsin's first National Park. This stunning archipelago offers visitors a unique blend of natural beauty and cultural history deserving of greater recognition. Wisconsin merits its first National Park, and the crown jewels of Lake Superior are a perfect candidate for this esteemed designation. This is a real opportunity to showcase our state’s natural heritage and make a lasting, positive economic impact on the surrounding communities for generations to come.
2. Will treaty rights be impacted by the bill? 
   • No. There have been a lot of misguided suggestions that the bill would somehow impact long-standing Indian treaties. Let me be very clear: It would not – this is something that the National Park Service themselves confirmed with us during consultations on the legislation before it was introduced. That said, I plan to amend the bill to explicitly state that nothing in the legislation should be construed to change or modify any existing treaty obligation. 
3. What will be the economic impact of this bill?
   • The National Park Service measures local gateway communities as communities within a 60-mile radius of the park. Historically, similar upgrades from national lakeshores to national parks, such as the 2019 reclassification of Indiana Dunes, have come with substantial increases in economic activity. For example, in 2018 while still a National Lakeshore, Indiana Dunes had 1.75 million visitors who spent $77 million in gateway communities, which in turn supported around 936 jobs. By 2022, as a National Park, visitation surged to 2.8 million, generating $141 million in local spending and supporting 1,685 jobs. I use Indiana Dunes as an example due to the fact that it is the most recent upgrade of a national lakeshore to a national park.
   • Applying this model to the Apostle Islands could potentially double the economic impact in surrounding communities. Many businesses in and around national parks are small businesses employing local people who have a passion for the outdoors. I have firsthand experience with this. After owning and operating Wilderness Cruises near the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest for 20 years, I’ve seen how federal lands can support small businesses. The increased tourism would bolster local economies, create new jobs, and generate revenue that can be reinvested back into our community.
   • Moreover, many surrounding communities have applied for numerous tourism grants, and this legislation will help create more tourism revenue. By leveraging the National Park designation and recreational opportunities of the Apostle Islands, we can foster permanent economic growth throughout northern Wisconsin. This is one reason the Northwest Regional Planning Commission and Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board support the legislation.
4. Will this legislation create more federal bureaucracy?
   • The National Park will be under the same agency as the National Lakeshore. Therefore, the National Park Service will continue to manage it, and the land is already federally protected. It would not add more land to the federal bureaucracy. If anything, a national park will ensure more conservation educational programs and greater prosperity while allowing visitors to experience the beauty of Lake Superior.
5. Will this legislation alter existing park boundaries?
   • The bill will not change any existing boundaries. It will be the same boundaries as the current Lakeshore. Therefore, the Gaylord Nelson Wilderness designation will remain unaffected, and Madeline Island will not be included as part of the national park.
6. The current National Lakeshore has a long list of deferred maintenance projects. Will this bill help with that?
   • An elevated designation to a National Park is one of the best ways to ensure additional federal investment for conservation programs and infrastructure improvements. One reason I am doing this is to make sure that this special place gets the broader recognition and additional resources and protection it deserves – which is what happened when Indiana Dunes was upgraded to a National Park. For example, five years after the Indiana Dunes National Park designation, NPS funding was up over 9%. Making the Apostle Islands a crown jewel of the Park System will only help ensure further prioritization of projects in the park. Anybody who wants to see that added investment should be supporting this bill. 
   • Additionally, the maintenance backlog in our parks is not a funding issue, but an agency mismanagement issue. Congress must continue to provide the overdue oversight needed to right the ship and start making the necessary improvements all Americans want to see at our national parks, which has been a focus of mine as the Chairman of the Federal Lands Subcommittee.
7. What will park and camping fees look like as a result of this bill?
   • Camping, recreation, and parking fees will continue to be administered the same way they are right now. The same with park fees. Nothing in the bill does anything to change how these fees are currently administered, and they will remain at the discretion of National Park Service. Currently the lakeshore does not have an entrance fee, and across the entire National Park Service, which includes 425 units, only 109 charge an entrance fee. The National Park Service sets fees, which you can view here.
8. Why will Sand Island be a National Preserve?
   • 99% of the time, hunting or trapping is not allowed in national parks. However, it is allowed in national preserves. Sand Island would be designated as a National Preserve, protecting hunting access – a model similar to the recent designation of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia, which we used as an example after consultations with the Park Service. The preserve on Sand Island will be managed exactly how hunting is currently managed on the Lakeshore and will still be administered and protected by the National Park Service. We also discussed this approach with sportsmen’s groups like Hunter Nation, which has expressed support for the bill. Hunting on the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is nominal compared to Madeline Island. For context, from 2015 through 2022, only 3 deer were harvested on the entire National Lakeshore versus 655 on Madeline Island during the same time frame – so in that respect, the new designation will simply codify the status quo. However, anybody will still be able to visit Sand Island, even if they are not there to hunt. Fishing will continue to be administered the same way as it is right now, throughout both the Park and Preserve.
9. Are there assurances that the proposal isn't an attempt to open Sand Island up to increased mining or logging? 
   • This land is already protected federal land under the National Park Service, and nothing in this bill modifies its existing boundaries, treaties, the tribes’ right to hunt and gather, or somehow opens up Sand Island to development. Sand Island will still be administered and protected by the National Park Service. Furthermore, in 1976, the Mining in the Parks Act closed all units of the National Park System to new mining. Therefore, Sand Island will not be mined.
10. Were the Tribes consulted on this legislation?
    • My office proactively engaged, consulted, and met with Red Cliff and their lobbyist numerous times, including sharing the bill text with them prior to its introduction. Any claim to the contrary is false. We have addressed every question and concern raised by their tribal consultant regarding this legislation and remain open to addressing any further questions. However, we have not received any questions from them, nor were these concerns communicated through their consultant. Our office also met with Bad River on March 7th, 2024, the same day we met with Red Cliff, and shared the proposal with them then. Bad River never emailed us any questions or concerns about the legislation.
    • Furthermore, the underlying bill text also directs the National Park Service to enhance interpretative displays within the Apostle Islands to the Ojibwe tribes, the original inhabitants of the Apostle Islands who have called the area home for centuries. The Apostle Islands are integral to the culture of the Ojibwe people and elevating this unit to National Park status will help promote their history and unique connection to this special place. 
11. Who was consulted regarding this legislation?
    • My office consulted with numerous towns, organizations, and both Red Cliff and Bad River regarding this legislation. Here is a list of local supporters: Senator Romaine Quinn (SD-25), Representative Angie Sapik (AD-73), Representative Chanz Green (AD-74), Mayor Gary Gillis of Hayward, Bayfield County Economic Development Corporation (Rescinded their letter of support after we introduced the bill), Burnett County Economic Development Corporation, Iron County Economic Development Corporation, Sawyer County/Lac Courte Oreilles Economic Development Corporation, Hayward Chamber of Commerce, Superior Chamber of Commerce, The Development Association – Superior, Northwest Regional Planning Commission, Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board, Town of Barnes, Town of Bass Lake, Town of Brule, Town of Morse, Town of Namakagon, Town of Oliver, Town of Oma, Hunter Nation, and Norvado.
    • My office also met with the Tribes, Ashland City Council, Ashland/Bayfield Wisconsin Towns Association, Town of LaPointe board meeting via Zoom, Ashland County Administrator Dan Grady, Bayfield County Executive Committee, Northwest Regional Planning Commission annual meeting, Bayfield County Economic Development Corporation, City of Washburn Mayor, Washburn City Administrator, and Town of Washburn supervisors.
12. How will this bill help with the lack of housing in the area?
    • It's a little disingenuous for people to say that they care about the lack of economic development in the region – and then oppose legislation that will help create it. Making the Apostle Islands a bucket-list destination will help support small businesses, employ more local people with deep roots in the community who have a passion for the outdoors, and generate revenue that can be reinvested back into our community. It also has great potential to attract new investment to the area, including investment in housing and hospitality, provided local officials don’t take steps to erect unnecessary barriers to prevent it.
13. How will this bill impact infrastructure and tourism in the Bayfield area?
    • Related to tourism and local infrastructure in Bayfield, the City of Bayfield is one of only a handful of cities in Wisconsin that has been allowed to charge a Premier Resort Destination Tax (PRAT) of .5% to cover expenses for added tourist demands. Any seller who makes sales of products or services subject to Wisconsin’s 5% state sales tax is also required to collect the Premier Resort Area Tax on those sales. According to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, proceeds from the premier resort area tax may only be used to pay infrastructure expenses within the jurisdiction of a premier resort area. Infrastructure expenses means the costs of purchasing, constructing, or improving parking lots; access ways; transportation facilities, including roads and bridges; sewer and water facilities; exposition center facilities used primarily for conventions, expositions, trade shows, musical or dramatic events, or other events involving educational, cultural, recreational, sporting, or commercial activities; parks, boat ramps, beaches, and other recreational facilities; fire fighting equipment; police vehicles; ambulances; and other equipment or materials dedicated to public safety or public works. Therefore, an increase in tourism would benefit Bayfield, providing additional funds to support its infrastructure needs.
    • Additionally, my office will continue to assist local jurisdictions in applying for EMS and public safety grants. The U.S. Coast Guard already has a presence in Bayfield and future funding and resources will need to be accommodated based on demands. The Coast Guard Bayfield Station maintains a duty crew, ready to respond 24/7 to distressed boaters, medical emergencies in water-only accessible locations, and victims of thin ice during the winter months.
14. Lake Superior is a dangerous body of water and transport from the mainland to the islands is limited. How will this bill impact that?
    • There are a lot of safety standards in place already, both with the National Park Service and outfitters that take people out on the water to see the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. These safeguards are in place for a reason, to help ensure everyone going out to see the islands can do so safely. For example, kayak outfitters have strict policies where they will not take people out on the water if the waves or wind conditions are too dangerous, and the Park Service has ample resources to inform boaters and kayakers alike about what they can expect from being on the water on Lake Superior. The Park Service also makes it clear that safety on the Apostle Islands is the individual's responsibility. According to the most up-to-date available information on NPS, the Coast Guard has not responded to an incident at the Lakeshore since 2018. Everyone who goes on the water should be aware of the risks thanks to the ample resources at their disposal. I have full confidence that the Coast Guard can continue its fantastic work to respond to any incidents on Lake Superior. 
15. What will this legislation look like going forward?
    • There is a rigorous, regular-order legislative process for any bill to become a law, and that's the process I will follow. My office has been in consultation with local officials, organizations, businesses, towns, sportsman’s groups, the tribes, and the National Park Service before introducing the bill. The U.S. House held the first hearing on the bill in July, and the hearing feedback from the Park Service was a good first step. The next step would be a vote out of the House Natural Resources Committee, next the House Floor, and then the same process would need to be repeated in the U.S. Senate before this legislation gets to the president’s desk. We will continue to be open to public input.

If you have further questions on the Apostle Islands National Park and Preserve Act, please contact my office at (202) 225-3365. The national park’s name would be the Apostle Islands National Park and Preserve.