Town of La Pointe opposes making Apostle Islands a national park

The town of La Pointe has formally opposed a bill to make the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore a national park.

The La Pointe Board of Supervisors approved the resolution earlier this month in opposition to Congressman Tom Tiffany’s bill, citing multiple reasons the measure would have a negative impact on the area.

Making the designation would increase tourism, attracting more visitors to the Bay Area, Tiffany said.

“The Apostle Islands are one of Wisconsin’s true crown jewels and deserve to be recognized. This prestigious designation would not only strengthen conservation efforts, bolster the local economy and create new job opportunities, but would also ensure lasting environmental and economic security for generations to come,” he has said.

Board Chairman Glenn Carlson said the infrastructure on Madeline Island, which encompasses all of La Pointe, is “stretched to the breaking point during the summer tourist season.”

The board pointed out no feasibility study has been conducted to establish what private and public infrastructure is needed to accommodate the influx.

Hunting is prohibited in national parks, but is allowed on national lakeshores. To address that, Tiffany’s bill specifies that Sand Island would be designated a national reserve, where hunting would be permitted. Even with that measure, hunting and trapping would be disallowed on 39,000 acres of land where it’s currently permitted, the board’s resolution said.

Designating Sand Island as a preserve would also reduce protection of its resources since mining and logging could be permitted there. Commercial development like resorts and marinas would also be allowed on the island.

The board’s resolution goes on to say the bill doesn’t address the backlog of maintenance work that needs to be done on the island, nor does it address the resources and services the park service needs for the current level of visitors or the expected influx.

Changing the status of the Apostle Islands lakeshore “deserves a deliberate, thoughtful, transparent, in-depth, and inclusive public process so all voices can be heard and their questions answered,” the board’s resolution said.

Bayfield County’s Board of Supervisors also recently approved a resolution in opposition of Tiffany’s bill, citing many of the same reasons for taking that stance.