Wisconsin tribal officials opposed to making Apostle Islands a national park

Red Cliff Ojibwe tribal officials in northern Wisconsin have raised concerns about a bill to designate the Apostle Islands as a national park .

Congressman Tom Tiffany , R-Wausau, who represents much of northern Wisconsin, introduced the bill last month saying the legislation had local support and that he had consulted with Indigenous tribes.

But some tribal officials are currently opposed to the plan, according to a statement released by the Red Cliff Tribe Thursday.

“Tribal officials have repeatedly presented questions and concerns about the bill to lawmakers and Tiffany’s staff at the Capitol,” the tribe’s statement read. “However, the tribe has not received sufficient communication of information. Without the appropriate consultation from lawmakers the tribe must oppose this bill in order to protect the best interests of Gaa-Miskwaabikaang (Red Cliff Ojibwe) and its tribal membership.”

The Apostle Islands are located just off the shores of Lake Superior in far northern Wisconsin and are a popular summer tourist destination. The islands are also just off the coast of the Red Cliff Reservation.

Tiffany’s bill says redesignating Apostle Islands National Lakeshore as Apostle Islands National Park would increase tourism, protect landscapes and maintain hunting access.

Tribal officials are concerned that there have been no studies examining the potential impact to the environment, economy, infrastructure or tribal cultural or treaty rights if the bill were to pass. Tribal officials said the bill also does not mention what specific federal resources would come as a result of the change.

The bill also says the designation would create Wisconsin’s first national park, but tribal officials argue that their Frog Bay Tribal National Park along Lake Superior on the Red Cliff Reservation was created as the first of its kind in 2012.

Tiffany’s office argues that they have consulted with Red Cliff tribal officials through numerous phone calls and meetings prior to the bill’s introduction in Congress.

“Any claim to the contrary is false,” a spokeswoman for Tiffany’s said in an email. “We have addressed every question and concern raised by their tribal consultant regarding this legislation.”

She said the bill does not alter or change Ojibwe treaty rights, which include the right for tribal members to hunt and fish on public land and waterways that were once Ojibwe territory, including the Apostle Islands area.

“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,” Tiffany’s spokeswoman said. “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.

“This land is already protected federal land under the National Park Service, and nothing in this bill modifies its existing boundaries, treaties, or the tribe’s right to hunt and gather.”

The bill also does not include Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostle Islands. The island, about a mile offshore, is the historic capital of the entire Ojibwe Nation, which encompasses parts of what are now Canada and the U.S.

Editor's note, Aug. 1: This article has been updated to clarify that Rep. Tiffany has said he had consulted with local Indigenous tribes, but not said tribes have given support.

Frank Vaisvilas is a former Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact him at fvaisvilas@gannett.com or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank .

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin tribal officials opposed to making Apostle Islands a national park