The residents of Northeastern Minnesota have strong ties to Isle Royale—one that began with the Ojibwe people and continued as Scandinavian emigrants settled the rugged North Shore. The 136,000-acre island has been home to generations of fishermen and their families and was a tourism destination long before the National Park Service began acquiring land in the 1930s and 1940s. That is why the bureaucratic battle to stay on the island has been waged since then through convoluted life leases, special use permits (SUP) and volunteer-inthe park (VIP) agreements. And that is why letters received by the various Isle Royale families this summer from Phyllis Green, superintendent of Isle Royale National Park, caused alarm. Many felt the letters signaled the end of the historic connection between the people and the island.
Indeed the tone of the letters provided at the Cook County News-Herald’s
request sounds ominous. Liz Valencia of the National Park Service (NPS) sent three letters representative of those sent to 12 individuals or families. Two letters addressed VIP agreements—the first, to an individual whose three-year VIP agreement is expiring this year and the other to someone interested in entering a VIP agreement.
To the first VIP agreement holder, Green wrote, “In order to protect your own family’s heirlooms, please remove from the cottages any and all personal items of concern and/or value. … Occupancy needs to be directly related to work or tasks as part of an agreement with the Park. …We will be changing the locks at the end of this season to ensure the sites are protected.”
Another letter, to the family of a life lessee who recently died, informed them that they have until June 30, 2011 to “remove all personal heirlooms of value to your family from the cabin” and informing them, “we will be changing the locks at the end of this season.”
In each of the letters, Green attempted to soften the changing status of the islanders by informing them that a Cultural Resources Management Plan (CRMP) process had been funded for fiscal year 2011. Green said NPS would consider continued VIP agreements or special use permits of some kind as the CRMP was completed, but she stressed, “We need to clearly articulate the work and benefit to the public.”
When Green was reached at her Houghton, Michigan office, she said, “We’ve been waiting for the money to move ahead with the plan. There is a real need to know who is using these historic structures and to ensure that they know what can be restored.” For example, said Green, two roofs had been put on that did not use replicas of historic roofing materials. She also said a number of people not affiliated with original life lessees have been spending time at the historic sites.
“A lot of the buildings have the potential of being listed on the National Historic Register. That leads to the thought of maintaining them—but how? As static displays? As living history displays? That is very popular in some parks,” said Green.
Green said the purpose of the letters was to let people know that they needed to contact her. “Theletter said you need to demonstrate how you will occupy the site as a public benefit. People who want to stay need to explain—is there some service they can provide?”
The assurance that the Park would work with islanders during the CRMP process was not reassuring to members of the Isle Royale Family and Friends Association (IRFFA). IRFFA member David Barnum contacted the North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum with his concerns. The fishing museum in Tofte wrote to Green with questions about the letters to families and the CRMP process.
Green wrote to the fishing museum, explaining that NPS has required locks and park access to structures for all of the sites whose life lessee agreement had ended, not just the Barnum family. She also explained that the park asked all VIP agreement holders to remove personal property or have it inventoried by the Park Service to reduce the potential for unauthorized removal of property. Another reason why personal items should be removed, said Green, is that during the CRMP process, the public would have access to the historic structures.
“The public needs access to fully understand the bargain that was struck when the Park was formed and all users of the Park need to engage in the role this segment of the Park’s history has— and will—play in the future. The cultural resources plan will address this,” said Green.
Commercial Fishing Museum Manager Don Hammer said, “We just want to ensure that the cultural heritage of the island is maintained. Whether the Park Service or the families do this, doesn’t matter, as long as the cultural heritage is part of the analysis.”
Barnum answered a News-Herald
query from his job in Kuwait via Skype. He said he didn’t understand what appeared to be a policy shift for the island families, who, he said had been assured that nothing would change until the CRMP was complete. “The IRFFA has been attempting for 10 years to formulate a partnership with the National Park Service to preserve the history and culture on the island and to allow the remaining families to continue their association in a dignified w ay.”
He acknowledged that Green has legitimate concerns about managing the historic properties, but he asserted that the Isle Royale families have done a better job at caretaking than NPS. In a letter to Green, Barnum detailed the many projects undertaken by Isle Royale families, such as the repainting of gas barrels to the original fire engine red and rebuilding of old fishnet reels by Enar and Betty Strom; the rehabilitation of cabins by Jeff Sivertson; repainting and re-roofing of the Ray family cottage; and his own work replacing dock cribs and decking. “All of these projects are done at our expense and physical labor. The financial cost and logistical difficulties are significant…It needs to be comprehended that all the materials and tools are hauled across that lake and that all this work takes place during the brief visits our families make each summer.”
Barnum included two photographs of the Savage family boathouse one showing the boathouse standing; another of the aging building collapsed into the water. He expressed concern that without the caretaking of Isle Royale families, NPS will let other historic structures fall into similar disrepair.
He also questioned the urgency of the letter, noting that he is unable to return to Isle Royale this season to remove personal items. In his letter to Green, Barnum asked that she rethink the request for Isle Royale families to remove their personal goods and to extend VIP agreements at least until the CRMP is complete. He wrote, “If you are absolutely unwilling to rethink your policy shift, at least give us three seasons to remove all of our property. Thelogistics are very challenging under the best of circumstances. If my family is to leave after being associated with Isle Royale for more than 100 years, then let it be with dignity, grace, and goodwill.”
There were hundreds of owners of small tracts of land on Isle Royale when NPS began acquiring land. Some of the land was vacant, but many sites had cabins, outbuildings, and docks Green said owners of improved property had options to sell outright or to retain a life estate. Approximately 25 families retained life estates, some in the names of the owners, others in the name of dependent children. Green explained that the discrepancy caused concern for the families who did not have their children listed. Some families pursued special legislation to have their names added to the leases, alleging misrepresentation. Green said to resolve the issue, in 1977 NPS offered renewable special use permits (SUPs) to all children of life estate holders who were born before the government purchased the properties. SUPs are renewable for the life of the permit holder for an annual fee of $25.
Asked how many parties spend summers at the island, Green replied that it is somewhat complicated because some sites have multiple cabins and others are a combination of life lessee, SUP or VIP agreement holders She said there are currently three sites under life leases; seven sites occupied through special use permits negotiated in 1977; and five former life estate sites occupied under VIP agreements. Green said all life lessee and SUP agreements will be honored uninterrupted until the death of the permit holders.
She said VIP agreements will be reviewed as part of the cultural resources planning effort and a decision will be made on the value of the VIP program. Green said NPS wants public involvement. “In the same way that we had a wilderness management plan discussion, we’ll have a cultural resources discussion. We want the public to let us know what they think should be done with these structures. We want to hear from the general public and the people who know these structures so well.”
Asked if public hearings would be held—and if they would be held in Minnesota as well as Michigan, Green said she anticipated that hearings would be held. She said in the past hearings on Isle Royale issues have been held in Houghton and Duluth.
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