National Park Service working on management plan for Isle Royale’s (Minong) wilderness areas

On October 20 the National Park Service (NPS) announced a Notice of Intent to begin preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Isle Royal National Park.

The EIS will be used to construct a Wilderness Stewardship Plan. Under that plan a broad range of actions will be looked at for managing wilderness and cultural resources within the wilderness inside the park and look at potential impacts and issues with wilderness management.

Additionally, the plan will “determine preservation and use of historic structures in potential and designated wilderness in the park.

According to Park Superintendent Denice Swanke, “The purpose of this plan is to outline strategies for preserving wilderness character, including the treatment of cultural resources in wilderness, while also providing for the use and enjoyment of the park by current and future generations. This plan would determine preservation and use of historic structures in potential and designated wilderness.”

The EIS will also describe how the wilderness will be affected by no action and two action alternatives.

One of the options being considered is to allow the public winter use of Isle Royale. Currently the park shuts down over the winter. If allowed access to the island the public would presumably use float/ski planes because the boats taking people to the island cease service at the end of fall and resume operations in the early summer, late spring.

The initial scoping period is open to the public for review and comment until November 21, 2022.

Comments may be submitted online at parkplanning.nps.gov/ISROWilderness , or by mailing or hand delivering comments to Superintendent, Isle Royale National Park, Wilderness Stewardship Plan, 800 East Lakeshore Drive, Houghton, Michigan 49931-1896.