Home    News    October 2005 News

News from the Keweenaw Peninsula October 26, 2005   Text © Isle Royale National Park press release. Photos © 2005 Ann Mayo Kiely. Reprinted with permission.

Isle Royale Draft Wilderness Plan available for public comment

ISLE ROYALE -- Isle Royale National Park Superintendent Phyllis Green announced recently that the park's draft Wilderness and Backcountry Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (WBMP/EIS) is now available for public review and comment. The Environmental Protection Agency has published the draft document in the October 21, 2005, Federal Register. The public comment period will be open until December 21, 2005.

A view of Moskey Basin, Isle Royale National Park. (Photo © 2005 Ann Mayo Kiely)

CD copies of the draft are available by contacting the park by mail or email (see below for addresses). The document is also available for review on the park's website, under "Management Documents." Park employees will respond to substantive public comments, and those responses will be printed in the final plan.

The development of the WBMP/EIS incorporates eight years of planning, a multitude of scientific studies and several opportunities for public participation, to ensure protection of the park's most enduring resource, Wilderness. 

Isle Royale has several inland lakes. This shot was taken from atop Mt. Ojibway. (Photo © 2005 Ann Mayo Kiely)

The purpose of the final plan is twofold: 1) To outline steps for preserving Isle Royale's wilderness character, natural resources and cultural resources while also providing for the use and enjoyment of the park's Wilderness and backcountry by current and future generations; and 2) To provide accountability, consistency and continuity in managing Isle Royale's Wilderness and backcountry. 

The park will also host an Open House on December 12, 2005, from 4 p. m. until 7 p. m. at the Houghton Headquarters Visitor Center, 800 East Lakeshore Drive, Houghton, Michigan. Staff will be available to answer the public's questions regarding the draft plan.

Isle Royale offers a unique wilderness hiking experience. Hikers can cross difficult terrain with the aid of boardwalks such as this one over a bog along the Daisy Farm Trail. (Photo © 2005 Ann Mayo Kiely)

To request a copy of the draft or final plan, or submit comments, please use any of the following methods:

· By mail: Superintendent, Attn: WBMP, Isle Royale National Park, 800 East Lakeshore Drive, Houghton, MI 49931.
· By e-mail: isro_wbmp@nps.gov 
· By fax (Attn: WBMP): (906) 487-7170
· Hand deliver: Isle Royale National Park Headquarters and Visitor Center, 800 East Lakeshore Drive, Houghton, MI.

Editor's Note: To learn more about Isle Royale National Park, visit their Web site, now offering information in French, Spanish and German, in addition to English. For a detailed map of the park click here.

Visit the Keweenaw Now discussion forums to comment on this article.