The following is a letter submitted by Sierra Club Michigan's forest ecologist, Marvin Roberson providing comments regarding the Isle Royale National Park Wilderness Stewardship Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (September 25, 2023)
September 25, 2023
Denice Swanke
Superintendent
Isle Royale National Park
This constitutes the Sierra Club submission of comments on the June 2023 Isle Royale National Park Wilderness Stewardship Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
Our comments are based upon management issues, and are not specific to any single Alternative.
We Support A Campsite Reservation System
While many visitors to the Island would like a Wilderness Experience which includes the ability to wander at will and camp wherever the urge strikes, this is sadly no longer feasible.
Increased use makes arriving at a full campsite a frequent occurrence. Finding no site available, or crowding into a site which is over capacity provide a less satisfying Wilderness Experience than does the need to reserve sites and follow a planned itinerary.
This is particularly true at sites which are only available by water (such as Merritt Lane). It is often the case that campers in non-motorized craft (canoes and kayaks) can only reach one campsite in a day’s travel. It is not unusual for the campers to find the water only site full when they arrive.
This causes a less authentic experience. It also often shifts the camping to Backcountry Camping, which has a larger impact on vegetation, etc. than does camping in a designated site.
A Reservation system would alleviate these problems. It would also reduce the impetus to “race” to each night’s camp site, in order to assure a place for the night. This would allow for a better Wilderness Experience, by allowing users to take a more leisurely pace, and have more intimate contact with the Wilderness.
In short, while some users may feel that this “bureaucratic” requirement does not feel like Wilderness, we believe that the trade-off is worth it to enhance the experience once on the island.
We Support Continuation of Winter Closure
We are disappointed to see that both Action Alternatives include the intent to eventually open the Island for winter use. We oppose this action, based upon practical/safety consideration, impacts to wildlife, and continued enhancement of the Wilderness Experience.
The Wilderness Character of the Island is enhanced by the winter closure. The fact that there is no permanent full time use of the Island increases the sense of solitude and isolation, even during the open season. The knowledge that the open season is temporary, and will end, increases the consistency with the Wilderness Act, and it’s exhortation that Wilderness is “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."
In addition, for many people, the sense of Wilderness Experience is increased during the closed season, through the knowledge that the Island is free of humans during the closed period. Also, the knowledge that use is not available during the closed season makes the limited open season all the more valued.
While we understand the notion of “increased self-reliance” as a wilderness value, we find that this is more than offset by the values associated with the closure.
We find the environmental analysis of the potential impacts of removing the winter closure to be inadequate.
There is no mention of the ability of the Park to provide Law Enforcement, Maintenance, or Search and Rescue operations during winter, nor of the effects such efforts might cause. While there is mention of Search and Rescue not being “immediately available”, it is inconceivable that these will not be necessary.
There is no analysis of what effects private transportation could have, including boats docking at remote docks which are not cleared during winter.
The chances of unauthorized use of Park owned structures during winter season should be assessed, including potential damage to historic structures.
Wildlife encounters are likely to increase, as wildlife and humans will be more confined to game trails through the snowpack, funneling wildlife into more encounters with humans, while providing less opportunity to avoid moose and wolves.
Cultural Resources
It is time to end the nonconforming Uses in Wilderness and Potential Wilderness.
Exclusive extended use of historic structures degrades the Wilderness Character, and deprives the public of access to, and enjoyment of, publicly owned historic structures.
We find that preservation or stabilization of some structures within Wilderness to be valuable. These structures are on, and part of, the Wilderness landscape, and have historic value to the public.
However, to truly share this history with the public, the public must have access to them. Continued exclusive occupation diminishes this value. All too often, discussion of the value of these structures has conflated the continued existence of the structures with continued exclusive private use.
We strongly support ending the VIP permits, and support opening the structures to public use. We also support reaching out beyond the current group of users and allowing others to participate in the maintenance of historic structures. This will increase the pool of available constituents for this endeavor.
Sincerely,
Marvin Roberson
Sierra Club