HR5497-119

What This Bill Does

This bill redesignates Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin as Apostle Islands National Park and Preserve. It creates National Park and National Preserve zones within the same National Park Service unit and says the unit will be administered under title 54 and the original Apostle Islands law. The bill also clarifies that the redesignation does not create a protective buffer zone around Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light.

The bill preserves several uses and rights. Hunting and trapping are generally prohibited in the park area, but treaty, statutory, or executive-order rights of Indian tribes remain protected. Hunting and trapping may continue in the preserve area under the same terms that applied before redesignation, and private landowners inside the boundaries do not lose state-law hunting or fishing rights on their own land. Fishing continues under existing law. The bill also requires principal visitor centers to include interpretive signage on Ojibwe tribes, early European settlers, the fur trade, logging, stone quarries, lighthouses, commercial fishing, and a copy of the Act.

Who Benefits and How

The National Park Service benefits from clearer unit status and authority to manage the area as a single national park and preserve. Bayfield-region tourism businesses benefit from the stronger national park brand, which can increase visitor attention and travel demand. Ojibwe tribes benefit because treaty, statutory, and executive-order rights are expressly preserved and tribal history must appear in visitor-center interpretation. Anglers benefit because fishing access continues under existing law. Hunters and trappers benefit from continued preserve-area access and private land protections where state law allows those activities.

Who Bears the Burden and How

National Park Service managers must update maps, signage, references, visitor-center materials, and administrative practices for the new park and preserve designation. Hunters and trappers face a restriction in the national park area because hunting and trapping are prohibited there except for protected tribal rights. Visitor-center staff must install and maintain historical interpretation covering Ojibwe tribes, settlers, fur trade, logging, quarries, lighthouses, and commercial fishing. Federal map and legal-reference offices must update references from the old National Lakeshore name to the new Park and Preserve name.

Key Provisions

• Redesignates Apostle Islands National Lakeshore as Apostle Islands National Park and Preserve.
• Establishes National Park and National Preserve zones administered as one National Park Service unit.
• Prohibits hunting and trapping in the park area except for protected tribal treaty, statutory, or executive-order rights.
• Preserves hunting and trapping in the preserve area under preexisting rules and protects private-land uses.
• Requires principal visitor centers to display interpretation on Ojibwe, settler, fur-trade, logging, quarry, lighthouse, and commercial-fishing history.