Isle Royale National Park is currently drafting a Cultural Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (CRMP/EIS) that will determine, among other things, the status of commercial fishing families and others with historic ties to the island.
WTIP’s Ann Possis spoke with third generation Isle Royale family member Stuart Sivertson on North Shore Morning.
(Click on audio mp3 above to hear the interview.)
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In November 2013, Isle Royale National Park is holding public meetings to discuss the Cultural Resources Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (CRMP/EIS). The public meetings will be held in Houghton, Michigan, St. Paul and Duluth, Minnesota, and the Ann Arbor, Michigan area. The sessions will begin with a presentation about the plan and an introduction of draft alternative concepts. The presentation will be followed by an opportunity to discuss the alternative concepts and other ideas, issues, and concerns about the plan with the planning team.
The public meeting schedule is as follows:
Public Meeting 1: Houghton, Michigan
Date: November 12, 2013
Location: Franklin Square Inn, 820 Shelden Avenue
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm (Presentation at 6:15 followed by open house)
Public Meeting 2: Chelsea, Michigan
Date: November 14, 2013
Location: Chelsea Depot, 125 Jackson Street
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm (Presentation at 6:15 followed by open house)
Public Meeting 3: St. Paul, Minnesota
Date: November 19, 2013
Location: Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd.
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm (Presentation at 6:15 followed by open house)
Public Meeting 4: Duluth, Minnesota
Date: November 20, 2013
Location: Great Lakes Aquarium, 353 Harbor Drive
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm (Presentation at 6:15 followed by open house)
The CRMP/EIS will address the general management, preservation, public use, and interpretation of cultural resources island-wide. The process is expected to take several years. The National Park Service formed an interdisciplinary planning team to produce the plan in consultation with the public, tribal and state governments, and other interested parties.
Isle Royale's cultural resources reflect 4500 years of human endeavor and include: prehistoric mining and occupation sites, American Indian and Euro-American historic mining and fishery sites, lighthouses, shipwrecks, and historic resorts and summer homes. They demonstrate a complex interaction of people and the role they played in shaping the human and physical landscapes on Isle Royale. Presently, the National Park Service manages its cultural resources according to directives defined in the Park's General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS 1998) without specific guidance for a number of cultural resource themes and topics. The proposed Cultural Resources Management Plan and accompanying Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) seeks to define sustainable management practices for all significant cultural resources found on Isle Royale, including archeological sites, cultural landscapes, historic structures, ethnographic resources, and museum objects.
The Notice of Intent (NOI) for the CRMP/EIS is posted as a separate document and on the following website:
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/03/15/2013-06001/notice-of-intent-to-prepare-a-cultural-resources-management-planenvironmental-impact-statement-for
Planning and legislation documents relevant to the CRMP are available on the main Isle Royale website at:
http://www.nps.gov/isro/parkmgmt/planning.htm
A newsletter providing information on the planning process, preliminary alternative concepts, draft park foundation document and a comment card for providing comments is available at Isle Royale headquarters and on the NPS planning website:
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ISROcrmp.
You may submit your comments electronically only on the NPS planning website (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ISROcrmp). Once on the website, click on “Open for Comment” in the left sidebar, and then select “CRMP Newsletter 2.” To submit a comment, select “Comment on Document” in the middle of the page or on the left sidebar. If you are unable to access the website, please submit written comments by December 4, 2013, to:
National Park Service
Attention Brenda Todd, ISRO CRMP Project Manager
Denver Service Center, Planning Division
PO Box 25287
Denver, CO 82225-0287Questions on the plan or public meetings can be directed to:
Liz Valencia: Chief of Interpretation and Cultural Resources
Isle Royale National Park
800 East Lakeshore Drive
Houghton, Michigan 49931-1895
906.487.7153
[email protected]
Seth DePasqual: Cultural Resource Manager, NEPA Specialist
Isle Royale National Park
800 East Lakeshore Drive
Houghton, MI 49931-1895
906.487.7146
[email protected]
Comment Period: 10/28/2013 - 12/04/2013
Comment on Document »
Topic Questions Instructions:
Please number your responses to match the corresponding questions. Comments should be submitted by December 4, 2013.
Topic Questions:
1. What do you like about the preliminary draft alternative concepts presented in this newsletter? Please describe anything you do not like about the concepts.
2. Is there one alternative concept that you prefer more than the others? If so, please say why.
3. Are there ideas or concepts we have missed or overlooked? Is there a different alternative concept you would like to see? If so, please describe it and explain why you believe it is important.
4. Are there specific resources or sites you would like to see preserved in each of the draft alternative concepts? If so, please say what they are and why they should be preserved.
5. Please share any additional comments or suggestions for park staff to consider as alternatives concepts are drafted.
