During this challenging time of change for our nation and for our national parks, Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore wants to shine a bright light – a lighthouse beacon if you will – on this very special place and on the people dedicated to protecting the national lakeshore for future generations. That’s the goal of our series entitled “Love our Lakeshore.” (You can tell us why you Love Our Lakeshore by filling out our simple form at this link.)

In this report we celebrate Earth Day 2025, its deep historical connection to the lakeshore and the hopes and dreams of local community members for the place that energizes their businesses and warms their souls.

Book store owner Julie Buckles of Bayfield hopes the lakeshore she loves “remains a wild and accessible space for all.” it’s a fitting wish for the future of the park, as we celebrate Earth Day 2025 – a day dedicated to environmental protection and awareness. We asked Julie and a number of other members of the local business community about the vital role the lakeshore plays in their lives and livelihoods, and about their hopes for this special place in this time of massive change for the National Park Service, which has managed the lakeshore since 1970.

Historic lighthouses, sandstone caves carved by wind and waves and forested islands surrounded by vast expanses of cold, clear water draw a quarter-million people to the Apostle Islands every year. Those visitors generate nearly $56 million in economic activity. The local business community counts on these visitors and the cash they spend on meals, lodging, adventures and more. 

As the owner of Honest Dog Books, Buckles says, “talk to anyone around here and the summer season is the only season. As much as we try to build a winter season, we have four months every year to make money to successfully make it through the other eight months. And that is June through September ending with Apple Fest. So, summer is just everything. It’s the reason we can have two bookstores in one town is because of that increased traffic in the summer.”

Buckles understands the value of the big blue lake at the bottom of the hill. “Lake Superior as the cleanest of the Great Lakes is a point of pride. It’s the reason everyone wants to be here, the reason we want to be here.” She also recognizes that a vibrant, fully-funded park is the area’s economic engine. She worries about what the future holds, amid news reports of dramatic cuts for the National Park Service and across the federal government.

She says, “Of course, my biggest fear in all these layoffs around the country is that there is a move to privatize. Thinking about all the people all the way back… Sigurd Olson who fought really hard to preserve these places… and as I travel around the country and I see the spaces that have been kept for the public in the public domain. I’m just so appreciative of those people, and I don’t want to slide back.” She hopes that the people of the National Park Service and the place they protect are able to return to a sense of normalcy and stability when the dust settles.

Real estate company owner/agent Esme Martinson of Bayfield agrees on the importance of the supporting the people who work for the park. “I know a lot of them personally and think they have jobs that they are very passionate about. I think it benefits us all for us to have passionate people working in that space. I hope that the public recognizes the value of those positions because they are people, and they are carrying a heavy weight and have a big responsibility.”

Martinson and her colleagues founded Broad Street Brokers three years ago. She says the park and the lake are big reasons why people choose to live here. “I think a lot of people move here because of the lakeshore, even if they’re not super conscious of the fact that that’s what drives them here. The lake being healthy and thriving means that we have four different seasons here. We have lake effect snow, and the ice road, and all these other quirky things that contribute to our day-to-day (lives). So even if it’s not directly that they are on the water or they want the lake view, it (the lake) also causes the climate and the farms and the fruit and all the other stuff that we have.”

Martinson says she’s enjoyed a lifetime of experiences in the islands and wants future generations to have similar opportunities. “Being someone who grew up here and was a little girl out on a sailboat from a very young age. My hope personally is that the ability to get out on a sailboat, or on a ferry, or whatever to see the islands and their wildness and all the animals and things like that you experience out there… I hope that continues for the next generation and the next one after that.”

Shannon Mager of Apostle Islands Cruises also grew up around the water and around boats. She started working for the local ferry line in high school. In her current role as General Manager of the cruise company, she says the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is her business. “If that doesn’t exist, we have no reason to run. We take the people out to the islands. I want to see the park thrive and also preserve the nature of the islands and the history of the islands. So, if we don’t respect that and bring people to see it, we don’t exist.”

Mager says that while she generally avoids politics, she sees what’s happening and says, “It’s huge and it affects everybody, and it sucks that we are where we are at right now.” She says those affected aren’t just federal employees. “They are not just park staff. They are people I know. So, I hope that they can maintain their jobs and government can get their act together and stop threatening those that we need.” She says park staff meet cruise visitors on the islands, sharing information about the history and the beauty and that’s a big part of the Apostle Islands experience. 

While this story focuses on the future of he Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and the vibrant communities it supports, we also recognize the contributions of those who made the lakeshore possible. Wisconsin Governor and Senator Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day in the spring of 1970. Months later, the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore became a reality after many years of work by Nelson and others. Nelson said, “This is a unique collection of islands… there is not another collection of islands of this significance within the continental boundaries of the United States. I think it is tremendously important that this collection of islands be preserved.”

To honor Nelson, 80% of the lakeshore is now designated as the Gaylord Nelson Wilderness which gives that land protections beyond what’s allowed in the rest of the park. The designation, signed into law in 2004, guarantees that the current management style of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore will be maintained, emphasizing no motorized travel on the islands. The use of motorized chainsaws is also restricted, with the goal being to keep the area as wild as possible.

Then Superintendent Bob Krumenaker and his team developed the wilderness management plan. He said, ”We learned a lot about what people cared about in the Apostle Islands. And in the end, we learned what I think Senator Nelson instinctively knew all along-that these islands were meant to visited, enjoyed, and experienced, but that they shouldn’t ever be allowed to lose the wild and primitive character that brings people here in the first place. Wilderness designation for most of the park guarantees that future generations will be able to experience the islands in essentially the same way we can today.”

To learn more about these local business leaders and why they love our lakehore, you can read their individual interviews. We’ll be featuring more local businesses in the weeks ahead.

Julie Buckles, Honest Dog Books
Esme Martinson, Broad Street Brokers
Shannon Mager, Apostle Islands Cruises