After more than two decades of work in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore biologist Peggy Burkman retired in May. Her appreciation for the islands extends from the many native animals, birds and plants that inhabit the islands, to the important ecosystems and beyond. Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore board member Neil Howk sat down with Peggy to ask ten questions about her work, her adventures and her love for the Lakeshore.

Neil: Why did you apply to work in the Apostle Islands?

Peggy: I think that my path to the Apostle Islands started when I was a kid because I fell in love with Lake Superior and the minute I saw the advertisement for the (biologist) job I just knew that I would be interested in it. I started reading more about this archipelago with all these unique features and I just jumped at the chance (to work here) because it’s such a beautiful location. So that’s primarily the reason.

Neil: Do you remember your first experience in the Apostle Islands?

Peggy: I started working in December (of 2002), so at first I just had office time. Then a month or two later my supervisor Julie had organized a group of people from several organizations to go out to Oak Island for a winter wildlife track survey. So, we snowmobiled across the ice from Roy’s Point to the sandspit at the southeast corner of the island. Some of us were dropped off there. We were geared up with snowshoes and radios and GPS units. We each took a preplanned transect to walk across the island. That’s a big island! (chuckle) I don’t remember any particularly unique wildlife track, but I do recall having to backtrack across a ravine that had a ton of snow in it because my radio had fallen out of my backpack. But I found it, so it was all good!

Neil: Can you describe some of the different tasks you performed as part of your job?

Peggy: That could be a very long list. The job of a biologist is fun, for one thing, because no two days are the same, although winter is primarily office work. When I arrived the park had already focused on long term monitoring of native and invasive plants and animals. Habitat monitoring and management and working with researchers.

NPS biologist Peggy Burkman and Sumner Matteson looking for piping plovers on Outer Island – NPS photo

So in that framework I was able to do surveys for breeding birds and eagles, and colonial nesting birds, and piping plovers. Plover chick banding day was always the best because I got to hold the little chicks while the bander put the bands on their legs. In the vegetation arena I monitored sandscapes for plant damage. We did a fair amount of vegetation restoration at various sites, pre- and post-burn vegetation monitoring. You know there is a lot of behind the scenes work that supports projects like this. Like writing funding proposals, managing funds, project coordination, data analysis, and report writing. I did a lot of map making with GIS too, which was the most enjoyable indoor activity…

Neil: Of all the projects you worked on, which would you say was the most challenging?

Peggy: Land management projects have the greatest potential to be challenging because, most often that’s where human values come into whatever process you are going through. People, of course, are going to be interested in their own focus area. As a biologist, over my career, I’ve tried very hard to take the perspective of any given ecosystem under consideration and really promote actions that support the diversity, structure and function of that particular system. Including appropriate natural disturbance regimes. 

This last element is really important at Apostle Islands because of Canada yew. It’s a species that does not like disturbance. The park has this great landscape scale representation (of yew), probably the best in the Great Lakes states. Subsequently it is important beyond the park. So, as managers, people have to be very careful that they understand the ecology of what the system needs and not only what their personal value is.

Neil: What would you say is your favorite part of the job?

Peggy: I love to learn and I really liked working with researchers and getting to the point where I understood various aspects of the park’s ecology. Canada yew is a good example here too, because it’s a keystone species because it’s important to the vegetation and wildlife in the park. Yew is a shrubby species that helps retain soil moisture, that supports hemlock and yellow birch and cedar… That whole ecosystem is important because the trees provide the shade that the yew likes and the yews make sure the soil stays moist enough for the trees.

American marten – NPS photo

Neil: What was your scariest experience in the park?

Peggy: Oh that’s easy. I was picked up off of Outer Island during really rough conditions in one of the smaller boats early in my time here, probably in the first five years. It was rough to begin with, but at one point a boat line got tangled in one of the motors and the operator had to shut that motor down. That left us with just one motor, which was not adequate for the situation. The deckhand took a knife and leaned over the motor and was able to cut that line so the motor was operable again. Coming into Roy’s Point was really scary because of the wave conditions across the entrance (to the marina). We made it, but I decided I wasn’t doing that again, no matter what!

Neil: What is your most rewarding accomplishment in this job?

Peggy: I really enjoyed working with the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science to complete a vulnerability assessment. It focused on the park habitats. I developed the funding proposal and the research questions, provided a lot of data and input for the analysis, and helped coordinate the expert analysis into the process… One of the employees at the institute, Steven Handler, was the primary author and he took it from there. That was a really rewarding project and a rewarding process working with a bunch of great people.

Neil: What’s the most memorable thing you’ve seen in the Apostle Islands?

Peggy: This one could be lots of different things, but one that popped to mind when I was thinking about this was several years ago we got a handful of calls from kayakers about a bald eagle that was stuck in a small cave at the mainland sea caves and it wasn’t doing very well. So a few biological technicians and I took our boat, the Ardea, out there. We found the eagle and it was indeed in this little, it wasn’t even a true cave, it was just a depression. The waves were coming in and the bird was looking exhausted and looked like it would end up in the lake. We were able to get the boat right up to the depression (in the cliff) and one of the technicians used a blanket to collect the bird. Then we got it into an animal carrier. I was able to connect with a raptor rehabilitator who had a pilot that would meet me at the Ashland airport to fly the bird down to the rehab center. So, I did that and about a week later the rehabber called me and arranged to release the bird back into the park. That felt really good, but I can still picture that poor bird exhausted in that little depression, and, for whatever reason, it still sticks in my mind.

Peggy Burkman examines rock formation

Neil: What do you have planned for the next chapter of your life?

Peggy: Well, you don’t turn off being a biologist and so I’m always going to be very passionate about natural resources. I’ve been concerned about climate change for a long time, so I’m planning on spending some time supporting both of these (interests) in various ways. I’m getting involved with a group that is just starting to look at the feasibility of starting a carbon cooperative in the area.

I’m also interested I doing some writing relating to both these interests. I’ve been someone who has made stuff my entire life and I’m a wood carver for birds. I want to spend more time on my creative side, but I also want to try to explore ways to merge my resources passion with my creativity and see where that goes.

I’m also very interested in going to a few places, such as the Scotland, Ireland, England area exploring my roots. I’m interested in going to Costa Rica because we were supposed to when our daughter turned 21 and we weren’t able to because of Covid. And (Id like to) go to Utah because, again, I love rock formations and I just want to spend time wandering around Utah.

Neil: Well, Peggy, that’s about all I need. Thank you so much.