Isle Royale National Park officials want to build new visitor facilities at Windigo/NPS
More visitor facilities are being proposed at Isle Royale National Park, where the National Park Service says weary existing facilities and an increase in visitation have created a need for the improvements at the Windigo area on the western end of the island in Lake Superior.
Under the park's preferred alternative in the draft Windigo Development Concept Plan/Environmental Assessment, a new road, buildings, cabins (up to four additional Camper Cabins), and concessionaire housing would be built within the developed area's 400-acre footprint. There also would be new interpretive areas and exhibits, and a new septic field might be developed.
The proposed maintenance road, nearly a half-mile long, would be built "from the NPS housing area (upgradient of the Camper Cabins) to the maintenance area in the northeast portion of Windigo, and from there to the water tower. The road would be a utility-type double-track path (two paths with a grass strip between them) capable of use by a tractor or large forklift for one-way traffic at a time."
Public comment on the draft EA is being taken through August 20.
Visitation to Isle Royale is tiny compared to other national parks, with just 28,196 counted last year, but park staff note that's a roughly 50 percent increase from 18,684 in 2015.
"Although there is a sense of remoteness upon arrival at Windigo (approximately 80 percent of the area viewshed is wilderness), there is not a sense of orientation that a visitor has arrived at a national park," the Park Service said in explaining the need for additional development.
According to the draft EA, which you can find on this page, the concessions store "has structural and utility deficiencies," and is too small. The visitor center at Windigo also is too small for current visitation, the EA says, and the grade of the paths that lead to both buildings is too great for ADA requirements.
"Enhanced visibility of the visitor facilities with a unifying architectural theme is needed to create a sense of arrival at Isle Royale, because they should know immediately that they are welcomed at a national park," the draft says.
A new road nearly a half-mile long is among the proposed improvements/NPS
The draft EA does not include a price tag for these improvements, nor say when funding might become available to afford them.
"Construction of facilities would occur over time as funds become available," the document said. "The length of construction projects could vary from a few weeks (for overlooks and interpretive displays) to several months (for the concession store). Funding for constructing the proposed improvements may come from a combination of private sources and NPS sources."
At the end of Fiscal 2017 (last September 30), Isle Royale's maintenance backlog totaled $17.7 million, according to Park Service records.
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Comments
So what about taking care of what is already there first? Last look I saw this park had about $15 million in deferred maintenance.
"Although there is a sense of remoteness upon arrival at Windigo (approximately 80 percent of the area viewshed is wilderness), there is not a sense of orientation that a visitor has arrived at a national park," the Park Service said in explaining the need for additional development."
As if folks paying big bucks for a long boat ride don't know where they're going! I'd say an apparently greater need is for the NPS Regional Office development faction to justify their jobs.
This development priority in NPS management reminds me of former superintendent Uberuaga (yes, he of the six-figure bribe from a concessionaire), who wanted to reverse the one-way Paradise Valley Road so that visitors did not see Mount Rainier until his $25M new visitor center was in the foreground!
More important, I think, is upgrading the already existing facilities at Rock Harbor where most visitors arrive. Rock Harbor Lodge is a mess. It is badly managed, the accomodations are outdated, dirty, and badly need repair.The dockside information building is small and run down. The campground shelters and outhouses need repair. The docks are in bad repair. I could go on, but suffice it to say that it would make more sense to repair and take care of the facilities that exist than to dream of building new ones.
I have a long history with Isle Royale and hate to see it not cared for.