Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
Apostle Islands
Kayakers at Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
National parks give region an economic boost
Visitation at U.S. parks around Lake Superior seemed to be up during the 100th anniversary in 2016 of the National Park Service and they gave helped to create a $108 million economic boost for their local communities, according to numbers released this week.
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore visitation was down about 20 percent in 2016, but park officials say the decade’s overall visitation trend continues to point up, perhaps a lasting effect of the massive exposure received during the social media-fueled ice cave boom of 2014. The ice caves were not accessible in 2016.
Danielle Kaeding, reporting for Wisconsin Public Radio, quotes Julie Van Stappen from the lakeshore:
“Actually, we’re still much higher than we were prior to the ice caves.... For example, 2013 – our visitation was 148,000 and last year was (184,000),” said Van Stappen.
The 2016 report from Apostle Islands National Lakeshore says that visitor spending generated a local economic benefit of nearly $36 million.
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan set a new record with 777,428 visits, up 7.5 percent from 2015 and up a whopping 47 percent from 2014’s total. Economic benefit: $34.3 million.
Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park saw sizable visitation growth in 2016, up about 33 percent to finish the year at 24,966 visitors. Economic benefit: $6.5 million.
Grand Portage National Monument in Minnesota was up about 4 percent to 95,862 visitors. Economic output: $6.1 million.
Keweenaw National Historical Park, our least-visited park with 14,613 visitors, still generated an economic benefit of $0.9 million.
Voyageurs National Park in northeastern Minnesota had a 2 percent increase in visitation, to 241,911. Economic benefit: $24.6 million.
+ In Ontario, the numbers at Pukaskwa National Park have declined a little in recent years, but they could climb this summer thanks to free admission for Canada’s 150th birthday.
Great Lakes Aquarium director to retire
Peter Passi writes in the Duluth News Tribune:
After nearly a decade on the job as executive director of the Great Lakes Aquarium, Jack LaVoy intends to retire June 30 at the age of 70.
He will leave the aquarium in much better shape than it was when he arrived.
LaVoy was tapped to lead the aquarium at a time when it was in great financial distress.
In 2016 the aquarium logged its best attendance figures since 2002; this year it’s already pacing ahead.
+ Lake Superior Magazine contributed to the aquarium’s current “Shipwrecks Alive!” exhibit, which prominently features the Isle Royale shipwreck America.
Our own Bob Berg explained in this story: “The America, a 1928 shipwreck, was selected in part because of the aquarium’s close ties to a local feature – the ship’s actual staircase, donated for display by Cindy and Paul Hayden, owners of Lake Superior Magazine. The late Jim Marshall, former owner of the magazine, had salvage rights to the wreck.”
Porkies still recovering from ice storm
The Michigan DNR reopened all roads at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, the Ironwood Daily Globe reports, after hundreds of trees were toppled during an ice- and snowstorm last week. Meanwhile, experienced sawyers with the DNR have been brought to the park to help clean up the fallen trees.
Ten years after the Ham Lake Fire: Minnesota Public Radio’s Dan Kraker drove up the Gunflint Trail for a look back at the devastating fire that destroyed more than 130 structures and burned more than 75,000 acres in May 2007.
Shipping season starts strong for Thunder Bay: Cargo totals are up 26 percent over the 10-year average, reports NetNewsLedger.
A balancing act: In City Pages, meet Peter Juhl, whose seemingly-gravity-defying Lake Superior rock-balancing photos went viral.
The Ontario connection: Thunder Bay’s Confederation College is teaming up with Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie to “reduce the time, cost and barriers to transfer from a diploma program at the Thunder Bay college into a degree program at Algoma,” reports Leith Dunick for TBNewsWatch.
Winter’s last gasp? Minnesota surfers took advantage of the blustery, winter-like weather early this week. Here’s video from Duluth’s WDIO-TV that even made a national splash on ABC News.
Video: For some, age is truly just a number. At 95, Duluthian Mark Sertich is the world’s oldest hockey player.