The Basis For Planning
National Park Service Management Policies require that,
The planning framework for each park will contain the following elements: The park's mission, and the broad, park-wide mission goals. The park's mission includes the park's purpose and significance, based on the park's enabling legislation or Presidential proclamation, and any laws and Executive orders that apply to the national park system or to the individual park unit. Mission goals will articulate the ideals that the NPS will strive to achieve in the park.
…and so it is important to be clear just what the mission and goals of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore are.
The charge of the 1916 Organic Act:
The (NPS) shall promote and regulate the use of the Federal areas known as national parks, monuments, and reservations hereinafter specified by such means and measures as conform to the fundamental purposes of the said parks, monuments, and reservations, which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations… (emphasis added)
…is well-known, and requires no further elucidation. However, it will be valuable to re-examine Public Law 91-424, which created the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on September 26, 1970. In this landmark act, Congress directed the National Park Service,
to conserve and develop for the benefit, inspiration, education, recreational use, and enjoyment of certain significant islands and shoreline of the United States, and their related geographic, scenic, and scientific values...[1]
This Act continues,
The Secretary may provide for the public enjoyment and understanding of the unique natural, historical, scientific, and archeological features of the Apostle Islands through the establishment of such trails, observation points, exhibits, and services as he may deem desirable.
It is clear from these passages that the Congress set great value on the cultural resources of the islands, and expected the Service to make their preservation and management a matter of highest priority.[2]
In order to put their legislative mandates into practice, managers of national parks are expected to seek guidance from the agency's Management Policies. This guiding document is clear on the proper approach toward stewardship of cultural resources:
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"The Service's cultural resource management program involves... stewardship to ensure that cultural resources are preserved and protected, receive appropriate treatments (including maintenance) to achieve desired conditions, and are made available for public understanding and enjoyment."(Introduction)
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"The Park Service will provide for the long-term preservation of, public access to, and appreciation of the features, materials, and qualities contributing to the significance of cultural resources." (Section 5.3.5)
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"The National Park Service will employ the most effective concepts, techniques, and equipment to protect cultural resources against theft, fire, vandalism, overuse, deterioration, environmental impacts, and other threats without compromising the integrity of the resources." (Section 5.3.1) [3]
Further guidance can be found in NPS Director's Order #28: Cultural Resource Management:
The National Park Service, as steward of many of America's most important cultural resources, is charged to preserve them for the enjoyment of present and future generations. Management decisions and activities throughout the National Park System must reflect awareness of the irreplaceable nature of these resources. (1.1; emphasis added)
The following comments on several specific issues and options will address how well they meet these legislative and policy mandates.
Continue to Issue 1: The Future of the Light Stations
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Notes
[1] It is regrettable that the term "geographic," contained in this Act, is omitted from the "Purpose Statements of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore" presented on the sidebar of page 3 of the Options For Future Management. It is noteworthy that the 1971 edition of the Merriam-Webster Third International Dictionary, essentially contemporary with the drafting of this legislation, defines “geographic” as pertaining to:
"the science that deals with the earth and its life; esp.: the description of land, sea, air, and the distribution of plant and animal life including man and his industries with reference to the mutual relations of these diverse elements. (emphasis added)
[2] Some park managers have in the past expressed the viewpoint, "The enabling legislation says nothing about lighthouses," so that presumably, the park is somehow less obligated to ensure their preservation. This is a spurious argument; PL 91-424 was drafted in general terms, and mentions neither lighthouses, eagles, piping plovers, nor sand spits; the Service is expected to look to other legislation (e.g., the National Historic Preservation Act, the Endangered Species Act, etc.), and to conduct sound research, to determine the nature and extant of the resources within the park.
[3] These mandates are not negotiable: the word "will" is used, not "may."
Copyright Bob Mackreth,
2006
All Rights Reserved
The Document Under Review
Options
For Future Management
(PDF format; 2.8 Mb)