Apostle Islands Renamed National Park and Preserve: Hunting Banned in New Park Zone, Treaty Rights Protected

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is getting a major upgrade—and a name change—under the new Apostle Islands National Park and Preserve Act. This bill effectively splits the current Lakeshore into two distinct management zones: the Apostle Islands National Park and the Apostle Islands National Preserve. While the Secretary of the Interior will manage the whole area as a single unit within the National Park System, the rules for what you can actually do there depend heavily on which side of the boundary line you’re standing on.

The Name Change and the Management Split

This isn’t just a cosmetic change; it shifts the management framework. The old Lakeshore designation is being replaced by a National Park and a National Preserve, each with different rules governing recreational use. The boundaries for this split are defined by a specific map dated October 2024. For local governments and officials, this means any old law or document referencing the “National Lakeshore” must now be interpreted as referring to the “National Park and Preserve.” This administrative change is designed to elevate the area’s status, potentially bringing more national attention and funding, but it also introduces new jurisdictional complexities.

Where You Can Still Hunt (And Where You Can’t)

This is the part that hits local recreational users directly. Under the new law, hunting and trapping are generally banned within the area designated as the Apostle Islands National Park. If you’re someone who previously hunted or trapped in parts of the old Lakeshore now designated as the National Park, those activities are now off-limits. The bill makes only one major exception: it explicitly states that this ban does not apply if a treaty, statute, or executive order specifically allows a Tribe to hunt or trap there.

In contrast, the rules for the Apostle Islands National Preserve are different. The Secretary must manage hunting and trapping in the Preserve exactly as they were managed before this law passed, following the old National Lakeshore rules. This means if you’re a hunter, you’ll need to study that new boundary map carefully. Your activity might be legal on one side of a line and illegal on the other, depending on the specific history of that land parcel. Fishing, thankfully, avoids this split, with rules across both the Park and the Preserve remaining the same as they were under the old Lakeshore designation.

Ironclad Protection for Treaty Rights

One of the most important provisions in this Act is the explicit protection of Tribal rights. The bill states clearly that nothing in the legislation is intended to diminish or change any rights established by a Tribe through a treaty, statute, or executive order. This includes rights to hunt, fish, trap, or gather resources within the newly designated National Park and Preserve. Essentially, the bill ensures that while the management structure changes, established Tribal access and resource rights remain fully intact, regardless of the new Park/Preserve split or the new general hunting ban.

What Visitors Will See

Finally, the bill mandates a small but important change for anyone visiting the islands. The Secretary must ensure that the main visitor centers include signs detailing the region's rich history. This includes the story of the Ojibwe tribes, early settlers, the fur trade, logging, lighthouses, and commercial fishing. For the average visitor, this means a more comprehensive and mandated historical context will be part of the experience, moving beyond just the natural environment to include the human history that shaped the area.