Is Wisconsin Getting Its First National Park?

An effort is underway to give Wisconsin its first national park, with a congressman from the Badger State leading the charge to make it happen.

Tom Tiffany, who represents Wisconsin's 7th District (which covers most of Northern Wisconsin), will be proposing a new bill that aims to convert a popular outdoor destination in his district to what would be the state's first national park.

Tiffany shared that he will be proposing a redesignation of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore to become a national park. Our news partners at WDIO report he will formally submit this bill at the Federal Land Subcommittee meeting on July 24.

The Apostle Islands earned designation as a National Lakeshore on September 26, 1970, encompassing a total of 69,372 acres. Of that, 27,323 acres are submerged lands in Lake Superior.

What's the difference between a national lakeshore and a national park?

The U.S. Department of the Interior, which manages the country's public lands, defines each of them as the following:

National Lakeshores are designed to preserve shorelines and islands, offering recreation opportunities. The Apostle Islands website explains the purpose of their national lakeshore designation is to "conserve and develop for the benefit, inspiration, education, recreational use, and enjoyment of the public" spaces like the Apostle Islands.

There are currently four national lakeshores on the Great Lakes and 10 national seashores on ocean coastlines in the country.

READ MORE: Wisconsin's 10 best state parks visitors can't stop raving about

National Parks are defined as spaces that "tend to be large swaths of land that protect a variety of resources, including natural and historic features". The aim for these spaces is to "strive to keep landscapes unimpaired for future generations while offering recreation opportunities".

One notable difference is that things like hunting and offroad vehicles are often permitted in some national lakeshore spaces, while there are more restrictive rules for national parks.

What would it take to make the Apostle Islands a national park?

According to the National Park Service, there are three criteria required to designate a space as a national park.

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Those three things are:

• The area must possess nationally significant natural, cultural, or recreational resources
• Be a suitable and feasible addition to the National Park System
• Require direct NPS management instead of protection by some other government agency or by the private sector

If a unit under consideration meets these requirements, it can then be added to the National Park System through an act of Congress, which is what Tiffany is working on making happen.

Why make the Apostle Islands a national park?

Congressman Tiffany says the goal would be to grow tourism to the Apostle Islands and nearby towns like Bayfield.

The Ashland Daily Press reports that the redesignation could lead to a significant increase in funding from both the state and federal government to enhance and support the park, programs, and conservation efforts.

In a release from the National Park Service, they say tourism to the Apostle Islands creates $45.2 million in economic benefits to the area, supporting hundreds of jobs in the local economy.

A redesignation would raise the profile of the Apostle Islands as well, which could draw larger numbers of visitors to the space.