A 2021 survey found that more than half of the roughly 2,000 respondents believe there is not enough housing for renters and low-income residents in Ashland and Bayfield counties. Dougherty added that the city typically has five police officers on staff during the summer months, but is down to one due to hiring issues.

In an interview with WPR, Tiffany said the appointment was an opportunity to put the islands in the spotlight and increase tourism spending in the region.

“We’ve heard from a lot of people in economic development, and one or two, like … the mayor of Bayfield, have said, ‘No, we don’t want any more tourism,'” Tiffany said. “But most people say yes.”

Tiffany pointed to 21 letters of support from municipalities, legislators, local chambers and economic development agencies in northern Wisconsin. Some, but not all, are identical form letters expressing support for the appointment.

“Redesignating it a national park will expand the reach of our tourism and marketing efforts and not only make Hayward a premier regional destination, but will also attract visitors from across the country,” wrote Hayward Mayor Gary Gillis.

Taylor Pedersen, president and CEO of the Superior-Douglas County Chamber of Commerce, echoed that sentiment.

“From an economic perspective, designating the Apostle Islands as a national park would create new jobs in tourism and conservation, stimulate economic growth and diversify the local economy,” Pedersen wrote.

A Tiffany office spokesperson stressed that visitor spending has nearly doubled as more people visit Indiana Dunes after the park was declared a national park, rising from about $77 million in 2018 to $141 million in 2022.

Local officials like Mary Dougherty, a Bayfield County councilwoman who chairs the county’s executive committee, doubt that this economic development will come at a cost. She and others stressed the need for a feasibility study to examine the impact of the proposal.

“There are just a lot of things that impact the environment and can cause a lot of disruption to the people who live on the Bayfield Peninsula,” she said. “Those two things have to be balanced, the experience of our visitors and the experience of the people who live here.”

Local and tribal officials say there has been no significant outreach on the proposal. Without proper consultation, the Red Cliffs Tribe must reject the bill, he said.

“The tribe is open to working with legislators on issues that ultimately affect Gaa-Miskwaabikaang (Red Cliff), its tribal members and our natural resources,” the tribe said in its statement. “However, the tribe cannot justify this law to our community. The tribe must understand the potential impacts on our members’ treaty rights.”

Tiffany told WPR that his staff had been in close contact with the tribe and its consultant.

“The National Park Service has assured us that this does not limit any existing treaty rights, but we are prepared to add an amendment to reaffirm that we will not limit any treaty rights by passing this bill,” Tiffany said in an interview.

Washburn Mayor Mary Motiff said she would like to include this in the bill, but does not support the proposal at this time.

“Currently, they do not have sufficient resources to employ personnel capable of providing the services required for the National Lakeshore,” Motiff said.

The Apostle Islands are not alone. National parks across the country are struggling to provide services as the number of full-time employees has dropped 15 percent between fiscal years 2011 and 2022. At the same time, National Park Service data shows that visitor numbers have increased more than 16 percent since 2011.

Visitor numbers to the Apostle Islands increased by more than 65 percent between 2011 and 2021. After the COVID-19 pandemic, 290,961 people visited the park, a new record. In recent years, those numbers have dropped to around 250,000 visitors. While numbers fluctuate each year, the long-term trend shows that more people are visiting the park than before the ice caves went viral on social media in 2014.

At the same time, the lakefront has seen six job cuts (38 full-time employees) compared to fiscal year 2010, and its budget has increased by only about $300,000 to $3.4 million.

Wisconsin-based Green Fire has taken a stand against the bill. Board member Susan Hedman, a former regional director of the Environmental Protection Agency, pointed out that Lake Superior was placed on the 2024 no-go list by the international travel guide Fodor’s due to the impact of tourism on water quality and availability. The publication cited the discovery of PFAS in rainbow smelts in the Apostle Islands.

“It’s already a situation where it’s being called overtourism,” Hedman said. “Plus, these are really fragile ecosystems that in many cases need work to protect and restore, and there aren’t enough resources for that.”

The group is calling on Tiffany’s office to address the park’s $66 million backlog of deferred maintenance to meet existing needs and reiterating its call for an independent review of the proposal.

A spokesman for Tiffany said the bill will undergo “rigorous” legislative review, adding that the backlog is due to agency mismanagement rather than inadequate funding. His office said designating the Apostle Islands as a national park is one of the best ways to secure more federal funding for conservation programs and infrastructure improvements.