The Outdoor Journal

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore will fare better than some national parks in Michigan as federal budget cuts take effect. Photo: Howard Meyerson

By Howard Meyerson

Hikers intending to backpack on Isle Royale this summer might want to pay extra attention to their planning. Fewer rangers will be stationed on the remote and rugged Lake Superior island, meaning fewer first-responders will be available to handle back-country emergencies. Break a leg, and you might end up waiting longer for a rescue.

Isle Royale and other national parks all absorbed a five percent budget cut this year, the result of the federal boondoggle known as “sequestration.” In Michigan, that also affects Keweenaw National Historic Park, and Sleeping Bear Dunes and Pictured Rocks national lakeshores.

You’ll feel the pinch

The impact at each varies. Most are not serious. But this is only the first year of cuts, and visitors to these national landmarks are likely to notice some of them.

“We’re closing the north and south shore ranger stations at Malone Bay and Amygdaloid Island,” said Liz Valencia, chief of interpretation and cultural resources for Isle Royale National Park. “Emergency response will take longer. Those (rangers) are usually our first-responders. Now, that response will come from Rock Harbor and Windigo.”

Most Isle Royale visitors, of course, come home smiling and none the worse for wear, but things do happen, according to Phyllis Green, the park superintendent. Hikers go out and stumble and fall. Some head out forgetting to take their medications.

“We see anything from cuts and scrapes to heart distress and heat exhaustion, things that require a higher skill level in response,” Green said. “There can be three incidents one year and 17 the next. It varies with the weather and people’s attentiveness.” Continue reading →