MUNISING - A lands bill that included a provision designating 11,739 acres as wilderness at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore will not make its way through Congress this year.
Last May, Sens. Carl Levin, D-Southfield, and Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, introduced the Beaver Basin Wilderness Act. The omnibus lands bill will not be taken up before Congress adjourns for the year.
In all, the extensive package contained more than 150 bills, which included provisions to create or expand several wilderness areas, designate new national scenic trails and provide more wild and scenic rivers designations.
Some key members of Congress, especially those from Western states, helped stop the bill from being taken up.
"While it is disappointing that the lands bill containing the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore wilderness language has been blocked from Senate passage this year, I plan to reintroduce the Beaver Basin Wilderness Act early next year for consideration in the new Congress," Levin said.
The National Park Service has been working to finalize the establishment of the Beaver Basin Wilderness Area, which is one component of the park's General Management Plan completed and approved in 2004, after five years of planning and extensive public involvement.
"We have worked very hard to address all of the public concerns that were raised during that planning process, including limiting the total acreage, allowing for the continued use of electric motors on Little Beaver and Beaver lakes and ensuring that motorized boats on Lake Superior will continue to be able to beach adjacent to the wilderness area," said Pictured Rocks Superintendent Jim Northup.
Northup said the wilderness designation involves only 16 percent of the total acreage within the national lakeshore.
"Wilderness designation will not change anything about public access or use of this area," Northup said. "The area will remain open for every form of recreational use currently allowed in this portion of the park, including hunting, fishing, overnight backpacking, day-hiking and boating."
Northup said the National Park Service will continue to maintain all of the trails in this portion of the park and all of the designated backcountry campsites.
"The primary benefit of wilderness designation will be to provide permanent protection to this portion of the park and preserve these opportunities for generations to come," Northup said. "Particularly in these difficult economic times, we are seeing that nature-based tourism is very important to the local area."
"With over 425,000 people coming to Pictured Rocks every year, we need to keep them coming by offering a diversity of recreational opportunities in the area," Northup said.
Last June, speaking to the National Parks Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Levin said it is important that the natural features of the Beaver Basin "remain the treasure they are today."
"By continuing to manage the land as a primitive area, the National Park Service will ensure that opportunities for solitude and recreation are available," Levin said.
Levin said that during the management plan development, some people were concerned the wilderness designation could adversely affect the local economy.
Levin said he investigated this idea by talking to local officials in the surrounding area.
"No specific negative impacts from the National Park Service's management approach were described by the local communities," Levin said. "Rather, the main concern expressed by local communities regarded whether this wilderness designation would prompt additional wilderness designations at Pictured Rocks."
Levin said no additional wilderness designations at the park are contemplated by this legislation.
Northup praised the efforts of Levin and Stabenow.
"We are very grateful to Sens. Levin and Stabenow for sponsoring legislation to designate the Beaver Basin Wilderness Area within Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and hope the Congress will act on this proposal soon," Northup said. "Future generations will thank them."
