APOSTLE ISLANDS

• United States Senator Gaylord Nelson, who was from Wisconsin, was a big supporter of environment issues. He sponsored the federal legislation that established the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The law was signed by President Richard Nixon on September 26, 1970. The park included 20 islands, a 12-mile (19 km) strip of the mainland, and shoreline encompassing 69,372 acres.

NATIONAL PARK RECOGNITION

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a US national lakeshore consisting of 21 islands and shoreline encompassing 69,372 acres on the northern tip of Wisconsin on the shore of Lake Superior.

MAP OF THE PARK

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES• The Apostle islands are being slowly eroded by rising water,

strong storms, glaciers and winds. • The quality of water in Lake Superior is pretty good but there

are many pollutants near the lakeshore that may cause problems including runoffs from local farms and local sewage treatment plants.

• Several species are invading the islands. These species include the Gypsy Moth, Zebra Mussels and Spotted Knapweed. The moths destroy trees, the mussels destroy the shoreline, pipes and shipwrecks and the knapweed destroys the beaches.

SPECIAL FEATURES• Apostle Islands National Lakeshore has more lighthouses than any other

National Park Service area (eight historic towers on six islands).• Ice Caves that attract thousands of tourists annually. • All island water systems use solar electricity

HOW TECHNOLOGY IS BEING USED• They are now using hybrid vehicle models of the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape.• They replaced florescent light bulbs with LED bulbs in over 75% of Park owned buildings. LED bulbs

are more energy efficient, longer lasting and are friendly to the environment.• The use of ten photovoltaic (solar) electrical systems to operate island water systems and provide

all the power to island ranger stations and staff quarters. These systems provide a cost effective means of supplying clean renewable power for items such as water pumps, septic system mound pumps, refrigerators, fans, lighting, cell phone recharging and two-way radios.

• Changing existing computers, monitors and uninterruptible power supplies to new "Green" models, which increased energy efficiency and the cost savings while minimizing environmental impacts.

• The islands and ovens replaced with small stovetop burners to reduce use of propane and promote sustainable seasonal employee living.

• They replaced lighting in the Park Service buildings with LED lights.• The Power Management of Electronic Equipment policy to promote more efficient energy use by

park staff while at work.

GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS• The Apostle Islands sandstones were deposited about a billion years ago,

to form the basement rock for all the islands.  Sand deposits in this environment were thinly-bedded, fine-grained, and extensively ripple marked. These deposits eventually became the sandstone known as the Devils Island Formation, named for the location where it was first identified and first described by geologists.

• Easily eroded sandstone of the Devils Island Formation are the source of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore's spectacular a large group of sea caves.

HOW WAS THE PARK FORMED

• The Apostle Islands were originally part of the Bayfield Peninsula which is located in Wisconsin. It took hundreds of years of nature to make the Apostle Islands. Sand deposits from many streams and rivers carried sandstone that helped create the Devil’s Island Formation. Freezing and thawing waters helped to sculpt the shoreline. Extreme periods of rising and falling lake levels caused the Apostles to eventually separate from the peninsula. Waves and winds helped to carve out the cliffs. The cliffs are made from thin layers of sandstone. Sandstone is easily eroded so behind the cliffs, sea caves developed where the rock formation is really thin.

HOW IS THE LAND CHANGING?• The Apostle Islands will always change because they are surrounded by

water. The water level rises and falls and causes major erosion to the land. The islands are exposed to intense storms and are affected by the variation in the water levels of Lake Superior. The islands are made up of sandstone which is easily eroded. This will continue to happen because of the surrounding water.