Effective June 19, 2008, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore has re-opened the
Mainland Trail, which begins at Meyers Beach on the park’s mainland unit.

The trail had been closed since June 9th due to bear activity.

In the days leading up to June 9th, a mother black bear and her two cubs had been
frequenting the Meyers Beach parking lot, and had been feeding on a deer carcass

adjacent to the trail. The mother had a natural possessiveness relative to the carcass,
and was guarding it against visitors hiking on the trail. To prevent any unfortunate
encounters, the National Park Service closed the popular hiking trail to
give the mother and her cubs some space.

Following some patrols earlier in the week, the NPS has determined that the bears
have moved on.

As always, visitors should be aware of their surroundings, and should do
everything they can to avoid attracting bears to human food sources.

NPS