Manitou Island – one of the 21 islands comprising northern Wisconsin’s
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore – has been temporarily closed to the
public due to black bear activity. A resident bear has been acting in an
increasingly worrisome fashion in recent days, displaying behavior that is
either overly-aggressive, or overly-friendly.

“We don’t enjoy closing places to our visitors,” said Apostle Islands
National Lakeshore superintendent Bob Krumenaker, “especially since we had
just re-opened the fish camp to public tours again this summer. This bear
has gotten too bold for comfort, though. Until we can learn more about this
bear, we decided it was best to give it some space.”

In recent days, a volunteer staying at the Manitou Island Fish Camp was
backed into an outhouse by a bear, only to have the bear lie down in front
of the outhouse door, preventing the volunteer from opening it. Visitors
have also been reporting close encounters with the bear, and it may have
gotten some human food on one occasion.

NPS staff will monitor the bear, and will attempt to deter it from staying
in areas frequented by people. As soon as it appears the bear will stay
away from visitor use areas, the island will be reopened. In the past the
NPS trapped problem bears and moved them to the mainland. That practice has
been rejected in recent years because it either failed (bears often
returned to the island) or because it simply made a problem bear someone
else’s problem.

Manitou Island is home to an historic fish camp, two miles of hiking
trails, and a solitary campsite. It is not considered a heavily visited
site, typically drawing 2,000 to 3,000 visitor days per year.

-NPS-