A bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany seeks to turn the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore into a national park, a move that would ban hunting on all but one island.

While hunting and trapping are allowed throughout most of the national lakeshore’s 21 islands in Lake Superior and 12 miles of mainland Bayfield Peninsula coastline, the bill introduced last week by the Republican representing Northwestern Wisconsin explicitly bans hunting if the area were to become a national park.

Unlike national lakeshores and other National Park Service-administered land, hunting is rarely allowed in national parks. Instead, the bill would remove Sand Island from its national lakeshore designation and designate it the Sand Island National Preserve instead of including it in the proposed national park. Therefore, hunting would be allowed on the approximately 3,000-acre island.

Fishing would be unaffected by the bill.

“The Apostle Islands are one of Wisconsin’s true crown jewels and deserve to be recognized as the state’s first National Park,” Tiffany said in a July 24 news release. “This prestigious designation would not only strengthen conservation efforts, bolster the local economy, and create new job opportunities, but would also ensure lasting environmental and economic security to our region for generations to come.”

Two issues

Frank Lands, the National Park Service’s deputy director for operations, testified during a July 24 hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Federal Lands that the bill was not introduced in time for the department to take a position.

Lands said two issues need to be addressed. The first is to clarify the relationship between the proposed Apostle Islands National Park and Sand Island National Preserve.

The other, Lands said, “is the need for reinforcement of the treaty rights of the Ojibwe tribes. Part of the Lakeshore is within the (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) tribal reservation and the remaining land are areas ceded by the treaty with the reservations to hunt, trap and gather.”

Charlie Rasmussen, a spokesperson for the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, said Ojibwe tribes were tracking the proposal.

“The Apostle Islands are an important hunting and fishing region for Ojibwe tribes,” Rasmussen said. “Any action that may infringe on treaty rights and harvesting is a concern.”

The Red Cliff Band did not respond to request for comment.

Sailboats rest at anchor at sunset on a Aug. evening, just off the shore of Stockton Island in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore near Bayfield. (Sam Cook / Duluth News Tribune)

Lakeshore designation selected to allow hunting

Tia Nelson is the daughter of the late U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, a Democrat from Wisconsin who is credited with establishing the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in 1970 and Earth Day. Nelson said her father spent years consulting with people in and around the Apostle Islands, and access to hunting was part of the reason it became a national lakeshore instead of a national park.

“That surprised me considering Tiffany’s long commitment to public access for hunting,” Nelson said of the proposal. “This will clearly disenfranchise the sportsmen and women.”

Caroline Briscoe, a spokesperson for Tiffany’s office, said only three deer were harvested from the Apostle Islands between 2015 and 2022 and that existing treaty rights would remain.

Tourism concerns

State Sen. Romaine Quinn, R-Rice Lake, whose district includes Bayfield and the Apostle Islands, said a national park would benefit the area.

“Increased tourism will create new job opportunities, stimulate economic growth and support the livelihoods of many in the Bayfield area and beyond,” Quinn testified in the subcommittee hearing Wednesday.

But Madelaine Rekemeyer, a member of the Bayfield County Board of Supervisors, said the area isn’t hurting for more tourists.

“I’m not against economic development,” Rekemeyer said. “We will be increasing tourism based on current economic development towards a model that currently has many unintended consequences.”

For example, Rekemeyer said, there’s a shortage of housing, driven in part by more short-term rentals for tourists, and area workers can’t find places to live.

The Sand Island Lighthouse is located at the northern tip of Sand Island on Lake Superior in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. The light was first lit in 1881. (Dan Williamson / Duluth News Tribune)

Several Bayfield tourism and chamber officials expressed those concerns in a Wisconsin Public Radio article Thursday.

There’s still more to learn, Rekemeyer said. After all, the board only became aware of the proposal last week, she said.

“Everyone agrees this was just kind of sprung up on us,” Rekemeyer said. “Listening to the hearing yesterday in Washington, D.C., it does look like a conversation will continue, and for that we’re grateful.”

U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, a Republican from Hermantown representing Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District, and the other four members of Wisconsin’s delegation in the U.S. House co-sponsored the bill.

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Call the 3M Open the career resurrector.

TPC Twin Cities is quickly becoming notorious for being a site where struggling golfers can pick themselves off the mat.

In 2020, Michael Thompson picked up his first PGA Tour victory in seven years when he emerged victorious in Blaine. In 2021, Cameron Champ won after missing the cut or withdrawing in 10 of his previous 15 events.

And now, Jhonattan Vegas — who entered the tournament playing on a medical exemption — is back in the winner’s circle for the first time since 2017.

The Venezuelan birdied his 72nd-and-final hole of the week on Sunday to get to 17-under for the tournament, one shot clear of tour rookie Max Greyserman.

After belting a drive on No. 18 down the center of the fairway, Vegas’ second on the Par-5 finishing hole found the left side of the green, 96 feet from the cup. Vegas had two putts to win the tournament. His first was a beauty, peeking at the cup as it rolled a comfortable 3 feet past, leaving a straightforward short putt he drilled to hoist the trophy in front of his family — including his children, who were also in attendance — on the 18th green.

With the win comes a $1.458 million check, a full-time exemption through the 2026 PGA Tour campaign and 500 FedExCup points that move the 39 year old — who entered the week 149th in the standings and on the verge of losing his tour status — into 66th, likely meaning he’ll qualify for this year’s playoffs.

What a difference four days make.

“Wow, yes, seven years. In my head it doesn’t really seem that it’s been that long,” Vegas said. “You know, it hasn’t been easy, that’s for sure. It’s been a lot of grinding, a lot of dealing with injuries, a lot of headaches, but these are the moments that you get up every day and you work hard, you do all the right things because nothing feels better than this.”

Vegas — who spent the last two-plus years battling an elbow injury and then a shoulder issue, which required multiple surgeries to resolve — once again has a secure future in professional golf.

It didn’t come easy. Vegas started the day with a bogey. For as good as he felt Saturday in moving to the top of the leaderboard, Sunday was a struggle. The shoulder was again in pain.

“Today, I wasn’t 100% and I felt it right away on the first hole,” said Vegas, who finished in a tie for second in Blaine in 2021. “It was a nightmare, but luckily stayed calm and I was able to play pretty solid and not make huge mistakes.”

Every time he had a slip up, he’d find a way to respond.

At one point in the round, Vegas’ lead was three strokes. But then he found the water on No. 9 and had to get up and down for bogey, didn’t birdie the par-5 12th and bogeyed No. 13.

At that point, four men were tied for the lead at 15-under and Vegas appeared to be heading in the wrong direction.

But Vegas recovered. A 9-foot birdie putt on No. 15 moved him to 16-under.

That’s the score posted by Greyserman, who shot his round of the season — an 8-under 63 — on Sunday, which included a 30 on the back nine.That was punctuated by an impressive birdie on No. 18 in which Greyserman hit his tee shot into the sea of concession stands under the trees left of the fairway. He had only a small window between the trunks to hit the ball through. He took it on, hammering a wood that slipped through the trees and traveled 260 yards to the putting surface.

Greyserman two-putted from 79 feet to take the clubhouse lead at 16-under. He provided the stiffest test, as Vegas’ playing partners — Matt Kuchar and Maverick McNealy — failed to generate enough quality shots and putts over the final few holes to make a serious move. They both finished in a tie for third at 15-under.

Kuchar — who entered the week at No. 155 in the FedExCup standings — is the only player to have reached the playoffs in every year since the format was created in 2007. And while this weekend’s performance moved him up to No. 111 — greatly improving his chances of maintaining full status next season — a win would’ve likely pushed him into the playoffs.

Now, he’ll probably need a victory at the Wyndham Championship in two weeks to move into the top 70.

“Certainly making the playoffs, keeping my job for next year, they’re all checkmarks. I normally like to check these off a lot earlier in the year than right now, but tis the bed I made. Certainly helpful,” Kuchar said. “It is on my mind, it is something that I know is kind of back there. I don’t want to miss the Playoffs, don’t want to miss Top-125, all those things you tend to try to check off somewhere on the west coast, but here I am late in the year, trying to still check them off.”

Vegas likely entered the week with similar concerns, and went out and alleviated them with a victory.

“That’s the beauty of golf, that’s the beauty of the PGA Tour,” Vegas said. “No other tour in the world provides that. Any week can change your life forever, so just thankful the win came this week.”

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On the surface, it wouldn’t appear too easy for the Saints to find any positives to take out of a 9-1 loss to the Omaha Storm Chasers on Sunday at CHS Field. But another sign that starting pitcher Louie Varland is beginning to find his groove again was a legitimate reason for optimism.

Varland took the loss to drop his record to 3-8. He pitched five innings, allowing three runs on four hits. He struck out six while allowing four walks. Both he and pitching coach Pete Larson will take it.

Prior to Sunday, Varland had three outstanding starts following the low point of his season, when he allowed 11 earned runs on 11 hits over 2 1/3 innings against Toledo on June 23. The previous two games, he allowed a total of four hits in 11 2/3 scoreless innings.

“I’ve been really impressed with how, with the changes we’ve made, he’s bought in on them,” Larson said. “He’s really picked it up his last four (starts). It’s nice to get some momentum, and hopefully he can keep carrying that on and finish the season out strong.”

Larson said one of the changes has to do with Varland’s delivery — having a higher front side when he strides toward the plate to produce more leverage.

“It’s something we played around with last year, so we brought that back,” Larson said. “Maybe he slightly got away from it. It might not be the biggest thing, but it helps with consistency.

“And then a little shift on the rubber. He’s seen a little benefit from that, too.”

Asked about the work he is doing with Larson, Varland said, “I’m working on a couple pitches, but I’m pretty much the same pitcher I always have been.”

But, with better results than he was getting earlier in the season.

“His changeup is improving, and we’re seeing some really good life on his fastball, too,” Larson said. “He’s got a pretty good arsenal. Throughout his tenure, he has tried everything; he’s worked on and developed a lot of different pitches.

“I think it’s ironing the mix with the lineup that night for how we best use it.”

Varland said he is looking at the 11-run nightmare as what he hopes to be the turning point in his season. It could end up being a turning point in his career.

“That was the lowest of the low, result wise,” he said. “I don’t want to do that again.”

Larson played a role in helping Varland get through some dark days.

“You’ve got to sympathize and try to meet him where he’s at currently,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to be around Louie for a lot of years now and I’ve seen the whole progression. That
was a tough one, and we’ve looked at video, (pitch) usage — just trying to find something different.

“I think we just went back, when things were clicking and he was rolling last year, what were some of the things he was doing to help maximize that? At the end of the day it might not be those changes that made a difference, but it helped right the ship.”

While Sunday’s outing wasn’t as good as the three previous ones, the positives outweighed the negatives.

“You want to regain confidence, you want to see some success,” Larson said. “When he has success, he’s getting swings and misses, he’s using the fastball well and he’s showing good velocity, too.

“A combination of those things leads to being comfortable and more consistent outings.”

Varland was solid through the first four innings on Sunday, the only blemish coming on a solo home run to lead off the second inning. He struggled in the fifth after retiring the first two batters. A walk and a two-run home run gave the Storm Chasers a 3-1 lead.

Varland walked the next two batters but got out of the inning when shortstop Rylan Bannon made a diving stop on a hard hit ball over second base and threw to first for the out.

Larson noted that the walks came on a hot day when Varland’s pitch count was beginning to climb.

“I wouldn’t say it was it was wildness at all,” Varland said of the walks. “I think I was barely missing. I think they made an adjustment that last inning and weren’t swinging at pitches they normally would have swung at.”

Varland said he isn’t ready to proclaim that he is back to where he wants to be.

“I’m never satisfied,” he said. “There’s always room to grow.”

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