A large bear that has been way too interested in human visitors lately has prompted Apostle Islands National Lakeshore staff to prohibit visitors’ access to Oak Island’s trails and beaches as a safety precaution.
Oak Island is part of the Apostle archipelago, a group of 22 islands scattered in Lake Superior off a mainland peninsula in northern Wisconsin. In the lake, they sit west of Michigan’s Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.
National park staff announced the closure this weekend in a Facebook post.
“A resident bear is following people and ignoring attempts to scare it away,” Apostle Islands staff said. “Yesterday while maintenance staff were clearing storm-damaged and fallen trees off trails, the bear repeatedly approached them and refused to leave. Trained staff are now using deterrence techniques on the bear to discourage future interactions with humans.”
“For the safety of visitors and the bear, we ask that you enjoy another location within the park. The many trails and beaches within the rest of the park remain open. Trails on Oak were the hardest hit by recent storms and sections are currently impassable.”
Self-contained boaters who want to dock overnight at Oak Island are still allowed to do so. Rangers just ask that these boaters be careful to store their food properly and limit eating and cooking only to on their boat.
Because the entire national park is considered “bear country,” Apostle Islands staff had these safety reminders for visitors:
- Remain at least 50 feet from a bear.
- If you encounter a bear on the trail, let it know you are there and back away slowly. If it follows you or doesn’t back away, make yourself big (raise your arms), and yell, until it leaves the area.
- If a bear approaches you near a dock, campsite, or picnic area, make yourself big (raise your arms), and yell, until it leaves the area.
- Be sure to keep your food and other smelly items locked on a boat or in a bear-resistant food locker when not in use.
Oak Island is part of the Apostle Islands National Park, an archipelago of 22 islands just north of Wisconsin's Bayfield Peninsula.
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August 17, 2020 at 05:42PM
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Unusual bear behavior closes trails, beaches on Lake Superior island - MLive.com
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