Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Waiting For Word On Hiring Workers

President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on hiring any new federal workers days after taking office. The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is waiting for word on whether they can hire seasonal staff for the summer.

Bob Krumenaker, superintendent of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, said he’s optimistic they’ll be able to bring back the 25 to 40 seasonal workers they typically hire each summer.

“In my career, which is now over 30 years, there’s never been a hiring freeze in this circumstance – in other words under a new administration – that has ultimately kept us from hiring our seasonal staff,” he said. “So, again that gives me optimism that this too shall pass for the seasonal staff.”

Krumenaker said seasonal employees do everything from tours to trail work to building maintenance.

“We staff Meyers Beach and those people are critical to orienting kayakers and working with kayak outfitters to make sure launches happen safely and without congestion.

“They’re the first on scene to notify us if there are any searches or rescues or medicals that go on out there,” he said. “Then, we have the rangers at Stockton Island who run the campground and deal with boaters, and we’ve got rangers at Raspberry Island who give the tours at the lighthouse.”

He said seasonal workers are the heart of the national park.

“Those of us who work behind the scenes have been doing it for a long time, but the people who interact with the public and probably have the biggest impact on the visitor experience are usually seasonal employees,” he said.

In a memo this week from the U.S. Office of Management & Budget, acting director Mark Sandy issued guidance that hiring of seasonal employees would be permitted if “necessary to meet traditionally recurring seasonal workloads, provided that the agency informs its OMB Resource Management Office in writing in advance of its hiring plans.”

Krumenaker said he’s encouraged by the memo because it doesn’t say those hires would be subject to review and approval by the Office of Management & Budget. He added around 15 staff were hired before the freeze through revenues generated from visitor fees at the ice caves.

He said they’ve been doing intermittent work in preparation for the ice caves if temperatures dip low enough for them to form this winter. If the ice caves do form, Krumenaker said the earliest that could possibly happen is late February. More than 138,000 people visited the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in the winter of 2014 when the ice caves attracted international attention.