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lenged economy, with a history of using local natural resources for economic development. Historically, the timber industry had been present in the area, which created an off-and-on economy. Iron smelting, paper milling, and the de-velopment of wood products such as the Munising Woodworks Company had provided enough to keep this community alive but not thriving. The woodworks company went out of business in the mid-1960s, which sent the community searching for a new form of income.
The National Park Service (NPS) established Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in 1966. This park includes a scenic shoreline that extends from Munising to the small town of Grand Marais. These two communities are connected by a once-gravel State Highway 58 (H 58). Once the park was established, a plan was developed to pave H 58. The NPS stated that once this happened, the area would see an increase in visitors that would boost the local economy. The pavement of H 58 was completed in 2012, and NPS was correct: During the summer of 2015, over 2 million visitors came to the area and depended on Munising’s hospitality.
By 2017, summer visitation to the area had increased by 30 percent. Since 2011, the increase was 97 percent, according to the U.S. Forest Service. This growth has led to a rapidly expanding nature-based tourism economy comprised of kayak tour companies, motor boat tours, boat rentals, and bike trails. This industry has been supported by the growth of commercial campgrounds, hotels, vacation home ren-tals, and restaurants—all trying to keep up with increasing visitor demands. During the summer of 2014, the Munising Subway sandwich shop had the highest sales in the country, and a new restaurant ran out of food in the first few hours of operations and closed its doors for good because the business was too demanding.
This economic growth has been good for the Munising economy. Local government has enhanced community infrastructure to be better able to accommodate visitors, and the local NPS and Forest Service are addressing natural environment impact needs. Problems have been noted in association with impact on the local culture and the daily lives of people who have made their homes in Munising.
The Sustainable Ecotourism Organization (SEO) was developed to educate about and assist with problems that had accompanied the local expansion of the nature-based tourism in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and to advise businesses on using sustainable practices. Two years ago, the SEO worked with three separate stakeholder groups in Munising to gain an understanding of their separate issues associated with tourism and educate them on sustainable tourism practices. These stakeholder groups in-cluded outdoor recreation service providers and support industries, local government officials, and community members.
Relationships among the groups were negative, and communication among them had been limited. A primary concern was that the community’s sense of place had become challenged. Beaches, trails, and waterfalls are now crowded, but at one time, locals could visit these places and be alone. Community members were also concerned about trash left along roads and trails, and that not everyone felt they could capitalize on this new economy.
Community members have become empowered to work in cooperation with local nature-based businesses and the local government. Through SEO, community members have begun a recycling program, are educating locals on the use of alternative energies, were able to get Leave No Trace to visit Munising and provide workshops, and have begun to develop their distribution of locally grown foods. This success has helped people in Munising to feel more optimistic about visitor traffic, and the tone toward visitors has become positive for the most part.
Scott Jordan, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at Northern Michigan University and coordinator of Outdoor Recreation Leadership and Management.