1.026 Apostle Islands land purchase.

(1) Legislative statement of purpose and intent.

(a) The legislature concurs with the stated purpose of Congress in authorizing the establishment of the Apostle Islands national lakeshore. It is therefor the purpose of this section to conserve and develop for the benefit, inspiration, education, recreational use, and enjoyment of the public certain significant islands and shorelands of this state and their related geographic, scenic and scientific values.

(b) It is the policy of the legislature that the Apostle Islands be managed in a manner that will preserve their unique primitive and wilderness character. The department of natural resources is directed before taking any action or making a decision concerning the Apostle Islands to make a finding that such an action or decision will ensure that the citizens of this state will be assured the opportunity for wilderness, inspirational primitive and scenic experiences in the Apostle Islands into perpetuity.

(2) Jurisdiction ceded to the United States. The consent of the state is given to the acquisition by the United States, in any manner authorized under an act of Congress, of lands lying within the boundaries of Apostle Islands national lakeshore, and jurisdiction is hereby ceded to the United States to all territory which is now or may be included within the lakeshore, except that the state shall retain concurrent jurisdiction in all cases, and such criminal process as may issue under the authority of the state against any persons charged with the commission of any offense within or without such areas, including, but not limited to, state laws and regulations governing hunting, fishing and trapping on those areas open to such activities, may be executed thereon in like manner as if such jurisdiction had not been ceded to the United States.

(3) Lands to be conveyed. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the department of natural resources, with the approval of the governor, is directed to donate and convey, upon request of the United States for purposes of the development of the lakeshore, all state-owned lands within the lakeshore boundary, as hereafter described: The state-owned lands on Basswood, Oak, Michigan and Stockton Islands in township 50 north, range 3 west; township 51 north, range 1 west; township 51 north, range 3 west, township 52 north, range 3 west, all in the town of La Pointe, Ashland County, Wisconsin. Each conveyance shall contain a provision that such lands shall revert to the state when they are no longer used for national lakeshore purposes as defined by section 7 of the Apostle Islands national lakeshore act of 1970 (P.L. 91-424; 84 stat. 880), except that such reversion does not apply to lands upon which capital improvements have been placed by the United States.

History: 1975 c. 51; 1975 c. 198 s. 62; 1979 c. 89.