{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/press-releases/senator-baldwins-apostle-island-measure-moves-forward", "Senator Baldwin’s Apostle Island Measure Moves Forward", "2014-12-04", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "WI", "Tammy Baldwin", "B001230", "www.baldwin.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.04.14\n\t\t\t Senator Baldwin\u2019s Apostle Island Measure Moves Forward \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t Preserves the history of the iconic Ashland harbor\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin applauded the inclusion of a measure to preserve the history of the iconic Ashland harbor in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015. The measure, introduced by Senator Baldwin in bipartisan legislation earlier this year, transfers the Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light from the Coast Guard to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.\r\n\u201cMaintaining our public lands, including our National Parks, is not only important to preserving our history, but is crucial for economic development, outdoor recreation and education in our communities,\u201d said Senator Baldwin. \u201cThe Ashland Light is a public treasure and distinctive marker of Ashland\u2019s role in the region. I\u2019m proud to help preserve the lighthouse so that visitors can continue to experience all of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.\u201d\r\nThe U.S. Coast Guard has been looking for an organization to take over management of the Ashland Breakwater Light, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Park Service, the only public or private entity to express interest in obtaining and maintaining the Ashland Light, is not able to accept a transfer of the property without legislation to provide a boundary adjustment.\r\nBaldwin\u2019s measure included in the NDAA allows for the transfer of the lighthouse from the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard to the National Park Service, which already manages eight light stations on six of the Apostle Islands.\r\nThe House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the NDAA this week and the U.S. Senate will take up the measure next week.\r\nBaldwin serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee which has jurisdiction over the National Park Service. In August of 2013, Baldwin toured the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and met with National Park Service staff to discuss the impact of sequestration on the park, management of the land, historic preservation and tourism.\r\nBackground on the Ashland Light and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore\r\n \r\nThe Ashland Light was built in 1915 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.\r\nAll of the other (six) light stations within the boundaries of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (APIS) were transferred to the NPS from the\u00a0 US Coast Guard (USCG) in 1986 as a result of PL 99-497.\u00a0 All six light stations, which include eight standing light towers, are listed on the National Register. \r\nThe Ashland Light was not included in the 1986 transfer because it was not inside the park boundary, the USCG was actively maintaining it, and its future was not at issue at the time.\r\nThe APIS lights, including the Ashland Light, were historically managed by the US Lighthouse Service, then the USCG, as a group.\u00a0 Renowned lighthouse historian F. Ross Holland, Jr.\u00a0 described the lights within the national lakeshore as \u201cthe largest and finest single collection of lighthouses in the country.\u201d\u00a0 (Great American Lighthouses, 1994)\r\nIn the 2011 APIS General Management Plan, the NPS identified seven significance statements for the park which describe the park\u2019s distinctiveness and importance to the nation\u2019s natural and cultural heritage. One of these echoed Holland:\u00a0 \u201cThe Apostle Islands National Lakeshore has the largest and finest collection of lighthouses in the country.\u201d\r\nThe exteriors of all of the historic lights within APIS are publically accessible, and many are open for public educational tours during the visitor season.\u00a0 The NPS provides abundant personal, printed, and electronic information on all aspects of the historic lights and their importance to the nation as part of the park\u2019s public education / visitor enjoyment mission.\r\nAPIS is the premier place in the National Park System for lighthouse historic preservation and education. Incorporating the Ashland Light within APIS would enhance the park\u2019s significance because it would then include all of the nationally-significant historic lights in the region.\r\n \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Press Release\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Press Release", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/press-releases/senator-baldwins-apostle-island-measure-moves-forward"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.80442288890481, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}