Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes July 14, 2026

 

Quarterly Public Meeting
Keweenaw NHP Headquarters
July 14, 2026

Present:

Commissioners:

• Glenn Anderson, State of Michigan (President)

• Gerald Juntunen, Commissioner, at-large (Vice President)

• Dan Jamison, at-large (Treasurer)

• Karin Cooper, Houghton County (Secretary)

• Thomas Helppi, Calumet Township

• Mary Sears, Franklin and Quincy Townships

Executive Director

• Sean Gohman

National Park Service (NPS)

• Amber Kraft, Keweenaw National Historical Park

• Anne Lewellen, Keweenaw National Historical Park

• Karl Dietsler, Keweenaw National Historical Park

• Robert Maxon, Keweenaw National Historical Park

 

Decisions and Announcements

• Renewed a two-year employment agreement with Executive Director, Sean Gohman, 10/1/26 to 9/30/28.

• Directed Gohman to look into a corporate membership with the Miscowaubik Club.

• Approved $1,500 grant to Society for Industrial Archeology (SIA) for transportation costs related to the upcoming 2027 SIA-Mining History Assoc. joint annual conference

A.1. Call to Order

A regular meeting of the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission was opened at 1:01 p.m., Tuesday, July 14, 2026.

A.2. Introductions

Guests:

• Gina Nicholas, KORC

• Mel Jones, KCHS

• Vince Kanthak & Chris Timoen, PM&S

• Graham Jaehnig, Mining Gazette

• Rebecca Horis, HCHS

• Adrienne Detanico, IRKPA

A.3. Approval of Agenda for July 14, 2026, 2026

Motion made by Cooper to approve. Seconded by Sears. Motion carried (6/0).

A.4. Approval of Minutes of April 28, 2026

• Motion made by Juntunen to approve minutes. Seconded by Jamison. Motion carried (6/0).

B.1. Superintendent and Staff Report

• Denice Swanke, Superintendent of Isle Royale National Park, was unable to attend as she is away at Isle Royale National Park.

• Staff reports are attached to the end of this document.

B. 2. Executive Director’s Report

Budget

• We’ve received all our funds this fiscal year: $100,000 for operations and $150,000 for projects related to work at the smelter.

• Our funding agreement paperwork for FY27 ($150,000) was completed last month. This is an increase from the $115K expected. We will still need to identify a funding source to receive the remaining $100,000 to put towards projects.

Heritage Grant Updates

• Awards totaling nearly $150,000 have mostly been delivered to the grantees. One agreement is still outstanding while waiting on agreement paperwork.

Quincy Smelter Operations

• $1,625 spent on utilities this fiscal. $539 this past quarter.

• The park’s day-labor crew is working down there to do masonry repair and install more Plexiglas windows on the plywood window panels. More natural light means less reliance on electricity. Invoices for supplies ($4800 so far) come in weekly from the crew, with a lift rental amounting to about $10,000 a month on top of that.

• Amber Kraft and her team are working on wording and images for a new introduction sign at the fence entrance. Hoping to have a completed design later this summer.

• A draft of the Historic Resources Study of the smelter has been reviewed. A final document should be submitted shortly.

Completed and Ongoing Projects for FY26

• School Bus grant program: $1269 reimbursed last quarter. $3,017 spent on the program this fiscal year. o About $1,000 remains but all is accounted for. Just waiting on invoices to reimburse.

• Working on a content creation project with Alexis Dahl to tell the story of the park and heritage sites. Awaiting a draft of the script now.

• Working with Kasey Koski on a large-scale art piece for the smelter this summer.

• Working with QMHA on installation of interpretive trail from shaft rockhouse to locomotive house. QMHA approved $25k to go along with $35k commitment from commission.

Travel

• Traveled to Norfolk, VA for the Society for Industrial Archeology annual conference. May 28-31. I was elected as a Board Member for the SIA and will be serving a 3-year term.

• 2027 planned conference trips: Lansing for MHPN (May 13-15); Cincinnati for VAF (May 20 22).

Action Items

• Copper Country Preservation, Inc (our non-profit arm) is continuing its fiduciary arrangement with the Miscowaubik Club as it restructures and pushes for new membership. We have received $15,000 in donations on the Club’s behalf this summer, half of which will be used as a 1-1 match with a recently awarded Keweenaw Heritage Grant.

• Working with Bring Back Calumet and TNC-Heartlands on various projects related to historic preservation of buildings (Ruppe Block) and landscapes (Heartlands acreage). Heartlands is awaiting elections to staff the Governing Board made possible thanks to recent State legislation.

• The Commission delivered a pledge of $5,000 to the Bring Back Calumet initiative.

• Sitting on the Copper Country Scenic Byway committee (ongoing).

• Working with the Society for Industrial Archeology and the Mining History Association to plan a 2027 joint conference based in Houghton but visiting sites all over the Keweenaw.

  • Dates are: June 2-6.

  • Michigan Tech is hosting the Saturday paper sessions.

  • Tour stops and events have mostly been decided.

• Spring Heritage Sites meeting held May 20th. 17 Heritage Sites participated.

• Fall sites meeting scheduled for October 7th.

• Passed $10,000 to Keweenaw Bay Indian Community’s Tribal Historic Preservation Officer to help with their cultural resources management efforts. This was a pledge made by the former park Superintendent that we have now fulfilled.

B.3. Financial Reports

A. Budget/Finance

• Bills to be Approved: $180,271.30; Payroll and Tax: $18,221.62

• Mostly on Heritage Grants ($149,911).

• Some on school trip/bus reimbursements and smelter utilities and the safeing work

  • Motion to approve billing in the amount of $3,035.12 made by Jamison and seconded by Juntunen. Motion carried (6/0).

  • Motion to approve payroll and tax payments in the amount of $19,675.62 made by Jamison and seconded by Sears. Motion carried (6/0).

B.4. Commission Business and Requests

A. Society for Industrial Archeology (request details attached at end of document).

• SIA requested financial assistance for transportation costs related to the upcoming 2027 annual conference to be held in Houghton Michigan next June.

• Motion to grant $1,500 to SIA made by Cooper and seconded by Juntunen. Motion carried (6/0).

B. Miscowaubik Club involvement.

• The commission has discussed joining the Miscowaubik Club as a corporate member in order to strengthen the relationship and become more involved in the preservation and use of the historic club.

• Motion made by Juntunen and seconded by Jamison directing the Executive Director to investigate this further, with a decision to be made at the next commission meeting in October. Motion carried (6/0).

C. Employment agreement with Executive Director.

• Motion made by Jamison and seconded by Juntunen to approve a two year employ

B.5. Commissioner Reports

Commissioner Juntunen reported on recent visits to the Ontonagon County Historical Society museum, the Seaman Mineral Museum, Quincy Mine for a presentation, and the Miscowaubik Club’s recent open house event.

C.1. Comments from legislators or legislative staff

Expected a visit from a rep of Senator Peter’s office, but vehicle issues prevented her attendance.

C.2. Comments from Keweenaw Heritage Site representatives

A. Vince Kanthak, Painesdale Mine & Shaft

• NPS-led volunteer cleanup day was a success at the site, while new siding for the Captain’s Office is ready for installation.

• A new interp sign highlighting a longitudinal map (and archival photos) of the Champion Mine’s underground workings is now on site.

B. Rebecca Holis, Houghton County Historical Society

• Attended for the first time and in place of George and Avis West. Wants to re-establish the a link with the park and commission.

• New merchandise for the society in on the way.

C. Mel Jones, Keweenaw County Historical Society

• The society has begun cycling through their different site locations as host for their monthly board meeting. This is a way to reinforce the link between the 11 different museums dispersed among a half dozen site locations.

• Tuck pointing taking place at the Fog Signal/gift shop building on their lighthouse campus in Eagle Harbor.

• The Commercial Fishing Museum (also on said campus) has some new displays up.

• The society has a new member handling the Bammert Blacksmith Shop management in Eagle River.

• KCHS is co-hosting an upcoming presentation on the Civil War-Copper Country connection at the national park’s Visitor Center on the evening of August 5th.

D. Dan Jamison, Calumet Theatre

• Jamison has taken on the role of Executive Director at the theatre.

C.3. Comments from the public

A. Adrienne Detanico, IRKPA

• The Visitor Center gift shop in Calumet is doing well, with new Kasy Koski-related artwork merchandise available.

B. Gina Nicholas, KORC and KCFC

• Interested in partnering with the commission and Executive Director on preserving the Cliff Mine.

D. Motion to Adjourn

Moved by Jamison and seconded by Cooper at 2:12 p.m. Motion carried (6/0).

Next public meeting to be held Tuesday, Octoner 20, 2026. Will take place at 1:00pm at Keweenaw NHP Headquarters.

 

Interpretation & Education Update

Visitor Center operations & ranger programs

• The visitor center is open 10am-5pm 7 days a week.

  • Daily ranger guided programs at 11 am

  • Once a week evening Quincy Unit programs- mostly at the Dry House Ruins and Smelter (6:30 pm)

  • Many Fishing and Birding programs in partnership with the Keweenaw- Calumet Sportsman’s Club

  • Sunday afternoon talks on the 3rd floor of the Visitor Center connected to the temporary WWI exhibit.

• Volunteer workdays this summer

  • June 13, PM&S

  • June 27, CopperTown Mining Museum

  • July 25, Aug 20 and Sept 19 coming up- details on volunteer.gov and the park’s calendar

• Park staff partner with IRKPA this summer to participate in community events including Bridge Fest, Strawberry Festival, and Pasty Fest.

• Park Staff have joined Heritage Site partners at many events including:

  • Quincy- Heritage Day

  • Old Victoria- National Trails Day & Log Cabin day--- Craft Fair Day coming up on Aug 16

  • Copper Range Historical Society- July 4

I&E projects

• Work continues with the Advisory Commission and IRKPA on our Commissioned Art program. Artist Kasey Koski is working with us on a large art instillation at the Quincy Smelter this summer. Part of this work is a timeline of mining technology and the other part of the work will depict different modes of transportation used from boats to trains to carts for men and materials.

• Our Mellon Fellow, Dan Wallace, finishes up in August. He will be here at the park to present his work on August 22.

• The park is working with a contracted teacher and a pre-service history education student this summer to support National History Day/ MI History Day involvement for local educators and students as well as work on park education resources.

Lake Superior Collections Management Center

General Museum Work:

We are currently conducting the annual inventory of museum property for Keweenaw NHP, and for the objects stored in Calumet and Houghton for Isle Royale National Park and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. We are also conducting the property inventory of computers, cameras and printers.

Our staff is performing weekly and monthly cleaning of all museum storage and exhibit spaces. They also empty dehumidifiers daily in the summer. Every quarter we change out insect pest traps and count and identify insects caught. We also download dataloggers that track temperature and relative humidity and analyze the data. We are continuing to accession and catalog museum donations for Keweenaw and Isle Royale. This includes adding records into the museum database, photographing them, and re-housing in appropriate acid-free containers. One recent donation was a sailor-type uniform and footlockers belonging to a CCC enroll who worked on Isle Royale and on the NPS boat.

We continue to receive donations of maps, plans and photographs related to C&H and Quincy.

We have one seasonal museum tech working from early May to early November.

Deaccessioning:

We are continuing the Deaccessioning process for duplicate items in the collection, but there are a few more steps in the seemingly never-ending process. The deaccessions are based on recommendations provided by a contractor and regional office staff, and our Scope of Collections statement.

Research Requests:

Archivist Jeremiah Mason has answered approximately 144 research requests so far this year for all three parks.

Archival Collection Processing:

We have a new archives technician at the park this summer. She has been finishing organizing, inventorying, and filing a large collection of C&H maps/ oversized plans collection started by an intern earlier this year.

Isle Royale:

Our ACE intern has continued to organize the Isle Royale moose bones by individual; she has boxed what we have from approximately 1300 individuals (in 470 boxes) so far. Due to some DOI agreement delays, the internship has ended and she is working as a contractor.

Three of us were at Isle Royale last week to conduct the annual inventory of museum property, clean exhibit cases and spaces, and download dataloggers that track humidity and temperature in the various museum exhibit spaces.

Upcoming Work:

Anne is in the selection process for a Scientist-in-Park to work from October to March. This person will assist in tracking down natural history research (data, field notes, photographs) conducted at Isle Royale and Pictured Rocks and also locate natural history specimens that may be at universities and other agencies.

We plan to continue packing large objects in the warehouse in anticipation of the move to temporary storage during the warehouse rehab.

There is no update about the Warehouse Rehab project at this time.

Landscape Architecture Program

April-June

1. KEWE Advisory Commission Grant Application Review and Scoring

Discussion: The month of April was spent reviewing, scoring, discussing, and submitting grant applications.

2. Technical/Advisory Support

• a. Village of Calumet

  • i. Pocket Park/Anna Klemec Statue

    • Discussion: Advised the HDC/Village Council on statue and foundation placement, partly due to continual and poorly communicated Big Annie Committee (BAC) project changes.

  • ii. Bring Back Calumet

    • Discussion: Met with the group re: discussion of the Ruppe Building – next steps re: asbestos tile removal and subsequent funding.

  • iii. Historic District Commission

    • Discussion: Ongoing monthly meetings providing technical assistance and support to Calumet community members regarding historical architecture and landscape questions.

• b. Quincy Mine Hoist Association

  • i. Martin House (constructed circa 1870s)

    • Discussion: Mid-spring, the Buildings & Grounds Committee identified the front porch as needing repair and replacement, and the question was asked whether synthetic decking materials could be used. It was identified that the two porches were not historic to the house and could be removed completely, thus eliminating additional maintenance costs if no public tours were offered at the facility.

  • Accessible trail, No 2. Shaft Rockhouse to Q&TLRR Engine House Phase II Accessible Trail Construction Project:

    • Discussion: This project will connect visitors from the Shaft Rockhouse No. 2 to the Quincy & Torch Lake Railroad Engine House, offering a defined accessible pathway for persons with a disability and the public alike that will allow enhanced surface exploration of the cultural landscape features as well as provide an opportunity for future interpretation of surface historic resources.
      
      The last discussions had with QMHA (circa May) involved establishing a bid package for trail construction. It is unknown if a contract has been awarded and when construction will begin.
      
      Subsequently (June/July), railroad track construction has begun down at the Quincy & Torch Lake Engine House in the immediate vicinity of where the proposed accessible trail will run, and it is unknown if communication has occurred regarding co-location of portions of the historic railroad rights-of-way and accessible trail corridor.
      

 

• Painesdale Mine

  • i. Electrical warehouse preservation

    • Discussion: Painesdale Mine reached out to KEWE mid spring regarding preservation or demolition of the electrical warehouse building on the property. It was suggested to contact Andrea Andres, Civil Engineering professor at Michigan Technological University, to arrange for a future classroom project involving an engineering structural building assessment. The status of this project is currently unknown.

  • ii. Wayfinding signs

    • Discussion: Painesdale requested additional signs be posted, directing visitors from MI-26 to the Champion Mine Site. It was suggested to work with Travel (Pure) Michigan and Visit Keweenaw to become listed as a destination on Travel Michigan and then apply for grants via Visit Keweenaw for wayfinding signage to their site.

• d. Delaware Mine

  • i. Outdoor archaeology protection/display

    • Discussion: This project TBD pending site visit.

• e. Ontonagon Historical Society

  • i. Discussion: Initial request regarding future landscaping potential at the historic Ontonagon Lighthouse during Fall 2025, brief follow up during the Spring 2026 Partner Sites Meeting. Have followed up for more details, TBD.

3. AML/IRA Funding

• a. Calumet Township: Superior Stack Assessment and Stabilization

  • i. Discussion: QMHA accepted funding from AML/IRA, of which $60K was allocated for safeing the Heywood Shaft on its property, and $60K was allocated for the Superior Stack evaluation and prioritized repairs. QMHA sealed the Heywood Shaft using its own funds in spring of 2025, making $120K available to evaluate and temporarily safe the Superior Stack (which resides adjacent to a residential neighborhood and the Calumet High School).

  • QMHA is in the process of working with UPEA to evaluate and prioritize temporary safeing measures, based on available funding. George Kiiskila, of UPEA, initially estimated approximately $300K would be needed in total to make permanent repairs.

  • NPS is currently reaching out to the MI SHPO for 106 Consultation for this property.

  • NOTE: No additional funding exists in AML

4. Great Lakes Invasive Plant Management Team (GL-IPMT)

• a. Dry House Ruins Invasive Plant Treatments

• b. Potential partner site invasive plant identification for future treatments

  • i. Hanka Homestead Site

  • ii. Painesdale Mine Site

  • iii. Central Mine Site

  • iv. Old Victoria Mine Site

• Discussion: April-June was spent completing the NPS-internal Pesticide Use Proposal System (PUPS) paperwork. This includes entering and submitting Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for the list of herbicides that would potentially be used at the Dry House Ruins site for treatments. Targeted herbicides are generated based on what has been identified by the team at the site in previous visits (the last of which was two years ago). Treatments have been successful, with invasive numbers reduced over time. The IPMT will visit KEWE between July 15-19 for surveys and treatment of the Dry House Ruins.

• Of the four partner sites, Painesdale Mine responded, identifying a need for an invasive survey. The team is scheduled for July 16 at Painesdale. Follow up treatments may potentially occur next season based on what is found.

• Additionally, IPMT has plat maps of NPS-owned parcels immediately within the vicinity of the Dry House Ruins. The team will potentially survey those plots and identify areas for future treatments.

• The IPMT will provide a report on their visit after completion. The overall goal is to expand invasive plant treatments on the Keweenaw, in partnership with KISMA and other related organizations.

Ongoing/Upcoming Projects moving into next Quarter

5. NPS Calumet Visitor Center Parking Lot (NPS):

Baseline Architectural & Engineering Package, to include site survey. Survey expected early next spring, site construction expected in the following two years.

• a. NPS Visitor Center Parking Lot Restriping: In advance of the parking lot resurfacing and redesign, the lot will be repainted using 90° parking stalls. The parking lot boundary will be marked with yellow, individual stalls will be marked white. The two-way ingress/egress will be located off Scott Street, near the junction with 4th Street. To improve traffic circulation, concrete wheel stops will be placed on a seasonal basis in all parking stalls.

6. Calumet Village/Township: Agassiz Park:

Initial discussions on reinvigorating Agassiz Park, to include short-term goals (maintaining and caring the existing historic core) and long-term goals (expanding the historic footprint in conjunction with external community functional needs and uses).