Dan Small:
The cool waters here inspired John Muir.  This farm is named Fountain Lake, after the numerous springs that rise in the sedge meadow and feed the lake.  

Patty Loew:
Another one of the national park areas is all waterfront.  Lake Superior is home to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.  A collection of islands boasting windswept beaches and rocky cliffs.  It's where the water meets land and sky.  And that's not lost on the people who first called Wisconsin home.  

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore includes a collection of 21 tree-covered islands sculpted by wind and waves.  The islands are scattered like stepping stones in Lake Superior off Wisconsin's north shore.  Damon Panek is a national park ranger here.  

Damon Panek:
One of the coolest things about this job is getting to meet different people from across the world.  Really, what we want to do is to have them bring this place into their heart and into their minds.  

Patty Loew:
The Apostle Islands hold a special place in Panek's heart and mind.  He's a member of the Ojibwe nation, the most recent tribe to call these islands their home.  

Damon Panek:
There's been native folks living in this area for, as far as we know, at least 10,000 years.  

Patty Loew:
Tribal legends say that the Ojibwe traveled here from the east because of a prophecy.  

Damon Panek:
What we're told is that when people got here, they were expecting this.  They were looking for this.  

Patty Loew:
The islands offer a wealth of unique natural features to attract both past and present-day visitors.  For example, Stockton Island has a narrow land-bridge called a tombolo.  

Damon Panek:
There used to actually be two islands about 5,000 years ago.  And wave action, and the wind, and all the erosion created this kind of bridge from an island to island.  

(soft sound from sand)

Patty Loew:
Stockton Island also boasts what are known as singing sands.  The rounded shape of the individual grains make a strangely melodic sound.  

(Damon Panek chuckles)

Damon Panek:
Isn't that a neat noise?  

Patty Loew:
Panek says he enjoys working here because of the natural beauty of this place, but also because the goals of the national park service harmonize well with his Native American beliefs and values.  

Damon Panek:
The values of considering these trees, or considering the animals, or the birds, or everything that lives here kind of a part of it, and not just something that we manage, but actually something that we're working with.  

Patty Loew:
Panek is a cultural educator for the park.  One place where he teaches Native American culture is at the Apostle Island school.  Held on Stockton Island, the school pairs students from Northland College with middle school students for two and a half days of camping and outdoor education.  This group is from Westfield, some 275 miles to the south.  In their first lesson, Panek teaches them some Ojibwe names for animals found on the islands.  

Damon Panek:
Ojitamo.  From now on, ojitamo.  

Students:
Ojitamo.  

Damon Panek:
The little squirrel that follows us around and picks up all of our food scraps.  

Patty Loew:
The rest of the lessons in these outdoor classrooms cover a range of topics, and offer insights into the island's Native American past.  

Man:
This tree is part of that one right there...  (speaking Ojibwe)

Patty Loew:
Panek wants to create an overall experience at the island school that reflects Native American culture.  

Damon Panek:
So creating the sense of community, creating this idea of values, creating the sense of stewardship for future generations.  
Patty Loew:
The sense of stewardship comes into play when Panek tells the students about the largest animal on the island.  

Damon Panek:
I tell them that they have a wonderful opportunity to camp in an area where there are lots of bear.  And really, coming from that attitude of respect, and coming from that idea that they're there, this is their home and we are visitors.  

Patty Loew:
After two and a half days spent exploring the forested trails and sandy beaches of Stockton Island, Panek hopes the students carry home lessons that will last a lifetime.  And when the sound of students fades away, Panek takes time to reflect on his connection to the people who lived here long ago.  

Damon Panek:
What I really like to do is sit there and think about those folks back then, and realize that when they're sitting on the beach, and when we're sitting on the beach looking out at the lake and the waves crashing, we're seeing the same thing.