Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes January 13, 2026

 

Quarterly Public Meeting
Keweenaw NHP Headquarters
January 13, 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

• Andrew Ranville, Village of Calumet

• Mary Sears, Franklin and Quincy Townships

Executive Director

• Sean Gohman

National Park Service (NPS)

• Wendy Davis, Keweenaw NHP (Superintendent)

Absent:

• none

 

Decisions and Announcements

• Approved proposal for content creation related to the National Park from Alexis Dahl, LLC.

• Superintendent Davis announced her upcoming retirement from the National Park Service, tentatively set for the end of February.

• The Commission recognized the careers of Superintendent Wendy Davis and recently retired staff member Ellen Schrader, as well as their contributions to Keweenaw National Historical Park.

A.1. Call to Order

A regular meeting of the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission was opened at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 13th, 2026.

A.2. Introductions

Guests:

• Vince Kanthak, Painesdale Mine & Shaft

• Christopher Timonen, Painesdale Mine & Shaft

• Karen Hintz, Keweenaw County Historical Society

• Adrienne Detanico, Isle Royale and Keweenaw Parks Association

• Gina Nicolas, Keweenaw Outdoor Recreation Coalition

• Ian Fraim, Calumet Theatre

• Nathan Jones, Calumet Theatre

• Lindsay Hiltunene, MTU Archives

• Fern Malia, Ontonagon County Historical Society

• Graham Jaehnig, Daily Mining Gazette

• Steve and Anne Koski

• Robert Maxon, NPS

A.3. Approval of Agenda for January 13, 2026

• Motion made by Juntunen to approve. Seconded by Jamison. Motion carried (7/0).

A.4. Approval of Minutes of October 14, 2025

• Motion made by Jamison to approve minutes. Seconded by Ranville. Motion carried (7/0).

B.1. Superintendent’s Report

• No details regarding the annual budget. We will all find out Feb. 1st if there is a new budget or another government shutdown. The new version being worked on has smaller cuts to NPS than previous versions.

• “Plenty of Interpretive staff should be on hand for the spring and summer.”

• Introduced Robert Maxon, new Facilities Manager, to those in attendance.

• Regarding her upcoming retirement, Davis stated that work is being done to bring in a replacement so that current staff do not need to take on any more responsibilities. However, there are no specifics to be offered at this time.

• Abandoned Mineral Lands-funded projects slated for this summer in Calumet, Quincy Mine, and the Quincy Smelter.

• More commissioned art created by Kasey Koski is planned for the smelter location this summer.

• Currently working with KBIC on their interpretive planning in light of recent developments at the Baraga County Historical Society.

  • BCHS offered a space in the new museum to KBIC, but KBIC declined that invitation due to the conflicting stories planned to be presented at the museum.

Questions for the Superintendent

Are there plans to include BCHS as a Heritage Site?

No. Not at this time and not if they continue down the interpretive path they are on.

B. 2. Executive Director’s Report

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

• Bills to be Approved: $3,735.12

  • Spent mostly on smelter operations, school bus grants, and oral history interview/transcriptions.

• Payroll and Tax: $17,538.18

Quincy Smelter Operations

• $761.66 spent this fiscal. All on utilities (mostly electricity).

• QMHA wants to keep investing in the smelter and improving their tour offerings there.

  • Haunted Smelter event in October was a sellout success. ~700 visitors.

• We added more natural light to boiler room and reverb furnace building last summer, as well as three interpretive statues: entrance, engine room, and reverb building.

• Abandoned Mine Lands funding is to be used this summer for safeing projects, mostly at the reverberatory furnace building and casting shed (the large central complex).

Keweenaw Heritage Grant Update

• Applications for this year’s grant cycle are available on the park’s website.

• Around $115,000 available this year.

• Eligibility follows the same as previous years: Heritage Sites; properties/projects inside the park’s boundaries; properties/projects in Painesdale, the Torch Lake area, and the Cliff Mine area.

• Big change this year is a cap of indirect costs (does not impact majority of applicants: max is 10% of total project costs).

Completed and Ongoing Projects for FY25

• School Bus grant program: $1,302.74 reimbursed during first quarter.

  • Leaves ~$3,197 for the fiscal year.

• Working with the park’s Interp team to develop a Heritage Site “guidebook” for sale in the Visitor Center or other gift shops. No hard date on completion or format yet.

• Considering a proposal for a video created by Alexis Dahl on the park: its creation, purpose, structure, etc. More to come at April’s meeting.

Conference Planning and Travel Updates

• Gohman will be attending the Society for Industrial Archeology annual conference at the end of May in Norfolk, VA.

• Gohman is attending to help sell the 2027 conference, which will be held here in the Keweenaw in late May or early June.

Committees and Partnerships

• Sitting on several the Keweenaw Heartlands-related committees including the overarching advising committee, engagement committee, and fund committee.

  • Hoping to have legislation passed soon that will allow elections in Keweenaw County for a governing board to manage the land.

• Occasionally involved on the Copper Country Scenic Byway committee. New waysides are designed and awaiting creation and installation at various sites along the route.

• SIA and MHA conference planning committees are meeting (mentioned above) are ongoing to help plan the 2027 conference here in the Keweenaw.

Questions for the Director

None

B.3. Financial Reports

A. Budget/Finance

• Motion to approve billing in the amount of $3,735.12 made by Cooper and seconded by Juntunen. Motion carried (7/0).

• Motion to approve payroll and tax payments in the amount of $17,538.148 made by Helppi and seconded by Ranville. Motion carried (7/0)

B.4. Requests to Commission

A. Gohman presented on behalf of Alexis Dahl, LLC. to create content focused on the national park’s purpose, structure, and operation.

• This video will tell the story of how the Keweenaw National Historical Park was created, how the Park works, how the Park’s model is different from anything that’s been tried before or since.

• Budget & Scale Options: $5000 - 10-minute video is published and owned by Alexis Dahl, LLC. Includes all research and writing labor and experience; videography; hosting; video editing; custom animations; licensed assets (for example, music and supplementary stock footage); and access to an audience of 125,000 subscribers and growing at YouTube.com/AlexisDahl.

• Motion made by Cooper to approve the proposal. Seconded by Jamison. Motion carried (7/0).

B.5. Commissioner Reports

A. Anderson and the Commissioners recognized Superintendent Davis’ 38-year career in the National Park Service as she gets ready to retire from KNHP at the end of February.

• Davis expressed gratitude and informed those in attendance that she is not leaving the area, nor planning to stop being involved in the day-to-day work of historic preservation and heritage here in the Keweenaw.

B. Anderson and the Commissioners recognized long-serving KNHP and Isle Royale staff member Ellen Schrader, on her recent retirement.

• While Schrader was not in attendance, Superintendent Davis expressed Schrader’s gratitude and stated, “She’s pretty much been here as long as the park’s been here, and her absence will leave a large hole here.”

C.1. Comments from legislators or legislative staff

None

C.2. Comments from Keweenaw Heritage Site representatives

A. Vince Kanthak, Painesdale Mine & Shaft

• Thinks the Alexis Dahl LLC proposal is a good idea. PM&S is currently working on winter planning and an interpretive sign connected to a Keweenaw Heritage Grant.

B. Fern Malia, Ontonagon County Historical Society

• A ramp and viewing platform have been completed around the commercial fishing boat located at the lighthouse property (thanks to a Keweenaw Heritage Grant).

• Every item on display in the museum is now catalogued in PastPerfect (the result of a several-years-long Keweenaw Heritage Grant project).

• The ongoing photo documentation of Ontonagon (1970-2025) is now being uploaded into the UPLINK digital archive.

C. Karen Hintz, Keweenaw County Historical Society

• 21,000 visitors to KCHS sites last year, 11,000 of which were at the lighthouse. “Probably a record.”

• Their 2024 Keweenaw Heritage Grant project focused on the Fog Signal museum and gift shop building has been completed. Report to come.

• Work on the 2025 Heritage Grant is ongoing and focused on water infiltration issues at the lighthouse.

• Ginny Schubert, long-time KCHS member and lighthouse manager, recently passed away.

D. Lindsay Hiltunen, Michigan Tech Archives

• The Archives resumes appointment hours starting Monday, January 19 (M-T, 1-5pm).

• The Archives is hosting a coffee and donuts social at the MTU Library during Winter Carnival (Feb 7, 10a-1p).

• They expect to announce the application window for research travel grants to the Archives shortly. Stay tuned.

E. Nathan Jones, Calumet Theater

• Introduced new staff member (business office), Ian Frame.

• Summer season events calendar to be announced shortly.

• The Theatre is in need of tuck pointing, and a donor “stepped up” to provide funds to complete this project later this year.

• Improved handicap accessibility at the rear of the Theatre.

• Will have a singer/songwriter event during Copper Dog weekend (Feb 27-Mar1) with performers coming up from Nashville.

• A Finnish ‘dinner and a movie’ to take place Friday, January 23rd.

C.3. Comments from the public

Steve and Anne Koski, parents of commissioned artist, Kasey Koski, expressed gratitude for the ongoing commissioned artwork project.

D. Motion to Adjourn

Moved by Cooper and seconded by Jamison at 1:49 pm. Motion carried (7/0).


Next public meeting to be held Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Will take place at 1:00pm at Keweenaw NHP Headquarters.