Mackinac Island Ranks High in Geographic Traveler Poll
Experts Measure Culture, Ecosystems, Landscapes
By Karen Gould

Last summer, tourists visited main street on Mackinac Island. A panel of well-traveled experts from National Geographic Traveler Magazine say the world's islands are vulnerable to outside pressures, including tourism. The experts ranked the local island seventh for sustaining its environmental quality, cultural integrity, condition of historic buildings, aesthetic appeal, quality of tourism management, and outlook for the future.

Mackinac Island is rated first in North America and shares seventh place with two other Islands around the world in a survey that examined how well 111 Islands are sustaining their ecosystems, cultures, landscapes, and traditions.

The stewardship ratings, announced in the November/ December issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine, are based on comments from 522 welltraveled experts, who examined the integrity of the selected islands and archipelagos around the world.

"They are worlds unto themselves - their own traditions, ecosystems, cultures, landscapes," reports the publication. "That's what attracts us. But as microworlds, islands are also more vulnerable to population pressure, climate change, storm damage, invasive species, and now, tourism overkill."

Each island was examined using six criteria, which was weighted according to importance, including environmental and ecological quali- ty, social and cultural integrity, condition of historic buildings and archaeological sites, aesthetic appeal, quality of tourism management, and outlook for the future.

Although Mackinac Island received a top ranking, it did not receive a top score. In fact, none of the world's Islands considered in the survey made it into the top category of 96 to 100 points, which is considered an "enhanced island." Only Faroe Islands in Denmark fell into the secondhighest category of points, ranging from 86 to 95, to be considered "authentic, unspoiled, and likely to remain so."

Landing in a category with 55 other islands, with scores ranging from 66 to 85, Mackinac Island ranks among those considered to have "minor difficulties" in sustaining ecosystems, cultures, landscapes, and traditions.

The challenge of retaining Mackinac Island's historic culture was not overlooked by the magazine.

"For the everyday tourist," states the magazine, "it seems a perfect historic environment. Mackinac is a very fragile environment, though. The crush of summertime tourists strains the local physical plant, and lack of heritage regulations allows for substantial changes to historic fabric, especially in the downtown."

The experts who participated in the survey came from a variety of fields, including historic preservation, archaeology, sustainable tourism, travel writing and photography, site management, indigenous cultures, and ecology.

All of the islands considered in the survey, reported the magazine, offer great experiences for visitors to discover. The survey, however, rates the quality of the destination, its integrity, rather than its service.

"To protect them, to restore them," states the publication, "we must value them as much as resort developers and cruise companies do. Even more."

Comments by panelists included in the publication follow:

"The pace is purposely slow. Pleasures are simple: bike riding, touring the fort, eating fudge, savoring the view from the veranda of the Grand Hotel. With access restricted by ferry schedules, it will likely never be out of control."

"Its charm, enhanced by the lack of automobiles (since 1898) and the presence of horse-drawn conveyances, is quite remarkable."

"A great example of conservation, preservation, education all converging in a project that the local community clearly benefits from and is proud of."

"Still spectacular with great social and cultural integrity. In summer the dock area can be frenzied with tourists, yet the remainder of the island remains relatively unchanged, scenic and appealing."

The top 10 islands by score included Faroe Islands, Denmark, with a score of 87; Azores, Portugal, 84; Lofoten, Norway, 82; Shetland Islands, Scotland, 82; Chiloé, Chile, 82; Isle of Skye, Scotland, 81; Kangaroo Island, South Australia, 80; Mackinac Island 80; Iceland 80, and Molokai, Hawaii, 79.

The publication selected smalland medium-size islands and groups of islands, although it allowed a few larger exceptions with relatively unified character, such as Iceland and Tasmania.