Tiny UP island becomes even more remote as ferry access shrinks

• On Neebish Island, population 62, residents say ferry service cuts threaten economy, medical care and jobs
• Government-subsidized ferry operator that cut runs says ‘the bang just wasn’t worth the buck’
• State Sen. John Damoose plans to meet with residents, ferry company to try to resolve dispute

Phyllis Reed moved from Portage to tiny Neebish Island off the eastern coast of the Upper Peninsula in 2020 to get away from it all. But since last year, island life has become more remote than she ever imagined.

The car ferry that serves as the lifeline for the five dozen year-round residents is coming to the island less frequently than in the past, and not on weeknights at all. 

And while that isolation may sound appealing to commuters caught in traffic, it is hobbling what little economy exists on the island, and making even getting to and from work on the mainland a challenge.

“It didn't used to be this much of a hassle,” Reed told Bridge Michigan.

Neebish is a 21.5-square-mile island about an hour south of Sault Ste. Marie, in the middle of the St. Mary's River, nearly filling a narrow strait between Chippewa County and Canada. 

The 62 permanent residents who live on the island enjoy close-up views of freighters making their way through the narrow strait up to the Soo Locks. In the summer, around 600 part-time residents move into their seasonal homes, and tourists are drawn to catch a glimpse of the island’s more than 200 bird species. 

The Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation Authority (EUPTA), the government- and ticket-supported organization that operates the ferry that makes the short circuit from the small Chippewa County community of Barbeau to the island, cut back service in 2024 because it was losing money on night trips. It also eliminated emergency, on-call ferry services that residents could book like an Uber, for $150 plus the normal fare per trip.

The residents have protested ever since, including sending a letter last week calling for the restoration of evening ferry service. The letter was sent to state and local officials as well as the transportation service, which also operates ferries to Sugar Island and Drummond Island. 

The ferry ride is only two and a half minutes, but residents have trouble taking their own boats across because there’s no public dock on the mainland. From November to April, the river freezes over and the ferry — which uses ice breakers — is the only way to get across.

Island life

The ferry fight is an example of the challenges that go hand-in-hand with the beauty of living on Michigan’s remote islands. There are seven islands with over 50 year round residents accessible only by boat or plane — Beaver Island, Bois Blanc, Drummond, Sugar, Neebish, Harsens, and Mackinac. Most are virtually isolated in the winter, but all have regular ferry service to varying degrees in warmer months.

Until last year, Neebish had regular ferries at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. during the week.

Now, after 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. on weekdays, and after 8 p.m. on summer weekends, islanders are unable to go home after a long shift on the mainland, and residents can’t visit mainland family members in emergency situations. Visitors are reconsidering day trips to the island, several residents told Bridge.

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EUPTA, the eastern UP transportation authority, also services the more populated Drummond and Sugar Islands.The Drummond Island ferry operates until 12:10 a.m. daily, while the Sugar Island ferry operates 24 hours. 

The ticket cost is $20 per trip for any of the three ferries. Federal records show it took about $5 million to operate EUPTA in 2023. Of that, $1.7 million came from ticket sales, while $2.3 million came from state government subsidies and $900,000 came from the federal government. 

Locals say the economic future of Neebish Island hangs in the balance. Resorts and Airbnb owners are losing patrons, and residents have more difficulty going to businesses on the mainland and making it back in time. The ferry schedule discourages families and prospective retirees from buying property. 

Resident Lori Miller said when she moved to the island 13 years ago, there were 10 kids on the island going to school on the mainland. Now, there is only one.

“She can't even go to her Christmas concerts now,” Miller said. “So, you can't participate in classroom activities, let alone extracurricular activities like sports.” 

Residents say they knew what they were getting into when they moved to the island, but did not expect on-demand special ferries and 10 p.m. runs to be cut. More have had to move to the mainland, and they argue it’s because of the ferry schedule that the island’s population stays low. 

Bang for the buck

EUPTA director Pete Paramski has said the ferry runs had to be cut because Neebish Island’s low population doesn’t justify the extended service. Drummond and Sugar Island have an annual ridership of 300,000 and 400,000 passengers compared to Neebish’s 40,000. 

Paramski did not respond to a Bridge request for comment in time for publication. He told MLive recently that “the bang just wasn’t worth the buck to make a 10 o’clock run that very, very few people were using.” 

State Sen. John Damoose, R-Harbor Springs, sees things differently.

“If that's how we're looking at every way we spend our transportation dollars, then half the roads in the state of Michigan should probably be dug up,” Damoose said. 

The Michigan Department of Transportation currently reimburses half of eligible expenses to marine agencies that apply for state operating assistance. MDOT funds ferry services to five islands — Sugar, Drummond, Neebish, Beaver and Mackinac, providing nearly $3 million in taxpayer dollars in the current budget — up from about $2 million in 2020. 

Damoose told Bridge his office is willing to work with EUPTA and the islanders to find a solution. Both sides have agreed to meet with him, and a special appropriations fund through MDOT may be on the table. 

“If we could work out a deal where we could get some additional money from the state of Michigan that would go towards EUPTA to fund this ferry a little bit later in the day, I think there's got to be some compromise,” Damoose said. “If these groups can come together, then I'm willing to work for an appropriation.”

Residents argue that given the absence of gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, schools, medical clinics on the island, they rely on the ferry service even more than the other islands EUPTA services. For Reed, it’s a question of equity and providing essential transportation to the residents of the Island. 

“It's like being closer to nature, but it's also just being closer to everything that's real. When you come to the island, it just feels like home. …We have an island community that we're part of that are really great people. … It’s just a simpler life,” she said. 

“The sustainability of our island is in question because people have a hard time being employed, because they can't go to work and come back and get here by six o'clock,” Reed added. “Who shuts their roads down at six o'clock and lets nobody else on? … I think it's essential that we be able to worship, essential that we be able to get home to our beds at night.”