Friends News & Events
THE PERFECT GIFT: The gift of caring for a place you love
Think of the gifts these islands have already give you – the warm sand on your feet as you etch your footprints into a sun-warmed stretch of beach, the mystery of the sea caves with the harp-like drips of water all around, the sweet sailing winds in the sails, the...
Giving Tuesday 2022 – Access for All
Friends of the Apostle Islands is asking your support in the biggest capital campaign in our organization’s history aimed at supporting the ongoing efforts of the National Park Service to remove barriers to the park – from replacing those forty-five steps at the Meyers Beach launching site with an all-accessible ramp, to continuing the boardwalk project on Sand Island, to ensuring the latest technology on interpretive signs and our website.
What a difference a year makes: A year-end letter from our Executive Directors
For Friends of the Apostle Islands, 2022 meant a record number of new members, volunteers tending the gardens at the Michigan Island Lighthouse, and children becoming Junior Rangers sporting badges your donations helped make possible. We debuted a brand-new website featuring state of the art accessibility tools, supported the efforts of the National Park Service in continuing its boardwalk project on Sand Island, and kicked off the largest initiative in our twenty-year history with the Access for All campaign.
Getting things done: Black Spruce Fund makes $25,000 pledge to Access for All
After years of regular annual donations to Friends, Peter Tropman and Ginny Graves recently took another step in their philanthropic support by pledging $25,000 more to keep the Access for All initiative vibrant and growing as well as joining the Advisory Committee for the project.
Access for All!
Want to make a donation that goes straight to work as soon as you send it?
Each year, Friends features one important project and this year it is our Access for All campaign. Support the park’s efforts to build boardwalks, accessible campsites, include accessibility features on interpretative signs and websites, and make our park accessible to all. Make a difference now.
What are Friends for?
What is a Friends group? How do groups like ours help our national parks and specifically the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore? Watch our new video to learn the answers. We hope you’re inspired to join us.
Discover the Park
Twenty-one islands spread out over 750 square miles of Lake Superior, twelve miles of mainland shoreline, lighthouses, historic fisheries, sixty-six campsites, bears, beaches, sea caves, the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a rich and complex landscape.
Explore the human and natural history of the lakeshore, explore each island, and start planning your next island adventure.
Lighthouses
Islands
Our Work
Friends is dedicated to enhancing the experiences of park visitors and supporting the priorities of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore staff. Founded in 2002, we undertake a wide variety of efforts, from fundraising for accessibility to tending historic gardens and supporting youth engagement programs.
Our priorities fall under four pillars. Learn more about them and how you can make a difference.
Blank Spacer
Accessibility
Our strong partnerships with the National Park Service, the community, and park user groups are helping to identify and remove barriers for people of all abilities – from accessible campsites and audio-enhanced interpretive displays to stability pads at kayak launching sites. Click here to learn what your donations can help achieve as we plan for even bigger, exciting opportunities ahead.
Education
From youth engagement programs to symposiums and a podcast, lifelong learning is a key part of your park experience. You can support life-changing educational experiences for adults as well as the next generation of park visitors, supporters, and advocates by exploring our online library.
Stewardship
Our parks are a legacy. To protect that legacy, Friends and its members work to preserve history through helping to fund the creation of a lighthouse tender now housed at Raspberry Island Light, installing bat houses and bear boxes to protect wildlife, working to fund the restoration of historic buildings and seeking the protection of our dark skies. Learn how you can help protect the legacy of your park through your support of Friends.
Service
Roll up your sleeves and pitch in. Our volunteers tend the flower gardens at the historic Michigan Island Light, plant beach grass to protect fragile sandscapes, clear trails, participate in beach cleanup and trail clearing. Are you ready to help out? Click here to learn about upcoming volunteer opportunities.
Why We Give
I support Friends because …
“Silence does not protect, nor educate so I add my voice to protecting and celebrating the islands and the water and the communities in which they exist.”
