Thanks to your support, 2024 has been an amazing year for Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and for the park we all love. We measure what interests you most on our website and on our Facebook page as one way to gauge how our work resonates with our Friends and whether it makes a difference for park users. This year, we can say emphatically and proudly that it does.
Wave Watch, our commitment to deliver real-time wave and water information in partnership with the University of Wisconsin and the park, was a huge hit on our website. The real-time data page and the page explaining the Wave Watch program were the top pages. We look forward to putting the buoys back in the water for 2025, and with sufficient funding, beyond next summer. You can read our year-end summary here. Our Discover the Park section and pages devoted to individual islands also received a ton of interest. We’re glad that so many of our website users are using these pages to help plan their next adventure. The Friends shop page, as well as Support Us and About Us also received lots of attention as people donated and learned about our leadership team.
Our Facebook posts about our Starry Skies Initiative and northern lights alerts continue to get a lot of attention, as do our posts about Wave Watch and our very successful Access for All campaign to bring an accessible ramp to Meyers Beach. We’ll keep you posted on the construction process, scheduled for next summer. And of course, we’ll celebrate the grand opening. In 2025, watch for more about all three major projects and how you can get involved.
Now, on to the top ten stories on our website.
Fresh off the inspiring success of its Access for All capital campaign, Friends of the Apostle Islands recently announced the addition of three new members to its distinguished Board of Directors: Janet Bewley, Greg Lais, and Mary O’Brien.
It's open water - not ice - as far as the eye can see. Not only in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore but across all of the Great Lakes. As of New Year's Day, less than 1% of Lake Superior was ice-covered - a tiny percentage but still the largest percentage of any...
Thanks to the generosity of watercolorist Dale Whitttaker, you may now bid on this original, framed, 11.5 x 14.5 inch painting, “Sunrise in Quiet Cove.” Dale’s painting depicts the brownstone cliffs, pines, and clear water of Lake Superior in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. He created this work while he was on the water with Friends Executive Director Jeff Rennicke. Proceeds from the auction benefit Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
Ali and Aidan met at Bayfield kayak outfitter Trek & Trail in 2016. They worked as sea kayak guides over several summers, saying they reveled in the opportunity work outside, surrounded by beautiful water. In 2019, their love for adventure brought them to Alaska where they worked and played with the outdoor community there, but they couldn’t stop thinking about Lake Superior. Alaska was their playground, but they say the Apostle Islands were home. In 2022, they moved back to Bayfield where they now own and operate Trek & Trail and support Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore as business members.
The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is rich with history and thanks to the craftsmanship of talanted people, including the man you are about to meet, many of its most important buildings and artifacts are being restored, preserved and presented to teach and inspire generations of park visitors. After 23 years and countless projects to preserve the Apostle Islands’ historic buildings, Dave Brunsvold transitioned into retirement on October 19, 2023. Friends board member Neil Howk sat down Dave, to give him a tiny bit of the recognition he deserves for the marvelous work that he did.
“Once you work for the park service it becomes basically your life.” After nearly a quarter century in the park service and. a dozen years at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Supervisory Park Law Enforcement Ranger Lance Twombly is retiring at the end of March. Lance sat down with Friends of the Apostle Islands board member Neil Howk to reminisce about his chosen career path and most memorable moments in the park, and to talk about what’s next.
Raise your right hand and repeat after the ranger: “I am proud to be a National Park Service Junior Ranger. I promise to appreciate, respect, and protect all national park places. I also promise to continue learning about the landscape, plants, animals, and history of...
We may try to plan our visits across the water but in the Apostle Islands, it’s the wind and waves that determine time and destiny.
One scan of this new Wave Watch QR Code and you’ll be safer on the water this boating season. Friends of the Apostle Islands has partnered with researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the National Park Service to create Wave Watch, a series of strategically placed weather buoys offering boaters free, real-time wind and wave data for five popular boating locations in the Apostle Islands starting in June of 2024.
When visiting the Apostle Islands, it’s important to understand that these islands are wild places and to be bear aware. Oak and Outer Islands are currently closed to camping and day-use because bears have been escalating their encounters with humans and have caused property damage. The current advisory says,”These closures are necessary to ensure visitor safety and bear well-being.”
Looking at the list, some common themes emerge. You appreciate what we’re doing to help you make the most of every adventure in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, whether we’re providing tools for safer boating or helping you to experience the park in harmony with its wildlife inhabitants. You appreciate stories about the people who help to make the park the treasure that it is, whether they are leaders and supporters of Friends of the Apostle Islands or valued team members in the National Park Service. And you care about the future of the park, whether we’re talking about the impact of climate change or celebrating the next generation of park lovers. And you’re looking for ways to support Friends in meaningful, creative ways. Thank you for visiting our website, and for your support during 2024. We look forward to producing more engaging content, in support of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in the year ahead. To support our ongoing work, visit the Support Us page and invest now in the future of the park.
Jon Okerstrom is a Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore board member and digital and social media volunteer with a background in digital and television journalism, photography and graphic design.
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