Our Work – Articles about how we are working to make the park accessible.
Read why donors, including 100% of the board of directors of Friends, support this major effort to make the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore accessible to people of all abilities. The goal is to raise $325,000 to fund an accessible ramp at Meyers Beach and to support the many other accessibility initiatives in the park.Read more about the Access for All initiative here. Or donate now. Thanks in advance for your investment in making the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore accessible for all.
As part of our mission to inspire more people to fall in love with and help us support and protect the park, Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore launched a new website. The new friendsoftheapostleislands.org offers stunning visuals, a new way to discover the park before your next adventure and new tools designed to make the site more accessible to people of all abilities. "The new website showcases the rugged beauty of the islands in a way that touches your heart," said Executive Director Jeff Rennicke. "From there, our goal is to help everyone learn about this wonderful place...
September 26th marks 52 years for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and kicks off a new commitment for FriendsIt was September 26, 1970. After years of meetings, negotiations, revisions, and debate, there finally came these words: “for the benefit, inspiration, education, recreational use, and enjoyment of the public … there is hereby established the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.” With those words, Public Law 91-424 officially established the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, a place that preserves beauty, adventure, and offers reconnection to nature. The twenty-one islands and...
At Friends of the Apostle Islands, we are committed to making your experience of our website as positive and enjoyable as possible. Watch this 2-minute video to learn about some of the options we have added to our website.With Your HelpTo be a part of the solution, join the Access For All campaign by making a donation now, or by contacting us: P.O. Box 1574, Bayfield, WI 54814 | (715) 449-6900 Basswood Island - Accessible features, camping, dock, hiking, popular Bear Island - Camping Cat Island - Camping Devils Island - Camping, dock, hiking, lighthouse, popular Eagle Island - No amenities...
At Friends, our staff, board members, and volunteers can often be found in deep discussions over issues, planning budgets, setting up meetings, the everyday stuff of any organization. However sometimes you just have to set that all aside and return to the heart of things: the reason for doing all of it. Sometimes, you just have to go to the islands. Recently 58 Friends members, donors, board members, and supporters boarded the Superior Princess at the Bayfield City Dock for our 2022 Annual Cruise, a signature Friends event, this year sponsored by Wickcraft Boardwalks.Superior Princess – Jeff...
Coastal management and accessibility projects were on the agenda, as Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore participated in discussions with Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) Secretary-designee Kathy Blumenfeld. The Secretary met on June 29th with representatives from the Ashland, Bayfield and Red Cliff communities in Northwest Wisconsin, as well as six organizations and community groups providing housing, coastal management and conservation services in Ashland and Bayfield counties. In Bayfield, the Secretary met with City of Bayfield staff, former Bayfield mayor and...
Do you want to eat healthy and support Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore? It’s as easy as saying “Round up for Friends” at the checkout counter any time during the month of June at Ashland’s Chequamegon Food Co-op. “Round Up for Partners” is a program that gives shoppers the option to “round up” to the next whole dollar (or more) on purchases made at the co-op. The proceeds from that rounding up are then donated to that month’s featured nonprofit organization to serve our community. June is “Round Up for Friends of the Apostle Islands” month. Since the Round Up for Partners...
Timing is everything. On August 13th, the National Park Service and Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore conducted a grand opening of the accessible amphitheater at Presque Isle on the Lakeshore’s Stockton Island. Pandemic protocols required the ceremony to be small and unannounced to the public but some park visitors who just happened to be on the island at the time took in the program and they’ve provided some heartwarming feedback.The new $55,000 amphitheater, with its gently sloping ramps, wide benches, and accessible entrance, is now available to visitors with mobility...
With a snip of an over-sized red scissors and a flourish of breeze off of Lake Superior, Friends Board Chair Erica Peterson and Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Superintendent Lynne Dominy cut a red ribbon on Friday, August 13, 2021 signifying the grand opening of the accessible amphitheater at Presque Isle on the Lakeshore’s Stockton Island. The $55,000 project represents a big step in one of the core commitments of Friends of the Apostle Islands. “We are excited to see this finally happen,” said Peterson. “The board made accessibility for all a primary pillar of our organization. We...
It’s almost done! National Park Service crews have been busy this spring, assembling and installing a brand new accessible amphitheater on Stockton Island, thanks in part to Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and collaborating donors and funding partners. This new raised-deck amphitheater is being built near the Stockton island Visitor Center, on the same gentle hillside where aging benches and fire ring had been located. The site is near the Presque Isle Bay Dock and an accessible campsite, all of which are connected by a boardwalk.Stockton Island – NPS mapWhen completed,...
