Top Stories of 2024 Articles

Top stories of the year 2024 based on reader interest

Bear encounters in the Apostle Islands: safety tips to help campers and visitors minimize the risk

Bear encounters in the Apostle Islands: safety tips to help campers and visitors minimize the risk

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 National Park Service advisory (as of September 5, 2024) says,"These closures are necessary to ensure visitor safety and bear well-being." As background, the park service adds, "Black bears are an important component of the native wildlife community within Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and park...

Silent auction of “Sunrise in Quiet Cove” watercolor painting ends – congratulations to the winning bidder

Silent auction of “Sunrise in Quiet Cove” watercolor painting ends – congratulations to the winning bidder

Update: Thanks to our friends who bid on "Sunrise in Quiet Cove" during our recent silent auction. Bidding is now closed. Read about the winning bid here.Thanks to the generosity of local watercolorist Dale Whittaker, you may now bid on this original 11.5 x 14.5 inch painting in an 18 x 22 inch frame, "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. Jeff captured the moment and talked with Dale...

Faces of Friends: Ali and Aidan’s quest to be “kayak guides for life”

Faces of Friends: Ali and Aidan’s quest to be “kayak guides for life”

Ali Erickson and Aidan Lee 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...

Know before you go: Get your free Wave Watch QR code cling for the upcoming boating season

Know before you go: Get your free Wave Watch QR code cling for the upcoming boating season

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 wave data for five popular boating locations in the Apostle Islands starting in June of 2024. See the real-time data page here.Grab a FREE 4x4 inch sticker or cling for your boat window or water bottle or anywhere on your vessel. Scan the QR Code with your phone and...

“It basically becomes your life” – Lance Twombly reflects on more than a decade of service in the Apostle Islands

“It basically becomes your life” – Lance Twombly reflects on more than a decade of service in the Apostle Islands

"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.Neil: Where did you grow up, Lance? Lance: I was born and raised in Northwood, New Hampshire until just after high school. It’s a small New...

Thin ice: How historically low ice coverage affects Apostle Islands, Great Lakes

Thin ice: How historically low ice coverage affects Apostle Islands, Great Lakes

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 Great Lake. Combined, ice covered roughly one-third of one percent of the surface area of all of the lakes as of the first of the year; that's the lowest level in 50 years and the percentage is growing very slowly. As you can see on the map from the US National Ice Center, ice on Lake Superior is now mostly confined to the bays...

New year, new faces: Friends of the Apostle Islands adds three to its board of directors

New year, new faces: Friends of the Apostle Islands adds three to its board of directors

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.“New challenges require new viewpoints and voices,” says Jeff Rennicke, Executive Director of Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. “Each of the new board members will bring a fresh perspective and new energy to our organization.”Janet BewleyJanet Bewley understands northern Wisconsin. From acting as an original cast member of the Big Top...

NPS craftsman Dave Brunsvold hangs up his tool belt

NPS craftsman Dave Brunsvold hangs up his tool belt

The rich history of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore lives on through the historic buildings and artifacts you'll discover throughout the park. The man you are about to meet is one of the talented craftspeople dedicated to restoring, preserving and presenting these treasures to teach and inspire generations of park visitors. Dave Brunsvold devoted 23 years to that effort, before transitioning into retirement on October 19, 2023. Friends board member Neil Howk sat down Dave, saying it's important to give him a tiny bit of the recognition he deserves for the marvelous work that he...

Holiday weekend delivers typically atypical island adventures

Holiday weekend delivers typically atypical island adventures

We have all heard the term “multi use park’’ but only the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore could deliver the wide range of experiences park visitors experienced over the long holiday weekend. 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. Some call it “wayfaring.” If you were a sailor, Friday’s 25-30 knot winds out of the southwest tested skill levels and rewarded those who chose the lee side of an island to change sails. Likewise, a quiet bay was a welcome anchorage.Sailor Erica Peterson works the...

Badges of honor: Celebrating Junior Rangers

Badges of honor: Celebrating Junior Rangers

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 these special places. I will share what I learn with my friends and family.” With that oath, and a completed Junior Ranger booklet, you too can join the millions of people, the young and the young-at-heart, who have become Junior Rangers with the National Park Service (NPS). The NPS Junior Ranger program is an activity-based...