News Articles

Newly received or noteworthy information, especially about recent or important events and happenings.

Like being inside of a diamond: Apostle Islands shimmer with northern lights

Like being inside of a diamond: Apostle Islands shimmer with northern lights

It began with just a faint rippling of light. The sun had barely set, its light still coloring the sky, but already it was clear: something special was happening.NOAA northern lights forecast - click to enlargeOn the night of March 23, 2023, the sky over the northern United States glittered in one of the strongest displays of northern lights in decades, visible as far south as northern Missouri. In the Apostle Islands, clear skies and just a sliver of moon, meant perfect viewing conditions.Our Executive Director Jeff Rennicke caught the display over the national lakeshore. “To stand beneath...

Jewels on the water: Two artists share the inspiration of the islands

Jewels on the water: Two artists share the inspiration of the islands

The Apostle Islands have long inspired artists, from songwriters to painters, potters, and poets. Recently, two local artists – photographer Jeff Rennicke and silversmith Lissa Flemming – combined their talents in a unique tribute to the inspiration they find among these islands. The result was a one-of-a-kind line of jewelry created by Flemming inspired by Rennicke’s photography, both unveiled during a joint presentation at Canoecopia, the country’s largest paddling expo recently held in Madison, Wisconsin. It began with a photograph.Photographer Jeff Rennicke aboard Little Dipper“I have...

Join us for “Apostle Islands in National Geographic: the story behind the story”

Join us for “Apostle Islands in National Geographic: the story behind the story”

The March issue of National Geographic magazine celebrates Wisconsin's Apostle Islands National Lakeshore with the kind of global exposure few other publications can match. “Return to Wild Waters” describes the Islands as a “sublime, yet dangerous playground for kayakers, sailors and powerboaters to explore.” And on March 30th at 7 p.m., you'll be able to experience the story behind the story during a special online event. In the magazine and online, writer Stephanie Pearson and award-winning National Geographic photographer David Guttenfelder captured in words and images the alluring...

Exploring Basswood Island’s brownstone quarry by skis and snowshoes

Exploring Basswood Island’s brownstone quarry by skis and snowshoes

Cross country skis and snowshoes can easily carry you across lake ice and snow. With the right destination in mind, they can also transport you back in time, to the late 1800s when miners used steam drills and derricks to harvest giant blocks of Apostle Islands brownstone destined for buildings in Chicago, Milwaukee and Bayfield.NPS MapAfter checking ice and weather conditions, Friends board members Mark and Erica Peterson and Neil Howk took advantage of a beautiful sunny day to make the trek from Roy's Point on the mainland across the West Channel to the south end of Basswood Island. Howk...

Get your copy of the National Geographic feature on the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Get your copy of the National Geographic feature on the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

The Apostle Islands are a national treasure. In its March 2023 issue, National Geographic magazine celebrates their beauty and importance.The story, "Return to Wild Waters" calls the Apostle Islands a "sublime, yet dangerous playground for kayakers, sailors and powerboaters to explore." Author Stephanie Pearson and photographer David Guttenfelder collaborate to capture in words and images the alluring beauty, the cultural significance, and what the future may hold for this untamed wilderness in northern Wisconsin.  Pearson writes, "... in August 2021, I joined Guttenfelder for a segment...

Connect with your Friends at Canoecopia in Madison, Wisconsin March 10-12

Connect with your Friends at Canoecopia in Madison, Wisconsin March 10-12

If paddling the amazing sea caves in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is on your bucket list, we invite you to see us at Canoecopia in Madison, Wisconsin next weekend, March 10-12. This annual event includes more than 100 educational presentations and clinics on kayaking, canoeing and related topics, including two by Friends Executive Director Jeff Rennicke. You'll also be able to learn from the experts what gear you need to safely explore the islands.Alliant Energy Center1919 Alliant Energy WayEvent host Rutabaga Paddlesports of Madison says Canoecopia is the largest paddlesports...

Making tracks and following them: exploring Little Sand Bay in late winter

Making tracks and following them: exploring Little Sand Bay in late winter

On this first day of meteorological spring, let's be honest. Any hope that the mainland ice caves will open to foot traffic will have to wait until next winter. But if you're a fan of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, that's perfectly fine. Especially if you're prepared to take what the lake and the weather give you - and make the most of it.If you've been following our Facebook posts, you know that the vast majority of Lake Superior is open water right now, as has been the case all winter. The weather simply hasn't been cold enough, or calm enough, long enough to make more ice. As one...

Adventure Healing: Can an Apostle Islands adventure be a part of recovery?

Adventure Healing: Can an Apostle Islands adventure be a part of recovery?

Clinical psychologist and Access for All Advisory Board member Dr. Daniel Skenderian thinks so.As a psychologist working in a physical rehabilitation hospital in Southern California for the past few decades, I’ve seen the dramatic effects physical injuries and catastrophic illnesses can have on one’s sense of self, family, and activities of daily living. Traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, stroke, cancer, multiple sclerosis, orthopedic injuries, amputations, along with their emotional impact on lives makes coping with these disabilities extremely difficult. Sometimes removing the...

An accessible dream: kayaking the Apostle Islands

An accessible dream: kayaking the Apostle Islands

Janet Badura is a traveler, an adventurer, a birdwatcher. She is also someone with a progressive disorder who requires a power wheelchair. For years, Janet had a dream: to kayak the Apostle Islands sea caves. “As a person with a progressive disability, and a power wheelchair user,” she says, “joining a kayak trip, was not without some hesitation or concern.” But through Wilderness Inquiry, a partner in our Access for All initiative whose mission is to offer outdoor adventures to all, regardless of ability and background, she finally got the chance.Then she saw the 45 steps leading down to...

Full Circle: Second and third grade students from Georgia visit the Apostle Islands on a virtual tour of our national parks

Full Circle: Second and third grade students from Georgia visit the Apostle Islands on a virtual tour of our national parks

Any questions? The hands shot up like fireworks. Can you fish in Lake Superior? Do you have Wi-Fi? Why is it called a national lakeshore and not a national park? Are there bears? With Education as one of our pillars, opportunities to learn and teach others about the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore have always been an important part of the mission of Friends. Recently, Executive Director Jeff Rennicke, a former teacher himself, had the chance to speak by Zoom to the second and third grade students of Ms. Hildebrandt’s class from High Meadows School in Roswell, Georgia.Photo courtesy High...