Starry Skies Articles

The Starry Skies Initiative celebrates the night sky over the Apostle Islands and seeks ways to protect the view for generations to come. Securing Dark Sky Park status for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is one of the goals. Find basic information about the Initiative here.

Friends Earth Day event draws dozens of volunteers, lakeshore lovers to Bayfield

Friends Earth Day event draws dozens of volunteers, lakeshore lovers to Bayfield

What's your memory of your first Earth Day, whether you were a college student or you were merely a figment of your future parents' imagination on April 22, 1970? Friends Executive Director Jeff Rennicke asked the audience step back in time as he recounted the history of Earth Day and it's everlasting connection to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.That connection is Wisconsin Governor and Senator Gaylord Nelson, a man inspired by the environmentally disastrous Santa Barbara oil spill of 1969 to change the world through environmental education and action. The next year, Earth Day was...

Silent night, starry night: Photographer Travis Novitsky on the Lake Superior night sky

Silent night, starry night: Photographer Travis Novitsky on the Lake Superior night sky

“Oftentimes the most notable quality of the night is the silence,” photographer Travis Novitsky told the crowd at a recent program in Bayfield. “To hear that silence you need to push everything out of your mind and let yourself truly be in that moment. That's why I like the night sky so much. It's the easiest way I can quiet my mind and just be there in the present. When I'm gazing up at the sky, especially on such a quiet night, I feel utterly and completely relaxed and refreshed.”Spirit Tree under the Milky Way - Travis Novitsky photoTravis Novitsky’s program, a part of our Dark Sky Star...

The stars aligned: After a successful Dark Sky Star Bright event, planning begins for next year

The stars aligned: After a successful Dark Sky Star Bright event, planning begins for next year

Well over 1,000 people attended one of the more than 50 events that made up our Dark Sky Star Bright festival this year – art exhibits, candlelit dinners, astronomy programs, author talks, film-screenings, saunas under the stars, and more. “The response to our first-ever festival was out of this world,” says Jeff Rennicke, Executive Director of Friends of the Apostle Islands.Festival goers enjoy the indoor planetarium and other activities in the Bayfield Pavilion - Jon Okerstrom photoInside the planetarium - Bob King photoAurora corona display - Bob King photoThe success of the new event, a...

How smart lighting choices can protect our precious night sky, save energy and money – a Dark Sky Star Bright Festival event

How smart lighting choices can protect our precious night sky, save energy and money – a Dark Sky Star Bright Festival event

The Dark Sky Star Bright Festival celebrates our precious night sky, and as the crowd gathered at the Honest Dog Books event space on Tuesday learned, it's more than that. Friends of the Apostle Islands Executive Director Jeff Rennicke put it this way. "We also wanted to make sure that when people got inspired and learned about the sky, they could take that next step. And the next step is okay, what can I do about it? In my home. In my business. In my community. How do I help, one lightbulb at a time?" To answer that question, outdoor lighting expert, Electrical Engineer and Dark Sky...

Stories, songs and science fill day two of Bayfield’s Dark Sky Star Bright Festival

Stories, songs and science fill day two of Bayfield’s Dark Sky Star Bright Festival

It was standing room only at Apostle Islands Booksellers on day two of the Dark Sky Star Bright Festival in Bayfield. The nine-day festival organized by the Bayfield Chamber of Commerce and Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore features more than 50 events tied to celebrating and preserving our precious night sky. During his bookstore appearance, Michael Laughing Fox Charette told stories, sang and performed with a variety of flutes and a drum to present "Dark Skies from the Asnishinaabe Perspective." He is a Native American storyteller, poet, and member of the Red Cliff Band of...

The stars aligned: After a successful Dark Sky Star Bright event, planning begins for next year

Enjoy your weekend with the stars as the Dark Sky Star Bright Festival kicks off

The stars are aligning in Bayfield beginning this weekend (Jan. 17th) and running through Sunday, January 25th. Over fifty events for kids and adults, from films to food and fun to programs with astronomers and pizza with photographers. Saturday, January 17th 1-4 p.m. there will be an indoor planetarium at the Pavilion and star painting for kids and adults. A FREE event for all ages.Saturday, January 17th 2:00 p.m. there will be a free discussion and book signing at Apostle Islands Booksellers (112 Rittenhouse Ave) with photographer Jeff Pfaller moderated by Jeff Rennicke, Friends Executive...

A shared commitment to wonder: Apostle Islands Booksellers joins Starry Skies Initiative

A shared commitment to wonder: Apostle Islands Booksellers joins Starry Skies Initiative

Demaris Brinton and Theron O’Connor have stood under starry skies from the high Atacama Desert in Chile to the Wadi Rum in Jordan, but no stars mean more to them than the brilliant sky above their cottage on Mawikwe Bay on the south shore of Lake Superior.“Years ago our then eight-year old Los Angeles grandson, Ishmael, led us blindfolded out of the cottage to see the Milky Way,” they told us recently. “As we watched in awe it was suddenly cut by a falling star and we told him to make a wish. He replied that he was too happy to wish for anything.”Apostle Islands Booksellers exterior and...

Reaching for the stars: Bayfield gallery sponsors Starry Skies Initiative

Reaching for the stars: Bayfield gallery sponsors Starry Skies Initiative

For Dale and Mary Whittaker, the inspiration to become major sponsors of our Starry Skies Initiative came from above, literally.“We lived for seven years in a small cabin on Madeline Island,” they said recently. “Most nights were silent except for wind, water, and wildlife — and above us, a sky full of stars. Those dark, quiet nights kept us grounded, reminded us of our place in a much bigger story and sparked so much of our creativity. Preserving the night sky is both a conservation effort and a creative one — it protects a source of awe that humans have looked to for inspiration for...

The stars aligned: After a successful Dark Sky Star Bright event, planning begins for next year

Dark Sky Star Bright celebration schedule of events for January 17-25, 2026

Bayfield’s winter has always had a quiet kind of magic — the kind that shows up when the lake is still, the nights are long, and the sky finally has your attention. Dark Sky, Star Bright was created to celebrate exactly that. From January 17–25, 2026, we’re inviting you to slow down, look up, and experience winter on Lake Superior in a whole new way. This nine-day event will bring together stargazing, photography, wellness, and night sky education — all designed to help you reconnect with nature and yourself in the calm beauty of Bayfield’s winter landscape. In collaboration with the...

International Dark Sky Week focuses attention on the starry skies over the Apostle Islands

International Dark Sky Week focuses attention on the starry skies over the Apostle Islands

The Apostle Islands have some of the most beautiful night skies in the country. Will you help us work to keep them that way?  In 2024, Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore has launched our Starry Skies Initiative. It's designed to identify and monitor light pollution threatening the lakeshore, and to engage in public outreach, increase awareness, and pursue potential certification for the Apostle Islands as an International Dark Sky Park through the Dark Sky International.In the months since then, the Wisconsin chapter of Dark Sky International has formed. Friends Executive...