Support Us Articles

Learn more about Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore through articles related to fundraising, donations and volunteering.

THE PERFECT GIFT: The gift of caring for a place you love

THE PERFECT GIFT: The gift of caring for a place you love

Think of the gifts these islands have already give you – the warm sand on your feet as you etch your footprints into a sun-warmed stretch of beach, the mystery of the sea caves with the harp-like drips of water all around, the sweet sailing winds in the sails, the starry nights around the campfire. To all who have been here, and even to those who are still dreaming of it, the Apostle Islands have been a gift of adventure, beauty, history, and memories.So when looking for the perfect gift this holiday season, look no further than the islands themselves. Available on our website you will find...

What a difference a year makes: A year-end letter from our Executive Directors

What a difference a year makes: A year-end letter from our Executive Directors

From the deck of a sailboat or the cockpit of a kayak, from a beach walk or the top deck of the cruise boat, when you look out at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore you are looking into deep time. The sandstone of the cliffs can date back 700 million years. The lakebed itself was scooped out by glaciers that retreated perhaps 12,000 years ago. Even a single drop of water can take a century to work its way out of the lake basin. Against such a timescale, what can a single year mean?For Friends of the Apostle Islands, 2022 meant a record number of new members and supporters, volunteers...

Friends Volunteers Tend Historical Gardens

Friends Volunteers Tend Historical Gardens

Imagine tending something that is 112 years old. Three volunteers (limited due to COVID safety protocols) recently joined two National Park Service rangers with shovels and watering cans to tend the gardens at Michigan Island.Flowers bloom in front of the old Michigan Island Lighthouse – Erica Peterson photo“We are the keepers of the light” is a tune often sung at Big Top Chautauqua. Michigan Light was first built in 1856. Lighthouse families there kept gardens to supplement both their food and leisure life. Volunteers from Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore helped the park...

What Friends Are For: Watch Our New Video Introduction

What Friends Are For: Watch Our New Video Introduction

What is a Friends group? How do they help our national parks? How many are there? Good questions.  Of the 423 units managed by the National Park Service, over half have supporting partner organizations or “Friends” groups. From Friends of Acadia to Friends of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Friends of Virgin Islands, these groups support their parks in a diverse array of ways – from fundraising for the preservation of historic structures to organizing cadres of volunteers to plant gardens, clear trails, even pick up litter. Each year, the efforts of these combined groups contribute over...

Make a Friends Membership Part of Your Trip Planning for Your Apostle Islands Adventures

Make a Friends Membership Part of Your Trip Planning for Your Apostle Islands Adventures

Camping Permit? Check. Life Jackets? Check. Friends of the Apostle Islands Membership?  Launching an adventure into the Apostle Islands takes planning and all the right gear. Your membership with Friends can be an important part of it. Here’s why. Singing sand beaches, the whisper of waves against the shoreline, island nights strung with stars against velvety black skies, campfire stories of lighthouse keepers, shipwrecks, and strings of deer tracks on a sunrise trail. You are going to fall in love with the Apostle Islands, or if you’ve been here before, deepen your love and appreciation of...

In Memoriam: Walt Pomeroy

In Memoriam: Walt Pomeroy

Friends, and all who loved the Apostle Islands, lost a guiding light when board member Walt Pomeroy passed away on Tuesday, May 24th surrounded by his family including Lin, his wife of 43 years. Walt’s wisdom, guidance and unending ideas have been critical to the growth of Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and a myriad of other environmental organizations he worked with. The staff, board members, and volunteers of Friends send our most sincere condolences to his family and many friends. He will be missed and remembered. A ceremony will be held on Saturday, July 16 at Silver...

Round Up for Friends this June at the Chequamegon Food Co-op

Round Up for Friends this June at the Chequamegon Food Co-op

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...

Invest in Our Planet: Earth Day 2022

Invest in Our Planet: Earth Day 2022

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore will forever share a very special connection with Earth Day — both began in 1970 and both were championed by Wisconsin’s own Gaylord A. Nelson. This year, the theme of Earth Day is “Invest in Our Planet.” Since its inception, Friends of the Apostle Islands has invested in the islands by raising over $500,000 to support the park in our four pillars of Accessibility, Education, Stewardship, and Service.  This Earth Day, we are asking you to “Invest in Our Planet” with a donation to Friends of the Apostle Islands.  Your donation will: Help kids learn to...

Volunteers wanted for Friends Earth Day cleanup

Volunteers wanted for Friends Earth Day cleanup

We’ve all seen it (75% even admit they have caused it): litter along America’s highways and waterways. According to a recent study by the nonprofit America the Beautiful, litter on roadways is actually down 54% since 2009. But that still means there are at least 50 billion pieces of litter out there along our roadways. The news is not much better for our nation’s waterways where the study claims another 24 billion pieces of trash lie uncollected, a slight increase from the 2009 estimate. While there are no similar studies here in the Apostle Islands, any beach comber knows that we are not...

We’re live at Canoecopia this weekend!

We’re live at Canoecopia this weekend!

It’s show time! We hope you’ll join us this weekend at Canoecopia – the world’s largest paddlesport show, in Madison, Wisconsin. It’s a great place to learn about all things related to paddlesports and adventuring as well as a retail show with just about every imaginable boat, board, paddle or accessory. And we all know that the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is an amazing place to paddle! We’ve set up our Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore booth on the main show floor and filled it with collectible fine art prints, Friends merchandise and more. We’ve got lots of...